shaheen raaj
Hindi Film Review
Judgementall Hai Kya
By: Shaheen Raaj
“Judgementall Hai Kya Is A Well Made Film With Powerful Performances”
Banner: Balaji Motion Pictures, Karma Media And Entertainment & ALT Entertainment
Producers: Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor & Shailesh R Singh
Director: Prakash Kovelamudi
Star Cast: Raj Kummar Rao, Kangana Ranaut, Jimmy Shergill, Amyra Dastur, Kanika Dhillon, Amrita Puri, Brijendra Kaka, Satish Kaushik, Lalit Behl & Hussain Dalal
Music: Arjuna Harjai, Ruchita Arora, Tanishk Bagchi & Daniel B George
So how will you define a “normal” human behavior? And what are the criteria to be followed by a person that he/she can be considered as “normal”? In the past there were films like My Name Is Khan in the year 2010, Taare Zameen Par in the year 2007) etc. wherein the protagonists’ behavior were such that they stood out & were even ostracized. But still they were special & earned respect in society after a long struggle. And now, writer Kanika Dhillon & director Prakash Kovelamudi have come up with Judgementall Hai Kya that tackles these issues but unlike the aforementioned films, this flick goes into an unconventional zone with even a murder occurring in the narrative.
The scripted scenario of Judgementall Hai Kya reveals the story of a woman with mental issues trying to solve a supposed crime. Bobby Batliwala Grewal (Kangana Ranaut) is an orphan who has lost her parents at a young age. She is partly responsible for their demise. Bobby Batliwala Grewal grows up as a disturbed individual & her grandfather (Lalit Behl) takes care of her. She stays separately from him & works as a dubbing artiste for South Indian films. She is on medication for her mental condition but she doesn’t consume her pills. She is in a relationship of sorts with Varun (Hussain Dalal) who is desperate to get physical with her. But she doesn’t give him the opportunity. At this point, Bobby Batliwala Grewal gets a new tenant named Keshav (Rajkummar Rao) & his wife Meena (Amyra Dastur). Both are deeply in love with each other. Bobby Batliwala Grewal spies on them & she starts to imagine herself with Keshav. However, she also gets intrigued since Keshav seems mysterious. In front of Meena, he pretends to be a non-smoker & a vegetarian. But Bobby Batliwala Grewal catches him smoking heavily & also relishing chicken dishes. She starts to trouble them & then it reaches a point where Keshav & Meena decide to move to another place. Before that can happen, a gas explosion occurs in their kitchen & Meena dies. The cops (Satish Kaushik & Brijendra Kala) begin their investigation. Bobby makes it categorically clear to them that Keshav has murdered Meena but doesn’t have concrete proof. The police officers interrogate Kehsav as well but realize it was a case of accidental death. Hence, they decide to close the case. An enraged Bobby Batliwala Grewal assaults Keshav & she’s sent to a mental asylum for a brief period of time. 2 years later, Bobby Batliwala Grewal seems to be in control. She’s started regular medication & her grandfather sends her to her cousin Megha’s (Amrita Puri) place in London to help in a stage production on Ramayana. All is going fine when Bobby Batliwala Grewal gets a jolt when she spots Keshav also in London. What happens next forms the rest of the crux of the film.
Kanika Dhillon’s story is unconventional & even quite promising & entertaining. Kanika Dhillon’s screenplay is interesting but in some parts, she falters. This is particularly in the 2ndhalf where the film goes into another zone & doesn’t seem convincing. She however raises some interesting points on the idea of “normal” & even draws parallel with Ramayana. Only if all these things had come together well, the impact would have been manifold. Kanika Dhillon’s dialogues suit the film, especially the ones mouthed by Kangana Ranaut.
Prakash Kovelamudi’s direction is appropriate & he uses his technical knowledge well. The film is very stylishly narrated which goes with its theme & also the title. In a few scenes, he shows his brilliance but goes over the top in the 2nd half’s pre-climax scenario especially. Also, a few scenes might seem difficult to digest, particularly the scene where Bobby Batliwala Grewal confronts Keshav. He was treading line with this film & sadly enough, he trips at places & this affects the impact of his role.
Judgementall Hai Kya’s intro scene shows the disturbed childhood of Bobby Batliwal Grewal in a brief & concise manner. Once She grows up, it takes a while however to get in the film’s flow. This is because the character is unconventional & unlike anything that one has seen in Bollywood films. Hence Kangana Ranaut’s mannerisms, actions, way of living life etc. are not exactly “normal”. Things get interesting once Keshav & Meena arrive to reside at her place as tenants. Keshav also seems mysterious & the scene where he is fixing the fuse at midnight is quite nicely done. The Lonavala sequence also is funny. But it’s when Meena passes away that things begin to heat up. The intermission point is a shocker. Post-interval, the interest level is maintained with some unexpected developments. But this is also the point where bizarre also things start happening in the film. One can argue even the 1st half had its share of bizarre stuff but in the 2nd half, the makers go completely overboard. The film is still unpredictable but the theme & execution will restrict its audience to only multiplexes of the urban areas.
The songs do not really make an impact. The title song stands out but comes at a time when the film turns very bizarre. “Kis Raste Hai Jana” is okay. “Wakhra Swag” appears during the end credits. Daniel B George’s background score however is way better & is zany just like the film’s theme.
Pankaj Kumar’s cinematography is conventional & yet works in a film like this. Sheetal Sharma’s costumes are quite quirky especially the ones worn by Kangana Ranaut & she looks great. In fact, costumes add a lot to her character. Ravi Shrivastav’s production design is praiseworthy, especially for the Ramayana play. After’s VFX is average & moreover the cockroach shots could have been more realistic. Shweta Venkat’s editing (with additional editing by Prashanth Ramachandran & Shieeba Sehgal) is fine. The duration of the film is just 116 minutes & that’s certainly a plus point.
Performance wise, Kangana Ranaut nails the part. This was probably her most challenging part yet & she delivers the goods as per expectations. Any other actress in her place would have to put a lot of effort & it might have made her performance mechanical. But Kangana Ranaut just slips into the part with perfect ease & takes it to another level. Rajkummar Rao also gets to shine. He’s too good as the mysterious Keshav. But he’s at his best in these 2 scenes wherein he begs Bobby Batliwala Grewal to spare him & his wife. Amyra Dastur is cute & enacts the supporting part well. The same goes for Amrita Puri. Satish Kaushik & Brijendra Kala is apt for their respective roles. Hussain Dalal is a talent to watch out for. He’s very funny & adds a lot to the film. Jimmy Sheirgill as Shridhar is endearing in the special appearance. Lalit Behl is decent. Kanika Dhillon as Sita, also the writer of the film, is stunning & gets to play a fine part in the film.
Tail Piece: On the whole, Judgementall Hai Kya is a well made film with powerful performances from both Kangana Ranaut & Rajkummar Rao.
At the box office turnstiles, it will cater mainly to the urban multiplex frequenting audience. Period!
