Bolly Volley: Queen Is in Control

A monthly shower of previews, reviews and my unsolicited views — Volume 16, by columnist Arup Raha.

When a symbol of romance like the Eiffel Tower gets used in a scene of Queen to symbolize the horror of betrayal, you know you have a filmmaker out to craft something different. Whether it's the "Rani weds Vijay" sign during the wedding preparations, or the Nomad backpack with Vijay written on it that Rani carries later, or the status updates that roll during the closing credits — every detail has been thought out in this new movie from director Vikas Bahl. That, along with the amazing performances (Kangana Ranaut and Rajkumar Rao) and the brilliant music by Amit Trivedi, is what made Queen such a great watch for me — and what should make it an important movie for Bollywood.

Queen is the story of Rani (Rani = 'Queen'), a simple Punjabi girl from Delhi who ends up going on her 'honeymoon' by herself, and how that transforms her as she visits new places, meets new people, and experiences new cultures. As serious as that sounds, Queen hardly preaches. It delivers its messages through subtlety, simplicity, and a lot of good humor. One of the most powerful messages gets told over a few loud burps! The story doesn't rush into making Rani an independent superwoman. Through incidents and experiences, it just lets her confidence gradually bubble up through her innocence: she can go around without Chintu (little brother) by her side, she can fight off a bag-snatcher, she can drive the streets of Amsterdam. She has the courage to take off her sweater as she dances with others — but doesn't forget to safely tuck it into her bag! Scenes from present and past are beautifully woven together throughout this transition. Within its first 15 minutes, Queen had me in its grip, and it didn't let go till the very end. While it's another feel-good movie — and we've seen so many — Queen is better than the others because it stays away from melodrama around grief or romanticization of ideals. The only section I'd complain about is the golgappa episode, which felt a tad unnecessary, particularly its little flirtation with patriotism.

Amit Trivedi's outstanding music, as always, enhances the experience. There are a number of songs, but they blend in so well I wouldn't have noticed them if I hadn't started tapping my feet. And it's hard to believe this, but Queen will be talked about for years for Kangana Ranaut's charming portrayal of Rani. While Kangana takes almost all of the acting credit, I can't help mentioning my favorite actor Rajkumar Rao, who in a small role is so convincing as Vijay that you almost hate him. Beautiful Lisa Haydon, who plays the other Vijay, impresses and has some great on-screen moments with Rani in Paris.

There could be no movie better than Queen to release on International Women's Day — but that's not why it should be seen. It should be seen simply because you will love almost every frame, you will laugh a lot, and you may rethink yourself on the way home from the theater.

Don't miss the quiz

Besides acting in the lead role, what other contribution has Kangana Ranaut been credited for in Queen? Choices:

a) Assistant Choreographer

b) Additional Dialogues

c) Assistant Director

Watch the movie for the answer — or make a wild guess in the comments!

Read the previous edition of Bolly Volley: Bolly Volley, Vol. 15