Raazi is Perfect but not Flawless. Here's Why?

A very few films have managed to impress me the way Raazi did, and I am sure most of you who've watched it already, share the same sentiment. The ones who haven't PLEASE DO. This one is a shouldn't be missed.

Critics have lauded the film for its brilliant storytelling and the performance of the cast especially Alia as the lead and the audience has loved it equally. Resultantly,  the movie has grossed over 50 crores within a week of its release.

For starters, It is brilliant film for Bollywood Standards. The expression "Bollywood standards " pretty much normalises the fact that a film like Raazi is a sporadic occurrence in the  Hindi film industry which is plagued by mediocrity.

One of the many good things about Raazi is that within the ambit of a mainstream Bollywood Entertainer it gives the feels of intelligent cinema. Unlike the recently release October starring Varun Dhawan which was another piece of cinematic excellence,  Raazi doesn't lack the lustre. It has its moments which wouldn't disappoint a typical movie viewer who anticipates songs and dance sequences in every film. The background music is beautiful and very well placed keeping in mind the film's tempo.

The best part, these father-daughter, husband-wife emotions look natural and not overtly imposed in a narrative which draws on patriotism as its premise. Unlike those slogan chanting, "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" shouting characters which have been ingrained into our minds as the quintessential patriotic film characters, Raazi has subtle overtones of patriotism from a neutral standpoint. It doesn't antagonise the nation across the border nor does it portray its citizens to be evil. Patriotism is shown as a mark of respect towards one's nation and in now way shows any indication of hating the people of another. A Cross-Country marriage seems more normal than the usual cross-cultural marriages in India.

As much as I loved what is being touted as the best film of the year and one of the best films of the decade, I did have some problems with it.

1. Theme
Somewhere I felt that the film failed to practice what it preaches. Patriotism as a keynote theme couldn't be executed the way the director envisioned it to be . Watching the movie, we get the essence of the filmmaker's intent which doesn't transcend to the screenplay possibly at all the levels we would have desired it to be . Had Raazi been an off-beat film from the world of parallel cinema, this intent could have sufficed but an ordinary man of average intelligence doesn't go to theatres to read between the lines.

2. Performances
Also, contrary to popular opinion, I do NOT believe that Raazi is  Alia's career best performance. She   was undoubtedly brilliant, and it is hard to imagine anyone else play Sehmat the way she did but I still believe that she did not out-do her act of Mary Jane in Udta Punjab.
Additionally, I also refuse to give in to the fact that it was Alia's film all the way. She was vulnerable and endearing and played her role with immense aplomb but let's face it, the character of Sehmat had a lot of scope. In a certain way it was coming off-age, something which gives a chance of immense value addition to the performer. The steller supporting cast with the likes of theatre veterans were expected to be good, but it was Vicky Kaushal who stole the show for me even with lesser screen time and way lesser scope in his role as compared to his leading lady.

3. Climax
Last things last, the climax of the film could have been SO MUCH BETTER. For a movie that keeps you on the edge of your seats for the first couple of hours, it gets awfully disturbing for a viewer when it falls flat during the last twenty minutes. The confrontation scene on the protagonists based on a key piece of evidence was both cliched and rushed. I could already imagine a hundred other scenarios of what could have been. The scenes that followed thereafter as the movie neared its end, were both predictable and not-too-convincing.
It felt like after two hours of taking the viewers on an multiple-emotion-roller-coaster, the makers wanted to say " kahani khatam hui, ab ghar jao". And that's what hit me the hardest, coz after engaging in the film with all my heart, I didn't want a happily ever after, I wanted a proper closure to say the least.

Needles to say that despite the flaws, the film blew me off my mind. Having watched it over twenty four hours ago, I am still under its enchanting spell, so much that I absolutely wouldn't mind watching the two hour twenty minute piece of cinematic excellence all over again!