There’s nothing really new when it comes to the story. Indian audiences have seen the retelling of this tale on many occasions and as recently as Kangana Ranaut's 'Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi', which released earlier this year. What makes Swati Bhise's movie different from anything we’ve seen before is that its narrative honestly makes an effort to include real-life politics, diplomacy and governance into this story of war and conflict. The Indians and British actually engage in dialogue and negotiations, before polity fails and violence ensues. But where the writing shows the promise of detail, the direction looks amateur and lacks precision. Unfortunately, with its heavy dialogue approach and constant attempt to showcase the characters as righteous, the film plays out like a costume drama. At times, the narrative gets bland and uninspiring.
Thanks to the international collaboration, the production value of the film is refined. The casting, especially of the British characters is top-notch. You have the likes of Rupert Everett, Derek Jacobi, Nathaniel Parker and Ben Lamb, playing Englishmen with solid performances. The supporting cast of Indian actors like Arif Zakaria, Ajinkya Deo are good, too. But the main lead, Devika Bhise, portraying the role of Rani Laxmibai, often seems out of her depth. While she handles the dramatic scenes well, it’s the action scenes, the handling of weapons and the stunts that leave her looking ordinary. The slight twang in her Marathi and Hindi dialogues doesn't help either.
Director Swati Bhise, makes an honest attempt to tell this heroic tale with style and pomp, but while the film certainly looks fine, it lacks the grit and gumption that such an epic story demands. Most of all, it doesn’t quite make Laxmibai the all-guns blazing hero that she was.
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