Rhyme-N-Reels

Raas-Leela

The colours and vibrance have inspired me to return to my blog, after a long time. It is clichéd, but time constraint these days hardly force me to a theatre, and I am left with no time to pen down whatever thoughts cross my mind. In that way I should be thankful to Sanjay Leela Bhansali, whose contemporary take on Romeo and Juliet, woven within a  lavish canvas made me write after a sabbatical.

I remember someday in November 2010, when Guzaarish released, and I had rushed to watch it on the first day itself. I wanted to write on the film, but I came up with a very ordinary verse as a tribute to the poetry on screen by the director. And as I think of writing my views on his latest offering titled Goliyon Ka Raasleela Ram-Leela, I think I should revert to that genre of a verse expressing my opinions.

Trash is my verse, not so the film,
A flight of fantasy to an unknown realm,
Praises and blame, Bhansali considers not,
For souls and bodies together are wrought
in a play of passion, lovely and bright,
Bhansali returns to prove his might!

“What's in a name? …a rose / By any other name would smell as sweet;”

In Bhansali’s Goliyon Ka Raasleela, our Montague and Capulet find retreat.

Gulab ko pulao bulate to kha jate kya?

Our Bard finds an equivalent in Ram-Leela.

From a grayish palette to a canvas so bright,

Bhansali’s time finally seems right

for a release that’s long awaited post his last,

He excels in story-telling, in his choice of cast.

Gender discourse, instincts and lust,

This retelling of Ishaqzaade, however, is a must.

Passion breathing forth from the beginning of the story

The gunshots, the conflict, the blood and gory,

Passion blooming in the remote village of the West,

In the lip-locks galore, the performers at their best!

Amidst two sects involved in war,

Come two souls to take you far

from the clichéd directors who shy away from sin,

Bhansali here is the genie, he himself is Aladin.

Soaked in red, blue, green, and in yellow,

Coloured is the vision, the content not mellow.

A veteran in Supriya, a ‘killer’ in her look,

She smites, she surprises and excels in her attitude.

Devaiah, Richa, Abhimanyu amaze,

Piercing is Sharad and Barkha’s gaze.

Dare we not praise the majestic queen, a talent so bright?

Undisputed lady with her moves and emotions delight,

Chiseled and versatile Ranveer complements Deepika’s part,

From balcony to bed, till passion rips them apart,

Dejected and doomed, in the hands of fate,

In death they unite, ends their search for a soul-mate.

The story, the plot, and the issues not so novel,

It’s the vision and the valor where the director excels.

He scores the music, harmonious and loud,

Aditi Paul and Shreya’s renditions make us so proud,

So does Aditya, the Narayan son,

The credit song, must say, is a full-on

foot-tapping choice, Osman Mir, ah! What a wondrous voice!

Choreographed by many, and executed by two,

The best in recent times, you agree? For I do!

What falters is a second-half not so tight,

Breath-taking moments rendered light,

Less convincing, action and counter-action follow,

Twists and turns, the editing, a bit hollow!
To add to the hues, is PC's aankh maaro toh pyaar,
She buttons, and sets fire in her new avatar!

Whatever are the views, whatever people say,

At least for once, make your way

To celebrate colours, to indulge in romance,

Give yourself a chance to sing and dance.

Let November be a rhapsody of passion and lust,

Let not this panorama dwindle away in dust,

Let Shakespeare be re-lived amidst the power play,

Let Bhansali bring the tinsel town under his sway.

For me, am truthful to the world of trash,

To the world of songs, party and bash,

To those disturbed at my allegiance to Bollywood,

I apologize, if I appear a little rude

to the grey cells here and there with polished aesthetic view,

And in case you like my verse, is a smile and “Thank You!”