A week before SIMRAN’s release, Kangna simply owned the film and did everything she could do to be in news till the D-day, with all others related to the film remaining silent, including the director simply posing as a mere spectator.
The strategy might have worked in the social networks and news channels providing them some entertaining controversies, but it couldn’t bring in the viewers as per the expectations and the film too turns out to be an average one time watch due to many major shortcomings.
Based on a fresh story inspired by the real life NRI bank robber Sandeep Kaur in America, named as ‘Bombshell Bandit’ due to her fashionable disguises, wigs and large sunglasses, Hansal Mehta cleverly calls his film SIMRAN and presents a breezy, entertaining first half that raises your expectations from the director and his lead performer. Completely focusing on a charming Kangna delivering another of her typical but engrossing messy act, the film majorly falters in its second half and falls flat in a highly confusing and lifeless climax (desperately trying to be funny) leaving you in unexpectedly disappointed mode.
Particularly the bank robbery sequences turn out to be so unbelievable convenient that one wonders why they didn’t make it look tough or more convincing on screen (even if they happened exactly as shown in the real life). Moreover the foreign villains don’t work in terms of terror, the music remains completely forgettable (except the title song) and almost every sequence having Kangna in it brings in a monotonous feel as well as boredom after the initial entertaining hour.
No doubt, Kangna once again shines in a similar kind of performance earlier seen in QUEEN, but at times too much emphasis on the lead, brutally ignoring the supporting cast seriously hurts a movie. That’s exactly what happens with SIMRAN in its second half and that’s exactly the reason why Kangna’s scenes with her parents (Hiten Kumar & Kishori Shahane) turn out to be the best in the entire movie focusing on some other characters. What also misses in the film is the emotional connect with the viewers as one never feels like related to the lead character on screen and her hard times.
Supporting the fact, all her last three hit films namely QUEEN, TANU WEDS MANU and TANU WEDS MANU RETURNS actually worked because of a brilliant support coming from other talented actors in their cast and catchy songs generating the much required relief factor. Strangely SIMRAN has got none of that especially in the later part of the film, which actually damages it the most offering nothing else at all other than a more or less sweet and likable Kangna Ranaut.
Sohum Shah as her fiancé tries his best and so does director Hansal Mehta venturing back into commercial cinema post all impressive films as SHAHID, CITYLIGHT and ALIGARH. However he falls short of delivering another gem and SIMRAN can at best be called an average one time watch entertainer with a much better first half.
The film has its terrific moments and an admirable Kangna too satisfying her die-hard fans. But this sadly isn’t a film you would like to fall in love with like her QUEEN.
Rating : 2.5 / 5
(The article also got featured at UC-News mobile app in September 2017)
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Shared below are views - Beyond the initial writeup with more interesting insights.
As mentioned in the review, the biggest drawback of SIMRAN is that it never gives any importance to the supporting cast and relief factor in its script or story progression. The director keeps focusing on the lead actor alone like a solo-act without any strong supporting performance or catchy songs and that’s where the film fails to establish any kind of connect with its viewers as a completely dry movie.
Friends watching Hindi films before the 80s are very much familiar with the fact that most of those films had a parallel comic plot running along the main storyline just to provide the relief factor in its narration. And many times there used to be a complete song too in this parallel progression that had no relation whatsoever with the film's core subject. Many movies of Mehmood remain the best example of the same and there were times when special insertions were made just to adjust Mehmood into the narration providing a relief factor to the movie along with adding to its commercial value.
Strangely director Hansal Mehta and his writers forgot about this basic feature of our cinema that deeply affects SIMRAN turning it into a monotonous film. Having said that, for many it still might turn out to be decent one time watch, enjoying the immesely likable Kangna.
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