In “Atrangi Re,” Runaway Rinku, a Hindu girl from Bihar, harbours feelings towards a Muslim magician named Sajjad. However, at her grandmother’s insistence, she is forcibly married off to Vishu; he’s a Tamil Brahmin medical student who already has a fiancée, but whose religious beliefs are more ‘compatible’ to Rinku’s. However as they begin their journey as a new couple, Vishu realizes there’s more to his better half than thought; likewise, there is also more to the man of her dreams, Sajjad. Hilarity ensues when Vishu takes it upon himself to ‘get rid of the competition’ using some rather unconventional methods that could even result to his medical licence being revoked!
Not Your Run-of-the-Mill Love Triangle
While “Atrangi Re” seems to have been marketed as a run-of-the-mill love triangle, it is anything but. It has plenty of suspense, unpredictability, and a jaw-dropping twist enough to even categorize it as a romantic thriller. What carries the film are its characters, characterisation, and the manner in which it addresses the problematic aspects of love.
Both Vishu and Rinku are portrayed as hopeless romantics, with Vishu risking electrocution by dangling from a telephone pole just to get a decent signal so he can exchange long, romantic phone calls with his lady love Mandy. Additionally, with Rinku, we see her listlessly narrating to Vishu about all the instances wherein she went against her own family’s religious beliefs, (and even tolerated beatings from her grandmother) just to prove her loyalty to the mystery man Sajjad.
Shying Away from a Dry and Sappy Romance
These over the top proclamations of love are commonplace in Aanand L. Rai’s tragic romances; yet the filmmaker never leans into these elements to create a generic and sappy romance. Here, he uses these elements to convey to viewers how maddening it is to fall for someone; and how love often feels like an all consuming task.
As with Rai’s earlier work such as “Raanjhanaa,” — which was also penned by writer Himanshu Sharma and which featured a jilted, jealous, selfish, and petty lover developing quite the superiority complex — “Atrangi Re” too shines a light on the mental degradation and torment caused by the overwhelming nature of love. This is especially true when it is revealed that Rinku is continuously hounded by her past; she has delusions of grandeur centering around her picture-perfect romance devoid of any road blocks.
Exploring the Inner-Workings of its Characters
This also applies to Vishu, who has lived much of his life grounded in reality with many of his decisions undertaken by his parents; this is until his forced marriage to the free-spirited Rinku derails his plans for the future and the following events leave him in a state of anguish. He fluctuates between indifference towards Rinku when he’s forced into marrying her, to later succumbing to his feelings and growing possessive towards her and exploitative of her mental health. He breaks into cute dance numbers to show he is all aflutter and punch drunk in love with her; but simultaneously he doesn’t hesitate from indulging in brazen acts of self harm. These include breaking glass bottles over his head in a bid to emotionally manipulate her into choosing him over Sajjad, which just shows how limited his knowledge about selfless love actually is.
Among the performances in “Atrangi Re,” Sara Ali Khan seems to be in her element playing the perky and rebellious Rinku, a character who shares many similarities to Mukku, Khan’s character from her debut movie “Kedarnath.” The promising actor delivers a breezy performance, although her ability to cry on cue leaves much to be desired. Khan is still magnetic as the lovable and charming Rinku, and definitely shows the naysayers and critics who’ve been dismissive of her acting abilities (mainly due to the raging nepotism debate and a few flops in her 3-year-old acting career) that she can still deliver in the acting department. “Atrangi Re” is the right script for her, and Director Rai can extract a formidable performance from his actors. Additionally, Akshay Kumar is equally charming as the elusive Sajjad.
Side-Stepping Archaic Bollywood Tropes
Khan and Kumar subvert the age-old trope of fifty-year-old Bollywood stars romancing female co-stars half their age, playing characters who share an age-appropriate relationship with each other. Rinku and Sajjad’s relationship also enables viewers to understand the complex and harsh reality that lies beneath Rinku’s unrealistic expectations of love and her childlike infatuation with Sajjad. Viewers learn of Rinku’s traumatic past and some rather unsettling secrets, which helps propel the narrative. Even the moments which initially appeared unbelievable; Rinku professing her love for Sajjad via cheesy and corny dialogues or weaving incredulous-sounding, far fetched yarns about their ‘blossoming romance’ become more plausible.
But the star of the film is most definitely Dhanush as Vishu. The versatile South Indian actor who debuted in Bollywood in 2013 with Rai’s “Raanjhanaa” shines in this role. The beauty and nuance with which he convincingly captures the complexity of this character are on full display here. He shines in scenes such as when Vishu exhibits sheer chivalry towards Rinku by asking the father of his fiancée Mandy to not misbehave with her during an altercation at his wedding venue. And later he conveys Vishu’s vulnerability and the conflict that arises via an impassioned speech as he finds himself developing feelings for the woman who inadvertently broke up his marriage.
Apart from the climax, these two scenes also had me fighting back tears; and Dhanush’s dialogue delivery during such emotionally charged moments too is nothing short of poetic, powerful, and poignant. Ashish Verma as Madhusudan/MS lends ample support in the role of the wise-cracking, understanding and loyal pal; this is quite reminiscent of similar characters from Deepak Dobriyal in Rai’s other ventures such as the “Tanu weds Manu” franchise or even by Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub Khan in “Raanjhanaa.”
Khan and Kumar subvert the age-old trope of fifty-year-old Bollywood stars romancing female co-stars half their age…”
A Soundtrack that Captures the Film’s Emotions
The soundtrack by AR Rahman compliments the tone of the movie, effectively capturing the emotions of its characters. The score blends seamlessly with the chaos on-screen, while heightening the sense of urgency as Vishu and his confidante Dr. Madhusudan attempt to make sense of the situation. Some songs such as “Rait Zara Si” and “Little Little” (sung by Dhanush) feature both Tamil and Hindi lyrics; this further enhances the overall cultural experience and pays homage to both North and South Indian cultures.
“Atrangi Re” has a lot going for it, but is of course not devoid of negative and cringeworthy elements either. There are instances of casual racism the film uses for comic effect; an example of this being a character utilising the xenophobic misnomer ‘Chinese virus’ when referring to the COVID-19. This feels like low hanging fruit that doesn’t need to be here (although the joke following it wherein Vishu nervously blurts out that ‘David is the twin brother of COVID’ did leave me chuckling).
The film has also faced flak and received polarised reactions from critics and netizens alike who took issue with the romanticization of mental health as well as the exploitative nature and clueless mentality of characters such as Vishu and his partner in crime Dr. Madhusudan. However, considering Rinku is a victim of trauma, I felt far more sympathetic towards her than towards Vishu.
Rai’s Vision of Using Inherently Flawed Characters to Tell a Story
I’m of the opinion that Vishu certainly could’ve been a more likable character; paying for Rinku’s therapy instead of putting her through public humiliation would take him up a notch. But that would probably not be in line to Rai’s vision and especially to the filmmaker’s penchant for crafting characters who are a representation of humanity in its raw, visceral, and most importantly, most alarmingly unpleasant form. In the past, ‘unpolished’ representations of human nature have unnerved audiences and critics of Rai’s movies. I’ve come to realize this is exactly the sort of response the filmmaker aims for through such unjustifiably ignorant characters.
I do not justify Vishu’s attitude towards Rinku’s mental health; however, on closer examination, I feel his attitude is a reflection of society; similar indignation, ignorance, and insensitivity towards such taboo topics is visible there as well.
Of course, I don’t expect everyone to share the same opinions as I regarding the storyline or the characters; viewers should watch the movie for themselves and to decipher its multiple messages. There’s much to unpack here; feel free to examine its multiple layers as well as the underlying subtext as you please.
“Atrangi Re” is currently available to watch on OTT and Disney+/Hotstar in India.
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