Manikarnika Is Kangana’s Show All The Way

 On Sunday evening  the  co-producers  of Manikarnika hosted a  special screening  for handpicked guests.

 I spoke to some invitees  who were generally positive in their response to the  long-awaited film except for one prevalent complaint about the  film’s length and the  over-dominance of the lead actress in the  proceedings.

An actor whose  role has  been chopped to almost  zilch says , “This has got to be the  longest showreel ever  made for any  Indian actor. It is nearly 2 ½ hours  long. And  it isn’t a fast-flying narrative. The film is weighed down by its own sense  ofselfimportance.Every frame  is about  only one actor.”

According to this actor stalwarts  like  Atul Kulkarni, Danny Denzongpa  and Sonu Sood have been  reduced  to  props. “SonuSood is not there at  all. He has been  replaced by Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and the role is now much smaller than what it was whe Sood played it. Atul Kulkarni who plays  the important  role of  Rani Laxmibai’s war General is reduced to two scenes.While Nihar Pandya who plays her brother is  hardly even a blur.”

According to this  source, “Kangana is  in   almost frame of  the film.All the  other characters have been marginalized to a shadowy  nothing. To her credit she powers  the  plot, holds it together.But  it’s a  one-woman show .Or more like  a show-reel.”

The source  complains  about  Kangana’s dialogue delivery.  “She is unable to deliver the  historic lines  with  enough force. But that apart she is adequate as  Rani Of Jhansi. The second-half is all by Krish  and  the  first-half is  all done  by  Kangana. The audience can  easily tell the  difference between  the two halves.”

This source feels  Manikarnika stands a better chance at  the boxoffice than Thackeray.

“Manikarnika  has a universal resonance whereas Thackeray’s appeal is  restricted  to Maharashtra,” says the source.