Review: Rangreza gasps for breath in the second half
The second half takes a toll on you. You want it to end after a point. Photo: Screengrab
A brooding, successful musician Bilal Ashraf falls for Reshmi, a girl belonging to an orthodox Qawwal household but there are issues. The girl is courted by Waseem Wallay played by Gohar Rasheed, who wears a kurta that reads Che in Urdu, gambles in the streets at nights so obviously is jailed many a times and is obnoxiously aggressive for a girl like Reshmi, or for any girl for that matter.
This is what you make initially of the plot of Rangreza, which happened to release on the same date – December 21 – as Arth, and which was advertised through its much lyrical and colourful teasers and trailers lately.
Rangreza released on the same date as Arth. Photo: Promotional poster
Bilal Ashraf plays a rock star named Ali. Urwa Hocane is Reshmi, a girl who hails from a Qawwal family and is engaged to her cousin played by Gohar Rasheed who plays Waseem Wallay. Ghana Ali plays a character called Saba, Ali’s friend and Alyzeh Gabol has done a cameo in the film.
Directed by Amir Mohiuddin and written by Akhtar Qayyum, the film is a collaborative production of three banners namely, Vision Art Films, Malkani Films and MH Films.
The film starts to kick in after a good 5 minutes as you are introduced with Waseem in his introductory sequence in which he relentlessly channels a character that has the madness of Joker from the Batman franchise and hatefulness of a rowdy.
Now wait a second. You might have thought of the Joker reference as a stretch but try complaining after you’ve seen him play tabla in the Qawwal household one night after a street altercation.
Waseem in his introductory sequence relentlessly channels a character that has the madness of Joker from the Batman franchise. Photo: Screengrab
Ali played by Bilal Ashraf is too much of a gentleman to be branded a flirt by one of his female friends (Ghana Ali) in the beginning of the film. You think he might turn out to be a big flirt but he fails to grow out of his gentle awesomeness, which by the way is something I’m not complaining about, in case you missed that.
The man was 9/10 on what presumably was required of him by the script.
He was handsome, had a sexy, almost teasing aura to him in some scenes and one can easily say that he did a great job with what must have been offered to him by Akhtar Qayyum and the makers on script, costumes and everything.
Bilal Ashraf’s character was handsome, had a sexy, almost teasing aura to him in some scenes and one can easily say that he did a great job. Photo: Screengrab
Urwa walks a long ‘victim’ ramp in Rangreza and you realise how much you were missing a light Urwa when ‘Bagiya Mein Mor’ track comes along in the second half. That song is the highest Rangreza would take you. After ‘Bagiya’, Rangreza drags and drags and drags a little more.
Urwa Hocane plays Reshmi, a girl who hails from a Qawwal family. Photo: Screengrab
The film loses its audience after Ali and Reshmi confront and celebrate their love in lead actress’s ‘dream sequence’. Yes, that is right. Amir Mohiyuddin pauses the story to have his lead girl sing and dance. I just wanted to point it out – no comments to make here. We have to understand the commerce as well. Art cannot sustain itself, it goes hand in hand with the commerce.
The second half takes a toll on you. You want it to end after a point.
After you have accepted the film as it is at that point and are shifting sides in your chair waiting for it to either end or pull a trick on you, it ends.
Amir Mohiyuddin and Akhtar Qayyum definitely deserve a pat on the back for the cast they took the film to the floors with.
Ghana Ali
Not to break her heart, but her performance reminded me of something Anjana Sukhani, a (sorry to say, dear) mildly successful Bollywood story, that too for like a few years, said in an interview years ago after she had done one of the ‘Golmaals’.
She told Komal Nahta, an Indian film critic and trade pundit that she did not want to do a role that could have been done by anyone. In other words, what we refer to as ‘furniture role’. You just place it and that is it. Ghana Ali who plays Ali’s friend and a connection between the lead pair, Urwa and Bilal Ashraf, since she knows Reshmi from varsity, could have been played by anyone.
It was a ‘furniture role’.
Ghana did not own it or make it hers.
Like how actors, dealing which such roles can bring something to the table that makes it look as if it was for them, be it remotely, but add something that it no longer remains a part for every actor.
Ghana Ali is replaceable.
However, why Alyzeh Gabol does a debut with a special appearance and is seen on the screens twice in the movie for some seconds, that too, with tears the second time, is something you need to tell me after you watch Rangreza.
Akhtar Qayyum, the writer and the ‘background scorer’
Okay, here is what I’m thinking: Qayyum being a composer was bound by Mother Nature to channel some music-related plot in his writing.
I readily understood why Reshmi was a girl from a Qawwal family and why Ali was this brooding rock star who falls for this kind-hearted woman. The story is about a girl and a guy who happen to be from the music world. I’m connecting the dots Mr. Qayyum.
No, there’s nothing wrong here. I’m just pointing out stuff. In fact biggies from the entertainment world including Karan Johar have gone on record to say that a writer as well as a director channels himself one way or the other in the film or any cultural product.
Or maybe Qayyum just wanted to write ‘Aashiqui’. I don’t know.
Some great voices we hear on this album and by some I mean Abida Parveen and Asrar. The two have lent vocals to ‘Phool Khil Jaayein’ which is a 05:12 min track while Asrar’s solo ‘Bulleya’ (Wow! What a new song) is also featured in the film. There are six different songs in the album.
Trivia
• This is Alyzeh Gabol’s debut film and why she opted to debut in the film industry with a special appearance, we are yet to know. She probably has this sorted out as she would go on the talk shows if her next release, hopefully as the leading lady, becomes a success and drop the ‘I didn’t come to succumb to conventions or I wanted to do it differently’ statements.
• Do you know who was to play Reshmi initially? A girl called Sana Javed. Yes. You might know her from the world of cricket as she is a former Pakistani player who wore the green jersey for One Day Internationals (ODI) between 2005 and 2008. But the part eventually went to the table of Urwa Hocane as Javed opted out of the film that some sections are claiming to be the most expensive film of the year.
What others said
Rahul Aijaz, critic with Express Tribune wrote after the film was premiered in Karachi earlier this month, “a sad case which delivers on a few fronts but fails by a large margin on major ones, therefore diluting its experience."
Dawn Images published a review that stated: “While the film was simple, it has its moments and drawbacks…Could have been improved with a tighter script and attention to detail,” Sonia Ashraf wrote.
Verdict
Not bad for a film that came against ‘Arth’ starring Shan Shahid and Humaima Malik and shot in grey London.
Watch it for Gohar Rasheed’s dialogues, an example of which is, ‘Arrey O! Aagey se ganjay, peeche se Sanjay’, and to enjoy Bilal Ashraf in a Midnight Blue Shalwar Qameez opposite a happy and pretty Urwa in ‘Bagiya Mein Mor’ (regardless of the fact that the song is on YouTube).
Stars: 3.5/5
Take it from the horse’s mouth
Here is what the audience at a theater at Vogue Towers had to say:
