Atrangi Re rests on a very illogical and weird plot. Hence, the impact is limited even though it is replete with some excellent dialogues, Aanand L Rai’s expert direction, A R Rahman’s soulful music and bravura performances. Aanand L Rai gets into the Imtiaz Ali zone this time and direction-wise, the former does better than what the latter would have done had he helmed this movie. A few scenes are exceptional and also very unique. The characters are also well-fleshed out and all these factors keep the interest going. But these elements can’t take the film to dizzying heights especially when the basic plot is difficult to digest. Speaking of performances, Sara Ali Khan delivers her best performance yet. She could have gone off-track once again after Love Aaj Kal. But she doesn’t and in fact, goes beyond what was expected from her. Dhanush, as expected, is rocking. He impresses not just in emotionally-heavy scenes or during his impromptu dance but also when he doesn’t have a single dialogue and is simply communicating through his eyes and silences. Akshay Kumar has a limited role and is lovely. The role suits him perfectly. Ashish Verma is lovely as the sidekick. Seema Biswas and Dimple Hayathi (Mandakini) are fine. All in all, Atrangi Re is an average fare.
My rating – ** ½ out of 5!