Atrangi Re (2021)

Where do I even start with this Freudian mess of a movie?

Like I said a couple of days back, nothing is more annoying than a movie that had all the potential to be good and thoughtful and funny and everything else that one looks for in a cinematic experience, but turns out to be bad anyway. Atrangi Re just might be the perfect example of that genre.

As everyone on social media has already pointed out, the depiction of mental health and disorders in the movie is extremely problematic. It mocks the trauma Rinku (Sara Ali Khan) has gone through her entire life, and to make matters worse, it does so through a psychiatrist. I honestly felt quite triggered and sick afterwards— it's been 24 hours and a part of my brain still hurts. It's that bad.

Also, the sexual politics are so messed up. I cannot believe that big twist actually happened, and that it was supposed to be a reasonable justification of why Rinku was the way she was. 

Canadian Kumar is immensely forgettable here, which worked out just fine for me. I didn't watch half his scenes anyway, especially those where it was just him and Sara.

Speaking of the lead actress... the lasting impression I have from this movie is that she still cannot cry convincingly. Her Bihari accent was fine in some places, but completely off in others. Even her expressions while dancing felt forced— it looked like she was trying to copy her grandmother, the legendary Sharmila Tagore, but it simply was not working out.

Plus, 'Chaka Chak' is no 'Gun Guna Rahe Hain Bhanvre'.

Coming to the music- A.R. Rahman is a saviour with his album, but at what cost?? The songs are all good, but since they have been tainted with the movie for me, I'm not sure when I'll find the strength to listen to them again. 

The other saviour was Dhanush. Even though his character was written really badly, he still managed to be the only good thing on screen for long stretches of the film. 

In the end, there is nothing much to say except that this movie made me feel like my already bad mental health these days has deteriorated even further. Just a little more common sense and empathy could have saved this movie but who has the time for that, eh?


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