BOTTOM LINE
More Serious, Less Entertaining Than Original
OUR RATING
2.5/5
What Is the Film About?
Asif (Akshay Kumar) and Rashmi (Kiara Advani) have married against the will of the latter’s parents. On the occasion of a wedding anniversary, the mother-in-law of Reshmi invites the couple along with the kid to come to their house as it has been many years.
One day Asif, who is a firm non-believer in ghosts, awakens them accidentally while playing a game of cricket with kids. What happens next? Who is the ghost, and what does it want is what the movie is all about?
How Is Performance?
Akshay Kumar is a star known for extreme easy in action and comedy. There is plenty of scope for them in the original (Kanchana) of Laxmii, but he has taken a challenging route for the remake. The actor’s role is turned a serious one from the start, and we see the funny side only intermittently.
The focus, therefore, is shifted entirely to the transformative act that occurs during the latter half of the movie. Akshay Kumar is terrific in those scenes. The showroom and dining room sequence are done with great care and effort, and it shows. The age is visible but Akshay Kumar manages to pull them off, superbly. The rest is just a walk in the park for him.
Direction?
Raghava Lawrence directs Laxmii. It is a terrain he has been dabbling in for years. The ease and command are hence seen from the beginning.
The challenge with the remake of Kanchana is to adapt it to a different setting, and audience without losing the soul of the original. The nativity issues have to be taken care of. Laxmii should not come across as a South Indian flick. The director and his team have done a great job with it.
Simple changes are made to the storyline of the original, which makes Laxmii feels fresh despite borrowing the entire framework from the original. The casting and writing play a key role here, but the most significant aspect is the lead actor’s role. It has been altogether rewritten.
The new lead character arc and the plot movement through it make Laxmii look vastly different in ‘feel’ from the original. The silly and juvenile fun is missing. Unfortunately, it was a large part of keeping the movie entertaining. As Laxmii is different, it feels a tad heavy and less ‘entertaining’.
The casting, in parts, is better and it helps in many sequences creating the expected impact. All the key scenes work out well with the flashback being the best in that regard. It has a lot to do with the actor essaying the part.
Overall, Laxmii retains the soul of the original and delivers where it matters. It scores well in the emotional department but is found a bit lacking on the entertainment quotient. Do give it a try if you like the horror-comedy genre, and have not seen much of it.
Others?
Kiara Advani plays the typical heroine in a biggie. She is a flowerpot character. All that one can say about her is she looks fab on screen and is glamorously captured in the songs.
The supporting cast is decent. Ashwini Kalsekar easily stands out. It is over action, no doubt, but that is typical for the masala terrain, especially on the front Raghava Lawrence deals. Ayesha Raza Mishra has put in a lot of effort to reach the histrionics of the original, but it is tough to match up to Kovai Sarala’s liveliness.
The real deal-breaker with the remake apart from Akshay Kumar’s casting is that of Sharad Kelkar. He is another excellent choice and shows his tremendous acting skills in the ‘speech’ sequence. It will surely melt the hearts of the viewers. Rajesh Sharma has been wasted. Manu Rishi Chadha is alright. Tarun Arora looks like he has walked from a South Indian film set to Laxmii. He does his usual.
Music and Other Departments?
The songs composed by various musicians are foot-tapping and are grandly shot. Unfortunately, on digital viewing, they amount to nothing, and one can easily skip them due to their speed-breaker nature. The background score by Amar Mohile is neat. The cinematography by Vetri is colourful. The editing by Rajesh G Pandey is slick and sharp, mostly. The writing is decent. One does get a feeling that it could have been better comedy-wise.
Highlights?
Akshay Kumar
Sharad Kelkar
Direction
Background Score
Drawbacks?
Routine Story
Less Entertainment
Predictable Scares
Alternative Take
Yes, for the most part
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes, but with Reservation
Will You Recommend It?
Laxmii Bomb Review by Siddartha
