Plot
The
year
is
1943.
The
British
are
fighting
Hitler.
On
the
other
hand,
the
people
of
India
are
caught
between
two
idealogies
-
Gandhiji's
ahimsa
and
Netaji
Subhash
Chandra
Bose'
Indian
National
Army,
which
believes
in
'killing
the
enemy
rather
than
dying
at
their
hands'.
Amidst
this
wartorn
bloodshed
and
revolutionary
chaos,
closer
home,
there
is
Miss
Julia
(Kangana
Ranaut),
the
daredevil
actress
from
the
40s
who
swings
from
chandeliers,
runs
across
tops
of
trains
and
makes
people
crazy
each
time
she
goes
'Bloody
Hell'.
Besotted
by
her
is
the
Parsi
boy,
Rusi
Billimoria
(Saif
Ali
Khan),
an
action
hero
turned
movie
producer
with
a
crumbling
marriage.
Julia
is
Rusi's
muse
whom
he
lovingly
calls
'kiddo' and
a
darling
of
the
masses.
Soon,
the
British
army
persuades
Rusi
to
send
Julia
to
Burma
to
cheer
the
troops
at
war
at
the
Indo-Burma
border.
The
young
girl
is
whisked
off
in
a
train
under
the
protection
of
Jamadar
Nawab
Malik
(Shahid
Kapoor).
In
a
turn
of
events,
Julia
and
Nawab
are
cast
adrift
and
and
must
fight
against
all
the
odds
to
reach
back
India.
In
the
course
of
their
journey,
the
duo
indulge
in
some
steamy
affair
before
Rusi
comes
back
into
the
picture.
What
will
happen
if
he
gets
a
whiff
of
their
whirlwind
romance?
Is
Nawab
Malik
really
who
he
seems
to
be?
Direction
After
the
impressive
Haider
in
2014,
Vishal
Bhardwaj
is
back
with
yet
another
tale.
But
this
time,
there
is
no
Shakespearean
adaptation
nor
is
there
plenty
of
metaphors
and
symbolism.
He
keeps
it
simple
or
should
I
say
spells
it
out
for
us?
Rangoon
is
an
ambitious
film
with
a
stellar
cast.
Unfortunately,
it's
the
dangling
plot
that
makes
it
fall
short
of
a
spectacle.
The
film
scores
less
on
emotions
and
at
times,
the
narrative
goes
tedious.
The
characters
face
a
change
of
heart
at
several
junctures
but
it's
just
isn't
convincing
enough
to
'feel' for
them
unlike
his
previous
films
like
Haider,
Omkara
and
Maqbool.
Bhardwaj
gets
to
paint
a
larger
than
life
canvas
but
sadly,
the
colors
of
emotions
don't
leave
a
lasting
impression.
Vishal
Bharadwaj
adds
an
interesting
shade
to
his
three
characters
and
makes
Rangoon
an
intriguing
watch.
In
the
film,
Saif's
Russi
treats Kangana's
Julia like
a
‘kiddo'
and
is
a
sub-ordinate
for
whom
he
would
like
to
think
and
take
decisions.
Shahid's
Nawab
on
the
other
hand
treats
her
like
an
equal
and
also
considers
her
someone who
is
not
just
powerful
but
fiercely
capable! But,
it
is
always
Russi
who
kisses
Julia,
with
Nawab,
Julia
always
share
lip-locks
with
equal
fervor
and
passion.
There
is
a
scene
in
Rangoon
where
the
leading
lady
dons
her
stunt
scene
costume,
wears
a
mask
and
zooms
off
on
a
bike
to
rescue
our
hero
who
is
in
the
clutches
of
the
enemies.
How
many
times
do
you
get
to
see
such
interesting
gender
dynamics
in
Bollywood?
Very
few
may
be
your
answer
and
that's
where
the
film
pulls
up
the
reigns.
Performances
Kangana
Ranaut
is
the
star
attraction
of
Rangoon.
Be
it
her
fiesty
masked,
whip-lashing avatar
as
Jaagraati
Julia on
screen
or
wearing
her
insecurity
and
vulnerability
on
the
sleeves
once
the
camera
goes
off
in
Julia's
land,
the
coming-of-the-age
of
her
character
makes
up
for
a
lovely
watch.
Shahid
Kapoor
as
a
reclusive
soldier
doesn't
get
much
to
venture
into
the
emotional
territory.
However
he
holds
on
his
own
and
shares
a
raw
chemistry
with
Ms
Ranaut.
Saif
Ali
Khan
as
the
pompous
producer
displays
a
fine
sense
of
aristocracy
and
manages
to
leave
a
mark
even
in
his
limited
screen
presence.
Tony-winning
British
actor
Richard
McCabe
as
the
Urdu-spouting
Commander
Harding lends
a
humourous
touch
to
the
otherwise
sobre
narrative.
Technical
Aspects
Poetic
dialogues
find
their
way
in
Bhardwaj's
latest
outing
as
usual
and
keep
you
engrossed.
Rangoon
stumbles
and
fumbles
at
the
screenplay
level
as
you
spend
much
of
their
time
in
searching
for
the
plot.
The
first
half
takes
its
own
time
to
build
up
the
pace
but
a
couple
of
interesting
moments
keep
you
engrossed.
Be
it
the
old
world
charm,
the
heart-wrenching
war
scenes,
dense
landscape
or
the
azure
waters,
Pankaj
Kumar's
camerawork
seduces
you
right
into
each
and
every
frame
as
you
marvel
at
the
visual
beauty.
The
editing
looks
patchy
at
a
couple
of
places
in
the
narrative.
Music
The
songs
'Yeh
Ishq
Hai'
and
'Tippa'
stand
out
in
the
film
and
are
hummable.
'Mere
Miyan
Gaye
England'
has
nothing
new
to
offer.
'Alvida'
makes
up
a
good
listen.
Verdict
Definitely
not
one
of
Vishal
Bhardwaj's
best
works,
but
this
one
needs
to
be
viewed
solely
for
Kangana's
'Jaanbaaz'
act
that
wins
over
your
hearts.