Laxmi, starring Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani in lead roles is the Hindi remake of Kanchana, which was a big hit down South. Raghava Lawrence who directed the original is at the helm for this horror comedy. The film can be streamed on Disney Hotstar. Here’s our review of the movie.
Story:
Asif(Akshay Kumar) who doesn’t believe in paranormal activities makes it a habit to expose fake babas who try to make the common public believe that ghosts and haunted souls are existant. One day, Asif and his wife Rashmika (Kiara Advani) are asked to visit the latter’s parents house and incidentally, Laxmii, a ghost, embodies Asif. Who is Laxmii? What is her motive? To know the answers, you might have to watch the movie.
What about on-screen performances?
Akshay Kumar plays Asif, a straight man, and Laxmii, a transgender and he delivers a decent performance. His portrayal of a transgender is good, but his antics as a man who exhibits feminine mannerisms are cringeworthy. Kiara Advani plays a very brief role and she does well within her limitations. She did especially well in an emotional sequence. Saradh Kelkar who plays Laxmii in the flashback episode is a class act. Aswini Kalsekar, Ayesha Raja evoke some comedy in the first half.
What about off-screen talents?
Raghava did a great job with the original Kanchana and he is nowhere near his best with Laxmii. In the original, the protagonist is dead scared of ghosts and that worked well in the narrative but that is not the case with this film as there is a big contrast in characterisation. This takes a toll on the basic set-up and the viewers never really connect with the character. A few crucial episodes of the film are poorly written. Raghava Lawrence who also composed the music for Laxmii simply modified his old tunes and that doesn’t help the cause either.
Cinematographers Vetri and Kush deliver good visuals. Background score is horrendous. The horror elements are utterly poor. Editing could have been better.
What’s Hot?
- Akshay Kumar’s portrayal of transgender character
- Saradh Kelkar
- Flashback episode
What’s Not?
- Protagonist’s character designing
- Boring screenplay
- Poor comedy
- Disappointing horror elements
- Background score
- Unimpressive direction
- Weak climax
Verdict:
For South Indian audience who had already watched the original, Laxmii will seem to be a poorly executed remake. Hindi audience might find a few aspects of the film engaging. Raghava Lawrence fails to recreate the magic with Laxmii and this film is not even remotely close to Kanchana.
Watch or not: You can comfortably skip watching this film.
TeluguBulletin.com Rating: 1.5/5