Anaarkali of Aarah Review: She came, she saw, she conquered. 2017's Pink BUT has a mass appeal!

2017 seems to have had a revolutionary start. Some good content backed by strong performances have been the agenda. Like last week's Rajkummar Rao starrer "Trapped", Bollywood has delivered "Anaarkali of Aarah" this week.
"Anaarkali of Aarah" is a movie made up of actors (and not stars). Writer and debutant director Avinash Das has been successfully able to handle the concept of consent of a woman and made it interesting (and entertaining) by adding some typical masala elements. The story of the movie is an out and out winner but it is the sincere and earnest performances that steal the show and back a strong script.
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Swara Bhaskar's portrayal as a singer who hails from Aarah in Bihar and does "programs" for people is par excellence. Her dialogues, her make-up, her accent are all phenomenal. Her eyes, especially in the last 15 minutes spoke volumes. Swara emerges as a real hero of the film. She has sung, she has fought and she has won your heart, She gets a perfect 5/5 for her portrayal.
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Pankaj Tripathi as a co- entertainer and organizer of the troop does a memorable role as Rangeela. Fearing at times, daring in the other, he gives a braves attempt which is worth applauding. His portrayal deserves 4/5.
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Sanjay Mishra, who has done memorable roles in the past, plays an impressive baddie, VC, who has connections in the government, is brutal, shameless, arrogant and an egoist. His portrayal of a baddie is worth 4/5.
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With such a strong script, strong performances and explosive dialogues, Anaarkali of Aarah suffers considerably in the technical department. The editing is choppy in places, some unnecessary masala in places, a little loose screenplay and the cinematography hamper the viewing at times. The music is typically folk associated which suits the surroundings and the atmosphere the movie creates.
What makes "Anaarkali of Aarah", one of the better movies is its honest portrayal of the hypocrisy and the cynical view that the society has towards such 'low-level singers' without being over the top. It is one of those few movies which balances both masala and message deliverance equally, what we call 'Masala Realism' in Bollywood.

All said and done, 'Anaarkali of Aarah' deserves a 3.25 stars which is elevated to a 3.75 stars for Swara's ground-rattling performance. Being low on budget and high on realism, Anaarkali of Aarah is expected to a lifetime business of 5-10 crores at the box office.
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P.S. Do not miss it! It deserves your love as much as Phillauri.
                                              

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