Movie Review – Save Yourself From This “Laxmii” On Diwali
When you think of a comedy-horror film with Akshay Kumar, you think of Priyadarshan’s “Bhool Bhulaiyaa,” one of the best Bollywood films in that genre. If that’s what you’re expecting, be ready to get disappointed. A series of poorly planned scenes and dialogues, “Laxmii” is a letdown right from the beginning. Written and directed by Raghava Lawrence, the film is a remake of his original Tamil film “Kanchana.”
Asif (Akshay Kumar) and Rashmi (Kiara Advani) are happily married, and head to Rashmi’s parents’ house to mend the broken relationship with her parents who are upset about their interfaith marriage and have not yet completely accepted Asif into the family. Things seem to be falling into place until the ghost of a transgender person possesses Asif’s body. The ghost is adamant about seeking vengeance for her and her family’s murders. Once Rashmi’s family figures this out, they try to get rid of the ghost and are successful in doing so. But when Asif learns about the ghost’s wrongful death, he decides to let her take over his body again so that she can fulfill her afterlife’s purpose.
While this may not be the first time a movie like “Laxmii” was made, I certainly hope it’s the last. Making a movie about transvestites and the social injustices they face even today in India is commendable, but this movie did very little justice to the subject. The poor direction and lazy writing didn’t help either. Rashmi’s parents, Sachin (Rajesh Sharma) and Ratna (Ayesha Raza) are supposed to be celebrating their silver jubilee anniversary (25 years of marriage). It might be believable that Kiara Advani is under the age of 25, but her brother Deepak (Manu Rishi Chadha) and his wife Ashwini (Ashwini Kalsekar) are both (visibly) well over the age of 40 and have a daughter who is at least 10 years old. How did the writers miss this simple math?!
The only saving grace in the movie might be Akshay Kumar’s portrayal of Laxmii. His confidence in the way he carries himself as a kinnar (transvestite) in a sari is something very few macho men can pull off. But apart from that, you will find yourself questioning if this is the same award-winning Akshay Kumar who has done several superhit films over the past three decades. When a movie manages to make established actors such as Akshay Kumar, Ayesha Raza, and Ashwini Kalsekar look bad, you know something is terribly wrong. So, if you haven’t watched the movie yet, you can save yourself two hours and not waste time on a half-baked film (which I wish I could unsee).
