Simran Film Review - Kangana Gives Another Solid Performance, However It's Not Enough

Does another near-flawless performance by Kangana Ranaut in Simran mean that the movie manages to hold your interest? Let’s find out in the Simran film review.

Praful Patel, a free-spirited girl, living with her parents in Virginia, goes to Las Vegas to spend time with her cousin. While over there, she squanders away all her money gambling, setting into motion a string of events that will affect her life and form the crux of the movie.

While entertaining in bits and pieces, the film never consistently engages. When in Las Vegas, we see the most effervescent moments the movie has to offer. However, too many distractions keep the narrative flaccid. As a result, a focus is lacking and the story seems lacking direction. Also, every time that something clicks for the movie, it gets into a trough soon after that.

Somewhere the film is stuck in limbo. It doesn’t quite know if it wants to dwell a bit more on the dramatic elements or maybe increase the comedy quotient up a notch or two. In this quandary, lies the problem with Simran, as it doesn’t know which route to take finally. As a viewer, you are never completely satisfied as the narrative itself is not giving you a sense of assurance as to where its protagonist’s allegiance lies.

Simran is more charming when it is provocative, as also, seeing Kangana Ranaut’s character gambling or robbing banks falls in line with what the story wants to convey about the brashy female protagonist. It asserts the filmmaker’s intention to depict the movie as a sharp and edgy. However, scenes of families getting together and having friendly chats soften the urgency needed for the film to maintain a high level of entertainment throughout.

Kangana Ranaut shows a range of emotions that her character demands and refrains from going overboard. There are times when it gets a tad melodramatic, but by and large, Simran stays well-grounded. There are many scenes at the casino in Las Vegas where Kangana is at the top of her game. However, at other times, especially with scenes of her parents or to be fiancé, you feel that Kangana’s onscreen persona doesn’t seem to gel with her costars.

We all know how well Queen did, and a large part of that was because all the supporting actors shared great chemistry with Kangana that built up to an excellent repartee between the characters. Simran doesn’t have that, and you sorely miss it. It is too much to ask from Kangana Ranaut in this film and ultimately with a narrative that can’t take a stand on where its heart lies, even though she being as fabulous as always, can’t pull out this movie sufficiently from the throes of mediocrity.

If you are a diehard Kangana Ranaut fan, you will undoubtedly watch Simran. If not, you can give it a skip.