First it was named Mental Hai Kya but then became Judgementall Hai Kya. That is not the only reason the film has been controversial. The film’s lead Kangana Ranaut was also in the news when celebrity tweets praising the film trailer but not Ranaut personally, came under attack. The film also hogged headlines for the altercation between the actor and a journalist at a press briefing. And now it would seem that Judgementall Hai Kya is in the headlines for all the right reasons: an original story and great performances in a well-made movie.
Many viewers have called it the best thriller of the year. Audiences have enjoyed the film, the writing, and the performances and feel this is a hit in the making.
Reviewer Raja Sen gives the movie four out of five stars and calls Kangana ‘dazzling’ in the film about mind games. It is a layered and complex film that goes beyond the obvious satire; touching on the phenomenon of gaslighting (manipulating a person into doubting their own sanity), discrediting the victim's reality of abuse. These are issues that we don’t see Bollywood handle well, or at all --- Judgementall Hai Kya does it all really well.
Not only has Ranaut done a terrific job as the traumatised, ‘mental’ Bobby, Rajkumar Rao is outstanding as well.
Both Ranaut and Rao have received rave reviews for their performances; as has Ekta Kapoor for making non formulaic, high quality films such as this one and others.
This is not a simplistic black and white narrative – it is complex and thought-provoking; creative in the way it is directed and presented.
The movie's climax is stunning, said a lot of viewers as well as critics who watched the film.
Viewers like the fact that this is original storytelling and brave cinema that seeks to push the envelope.
There are some who have had a diametrically opposite view of the film – calling it a ‘disaster’ and a ‘horrible’ film.
Some have leveled the ‘overacting’ charge against Ranaut. This is not unusual in cases where viewers either fail to understand the film or are made uncomfortable by the theme and content. Some are also reacting negatively to the film because of the opinion they have formed owing to Twitter spats that Ranaut’s sister Rangoli frequently has on her behalf online.
One of India’s best known film critics Rajeev Masand calls the film original but bizarre. He also says that the film is funny enough to lighten the grimness of it all. There is a certain disconnect from common sense in the second half of the film; which relies too much on coincidence he believes. I am now intrigued enough to want to watch the movie right away.
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