#FilmFirsts ‘Judgemental Hai Kya’
As a consolation prize for an otherwise dull Sunday, I bought myself a single ticket for Kangana’s new baby ‘Judgemental Hai Kya’. I call it ‘Kangana’s baby’ ’cause there has rarely been the case that you notice the cast around her. It’s a One-Woman show. It has always been. But Rajkumar Rao has definitely tried. Most definitely. I’ll give you the short of it.
This movie is: Beautiful Mind meets Donnie Darko meets that-national-award-winning-Genelia-D’Souza-Starrer-but-in-actuality-a-Nora-Roberts-ripoff film ‘Katha’.
As is pretty obvious from the trailer itself, the movie’s about a cuckoo-Kangana falling a little in love with not-cuckoo Rajkumar and then there’s a murder and you’ve no idea what to do, with so many basket cases on the loose. And I say this lightly, of course. Very wannabe-Andhadhun but ban gya kuch aur. The directors/ writers intended to use a Schizophrenic patient and her internal tempest to further a sinister plot and the conflict remains the ghisa-pita ‘can-we-believe-a-crazy-person’?
As a self-proclaimed critic who judges every movie ever made, every book ever written, I appreciate what has gone into creating this near-perfect visualization of what goes on within the confines of the mind of a person afflicted with Psychosis (I do! I do!). Some of the scenes are actually superbly shot. As a cheerful hypochondriac, I’ve been obsessed with films that (try to) capture mental illnesses and some of them have achieved it brilliantly. Like I mentioned above, Donnie Darko and Beautiful Mind are classics. Split was EPIC. You’ve got Silver Linings Playbook and Touched with Fire as one of the more popular ones for the Bipolars. Even Still Alice and (my all-time favourite) The Notebook touches upon dementia and alzheimer’s. Sensitive, nonetheless. Here, in Bollywood, we’ve had few films that state anything out of the ordinary. Hichki with Tourette’s, I believe, My Name Is Khan with Aspergers’. Koi Mil Gya with.. wait. Why’s this on the list? (It’s shit. They took Down’s Syndrome to another level) Or. Bhool Bhulaiyya and Aparajitudu which are a crap fest of multiple personalities flicks.
But, with Judgemental Hai Kya, they genuinely tried.
Did it work, you ask?
No.
I’ve just witnessed 90% of the audience around me laugh and giggle at her antics and murmur ‘she’s mental’ while the movie progressed on (obviously the change in the title of the film didn’t work wonders). Hell, I couldn’t figure out what was funny. Were they trying to make it funny? Remember Danish Girl and how they made it seem like being a transgender was equivalent to suffering from a mental disorder? Of course, they didn’t intend for it to come out that way. But it did. The Judgemental crowd probably didn’t want that, too. But it did.
What was a brilliant move was including the normal Rajkumar Rao in the tale, for he covers every ‘normal’ person’s reaction to the movie and Kangana’s character. His emotions capture every average person’s who comes into contact with a mentally aberrant person and it’s soothing, even, to see him shout out phrases like ‘she’s mad! Paagal hai, woh paagal!’ touching slightly on how people perceive the Phrenics. And he says it with awful intensity, unlike another random third person guy who wants ‘tantrik ko bula lo! Aghori puja kar lo!’ which is a mockery no less, and there is quite some serious mockery in the film. Unlike all her other films where she just plays a little odd, though I’m willing to bet her screenwriters never wanted her to act that way, she’s actually politically/ society-wise correct with her actions in this one. She’s good. So so good.
The ending’s off, I warn you. And I try not to reveal too much. But the ending’s off. And the ending’s ruined the film for me. It made me detach from the rush of emotions that were building up as the story progressed. And I can only sigh at what could have been.
All in all, great attempt guys! Ratings: 3.5/5. Lost out a little on not inducing enough seriousness to the story.
