Storytellers of the year: Parveez Shaikh, Chaitally Parmar And Vikas Bahl

Parveez Shaikh, Chaitally Parmar and Vikas Bahl
Writers, Queen
An unbridled comedy, a coming-of-age, emancipating saga – Queen is a story of girl-meets-self. A demure, unassuming Delhi bride is deserted on the eve of her wedding, but, with eccentric tenacity, she decides to make the most of her planned honeymoon to Amsterdam and Paris. Rani (Kangna Ranaut) ventures out unaccompanied, discovering her own route out of distress and is wiser by witnessing cross-cultural connections. Ranaut shines, making the audience not only feel for Rani, but also fervently cross their fingers for her. The storytelling is so impassioned and resolute, with Shaikh, Parmar and Bahl taking enough time to get us engrossed in Rani’s voyage, that one can pardon the laidback stride of the movie. The lead character isn’t a caricature. What ensues in the film isn’t quite as imperative as the manner in which it does so. The movie also features Lisa Haydon, probably in a career-changing role as the bohemian, urban, single mother with a don’t-give-a-damn approach, Vijayalakshmi. Nor can one fail to acknowledge Rajkummar Rao, who plays the super-easy-to-hate, chauvinistic Vijay – the reason that Rani is riding solo on her honeymoon in the first place. Even with their smaller roles, the two make a large impact in a film that is tailored for Ranaut.  Capturing both the stillness and pandemonium of the process of liberation, Queen is a good break from the routine formulas of Bollywood. It serves up a woman who ultimately chooses herself.