“Pranaam” Review: Dull, Old-fashioned and Unimaginative

Less-publicized Pranaam hits theatres today alongside much-publicized Jabariya Jodi. I am sure that most of you have not even heard the name of the former let alone knowing anything about its release date, cast, and other credits. But since the film has indeed made its entry into cinemas, let us find out what it is all about and whether or not you should be spending your hard-earned money on it.

What Pranaam Is All About?

An IAS aspirant, Ajay Singh (Rajeev Khandelwal) does not have much to do with what does not concern him directly. He comes from a lower-middle-class family living peacefully in a small town. He is learned and hard-working and wants to fulfill his peon father's dream of seeing his son in the uniform of an IAS officer.

But seeing dreams is easier than realizing them. As ill-luck would have it, Ajay loses his way soon and ends up on the wrong side of life, crushing all hopes and dreams that his family had from him. What happens next forms the crux of the story.

Is Pranaam Worth Your Money & Time?

Pranaam stars Rajeev Khandelwal in the lead role. Television buffs would know more about him than people who have shunned TV years ago. Khandelwal used to be the blue-eyed boy of Indian television before he bid adieu to the small screen and made a crossover to Bollywood.

His journey in Hindi cinema, however, has not been as rosy as he would have probably thought it to be. He started off well in films but, just like his latest film Pranaam, lost his mojo soon. With Pranaam, the actor returns to the big screen after a gap of two years. But does anybody even bother?

Pranaam is a tribute to the Hindi cinema of the 80s. Giving tribute to an era which produced some good and some bad films is okay. But director Sanjiv Jaiswal, who also happens to be the writer of the film, seems to have picked references more from bad films of the era than good ones.

His film Pranaam reminds you of a number of mindless, unimaginative movies that flooded that era. It seems stuck in a time warp. From dialogue delivery to actors’ mannerisms, everything is tedious and old-fashioned here.

Coming to performances, Rajeev Khandelwal proves it once again that he has somehow forgotten how to choose scripts that do justice to his acting caliber. In most part of his latest offering, he seems disinterested and disoriented, as if he knew he has taken up the wrong project.

As a college boy, he does score well. But when it comes to playing a gangster, it’s not a job done well. Actress Sameksha Singh also fails to leave a mark all thanks to a poorly written female character. Atul Kulkarni as the morally corrupt cop Rajpal Singh and Abhimanyu Singh as the scheming goon Gyanu have done justice to their respective roles.

Final Verdict

You can watch Pranaam only if you are also stuck in some time warp just like the film. You can also watch it if you have precious 119 minutes of your life to waste on something so substandard. If not, then skip it. I am going with 1.5 stars.

Movie Credit

Banner: Rudraksha Adventures
Director: Sanjiv Jaiswal
Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Sameksha Singh, Atul Kulkarni, Abhimanyu Singh
Runtime: 119 Minutes
STARBIZ Rating: 1.5 stars

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