Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Ram Leela is yet another testament to Bollywood’s perversion of
Shakespearean formulas. The film hides behind a tasteful aesthetic, the director’s colour palette and
use of rich and unique textures is reflective of a keen eye and vision. Apart from that the film seems
like the precursor to a pornographic film, a vulgar display of crass erotica and dialogues ridden
with sexual innuendo in poor taste. Having established that the film looks great, it is nothing but
a depraved fantasy, an aberration in disguise. The way the film is cut, the colours, the effects, the
shots the score are great, but hide the most essential pre-requisite that forms the backbone of a
film: a coherent narrative.

The rural portrayal of the Shakespearean classic is a desecration to the feel and style of the
original, flat characters lacking basic human dimension, and premises that go beyond the realm of
the absurd and terribly long song sequences that make you cringe in your seat. Even the notion of
tragedy is lost because the characters are not relatable to the audience due to the grandiose nature
of this film. The entire film is based on a sexual and violent perversion of fantasy that requires huge
elaborate sets and larger than life cinematography rough facets of the film such as Ranveer Singh’s
overacting or the lack of plot and characters.

The objectification and sexualisation of Deepika Padukone’s character and her subservience
to the male lead does not make a statement in relevance to the plot, but rather is a statement
about the decadent nature of society at large. It speaks of the male ego, raging with testosterone
that needs constant validation. There is no moment of palpable vulnerability from any character, as
empathy for them is lost in the sea of poor humour that runs through the film.

Another aspect of the film that disappoints is the political angle, which comes across as
contrived. The film makes futile attempts to thrill, twist and turn, taking clichéd angles and doing
poor justice to them. A misplaced sense of conflict and a poor play-out of said conflict paints the
canvas of yet another piece of misguided fiction, far too overt and messy.

Just to reiterate once again, the elaborate and sumptuous cinematography do make
the film entertaining and is the only aspect of the film that deserves recognition. The charming,
festive colours give the film and irresistible charm. Had there been a narrative deserving of
such flamboyance and magnificence, this would have truly been a masterpiece. It is yet another
deplorable attempt at cinema, with a fantastic vision devoid of plot or purpose; ruining yet another
great classic.

So if you want to leave your brains at home and marvel at the spectacular stupidity that sells
in this country, Ram Leela is a must watch.