How many movies based on college politics have you seen till now? And how many of them have a distinct storyline? And why do the makers think we aren’t already bored of them, considering they have the same rivalry plot with drugs and girls?? Iska bhi kuch naya story nahi hai besties, wahi 2 alpha males with their fragile masculinities, trying to fight over what little they understand of politics. With cringy dialogues and action sequences that will definitely give you a headache. Laapataa Ladies is the clear stand-out in this clash for me.
Plot
It’s basically a film about two boys Zee and Yuva, who are friends turned enemies, and that somehow turns to student politics. Gotta give it to them for strong female leads such as Gayatri, a woman who takes a stand for the Dalit community and minorities. And while that really made me applaud, sadly, nothing else in the movie does. This political scene has been overdone in Bollywood, and in muchhh better ways. The plot unfolds through seven chapters leading up to the supposedly epic showdown at the ‘Beyond 2020’ festival. Things get really messy as their rivalry spills over into a full-blown seniors versus juniors waali bullshit, sparking a riot that lives up to the movie’s title, “Dange”. Yeh alag baat hai ki Dange dimaag mein bhi ho jaate hai movie ko dekh kar.
Performances
There’s an entire ocean of actors, but chalo, let’s have a look at the main ones. Harshvardhan Rane is the real standout for me. He’s one actor I feel who gets neglected because of his hit-and-miss choice of movies, but he deserves so much more. Ehan Bhat, however, felt a little forced throughout the movie. It was as if he was trying too hard to remain relevant. Idk, just couldn’t connect with him. TJ Bhanu shines as the fiery activist, bringing depth to her character, while Nikita Dutta delivers a commendable performance as the conflicted Rishika.
Direction and Writing
Nambiar tires to inject the film with raw energy, but the concept is just vv overused. Sometimes, it feels like they’re trying a bit too hard, but I can’t deny Nambiar’s vision in those visually stunning sequences. But overall, the ideas seem all over the place, the execution is not at all meticulous, and the plot just lacks any sanity at all. I think it was the lack of clarity that cost the movie the most. Cuz the writing feels more like a scribble, a script from someone who is most probably high and is trying to regain consciousness. I’m still trying to speculate bhai, what did I just watch?????
Screenplay and Cinematography
I cannot, for the life of me, criticize Bejoy Nambiar’s mesmerizing cinematography. Those drone shots? Absolutely killer! The camera department really cooked up good shit bro. It’s definitely one of the standout aspects of the film. Also, ngl, the action is pretty good. I was pumped up throughout those scenes, even though whatever else that happened didn’t intrigue me half as much. The real problem is the screenplay. Cuz the amount of effort, energy, and planning that must have been poured into the entire sequence only for us to feel very little is a true tragedy.
So to watch it or not to watch it, that is the question. If you like action..and can sit through 2 and a half hours of..just action and bland writing…go ahead I guess….(?) It is a skip if you ask me. Harshvardhan Rane pleaseee choose better filmsss!
