Whether You Like Kangana Ranaut Or Not, Watch Judgementall Hai Kya For Its Take On Sexuality And Mental Illness

Whether You Like Kangana Ranaut Or Not, Watch Judgementall Hai Kya For Its Take On Sexuality And Mental Illness

Oh, what exciting time it is for Bollywood! Movies based on women, some even written by women, are making their way to our theatres. Judgementall Hai Kya is a rare breed of cinema in our country. It is a well-thought out and executed film that I was fortunate to watch. This is not a popcorn flick you go watch with the fam or friends. This film makes you think and stays with you long after curtains close on the screen. Plus, the film is mad fun to watch, with well-explored characters and a fresh story!

Kangana Ranaut is no stranger to complex female characters and with Judgementall Hai Kya, she’s willing to go the extra mile to explore this side to her. In this movie, Kangana takes on the role of a woman dealing with extreme psychosis, presented in a humorous light. And what particularly stayed with me is how the movie talks about mental illness without the taboo and stigma often attached to it. You care about Kangana’s Bobby, even if you don’t believe her most times.

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Seeing The Humour In Mental Illness

Penned by author and screenwriter Kanika Dhillon, the film is all about Bobby. After suffering from trauma at an early age, Bobby struggles with everyday emotions. Things that you and I will take for granted, Bobby messes up. This struggle can be seen in her navigating relationships and life in general. The audience chuckles when Bobby’s “boyfriend” tries to buy condoms for a night in, hinting at her fear of forming sexual relations with a man. She is wary of men and their intentions, something every woman in the audience could relate to. The film indeed does a great job at using imagery to explain Bobby’s mental illness, full of fabulous costumes and face painting, it is a visual treat. A contrast to the gloom and sadness mental illness usually associated with this.

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Exploring A Woman’s Repressed Sexuality

Bobby is a beautiful woman in her prime, with a sense of adventure that most people do not know how to handle. She spends her days working as a dubbing artist for regional films. But her true artist shows up in her habit of photoshopping herself into the characters she plays. A sexy cop, a classic horror damsel or just a pretty housewife…these are all very sensual women. The film also does a great job at placing Rajkummar Rao (such a hottie!) as her object of desire. I could feel audiences squirm when Bobby spies on Rao and Amyra Dastur’s married life, complaining about their ‘lovemaking noises’ to cops. Being afraid of intimacy with men because of trauma is a real thing, we are glad they put it up on film now. The film does not judge Bobby for her sexuality, it embraces it and that is powerful!

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Pushing The Actors Beyond Their Comfort Zone

The film is unique, yes, but boy did the actors deliver. Kangana is great with her wild hair, quirky outfits and chic accessories. Costume designer Sheetal Sharma does a great job of mixing pieces to show the inner struggle of Bobby. Kangana’s mannerisms were also raw, did not look rehearsed and were super effective. The film also gives us a very moody, sexy and sinister Rajkummar Rao. This man can do anything and the film makes him do them as well! The supporting actors bring in their A-game as well. Jimmy Shergill was charming, Satish Kaushik a riot and Amrita Puri in her element!

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The Symbolism

The movie is heavy on symbolism. Blink and you can miss an important detail in the film. A cockroach is responsible for Bobby’s descent into mental illness. Writer Kanika Dhillon tried to mix mythology with reality and it worked so well. The movie never tries to preach to us about Bobby’s condition but uses visuals to tell the story. It is entirely based on the audience to come up with their own assumptions…a fun conversation to have with your friends after the movie is over!

We give the movie a 4/5. If you want to explore a new genre of film, do check it out. If you only want safe laughs, maybe this won’t be your cup of tea. P.S. some intimate scenes in the film were so innovatively shot, my glasses fogged up just watching them. Had to excuse myself to use the bathroom just after. *winks*

Sumona Bose

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