Review: Pranaam - Drab and drowsy

Rating: 2/5

Story: Ajay Singh (Rajeev Khandelwal), a peon's son aspires to become an IAS officer, and he works hard to make his dream a reality. But soon situations in his life bring trouble. With a corrupt society and people with mean intentions, he is compelled to change his path for the worse. Allegations on him, disappoint his dad, and he eventually loses hope. In a struggle to do good in the society, his intentions change, eventually leading him to turn into a gangster. Directed by Sanjiv Jaiswal, the film shows us the transition of how Ajay Singh, who starts his ambitious journey as an innocent boy eventually becomes a gangster charged with three murders, where the police chasing him, but he sabotages the cops.

Verdict:

There is no doubt that Rajeev Khandelwal is a wonderful actor, and when his abilities are paired with that of other actors like Atul Kulkarni, Vikram Gokhale and others, one expects a film that can entertain you the best. But unfortunately, the thoughts are deceiving and wrong. The matter is in the hands of the writer, and when the script is flawed, the actors, despite their craft, may not be able to save the film from the despair.

Such is the case with Rajeev Khandelwal's film Pranaam. While the subject may seem simple, strong and clear, the film fails to create an impact, mostly due to the slow narrative. The first half of the film focuses on Rajeev's journey to become an IAS officer, where he delivers fairly well. Makers have tried hard to keep your attention on screen, and Atul Kulkarni's entry close the intermission helps. However, the real painful struggle (both for the filmmaker and the audience) begins in the second part of the film, where the story gets emotional eventually taking is through a journey of how he becomes a gangster due to unfortunate circumstances. And this is where Rajeev fails miserably. While he isn't an established gangster, he loses his expression and ability to convince you with the role. Patchy writing adds more to the misery where the film eventually becomes meaningless to hopeless. Sameeksha Singh is just alright. She doesn't have any significant role to play in Pranaam.

To sum it up, Pranaam struggles to keep your attention on-screen. Despite good actors, the film fails because of the flawed writing. Yet another flop for Rajeev Khandelwal.