Medieval love story with a modern backdrop
Movie Review: Laila Majnu Rating: 7/10 Reviewer: Fakir Hassen
OVER decades now in Indian cinema there have been at least three versions of the tale of classic medieval lovers Laila and Majnu that I know of, all using the costumes and backdrops of the time.
This time, director Sajid Ali, using a script by his better known filmmaker brother Imtiaz Ali, uses a contemporary backdrop in a scenic village in the beautiful Kashmir Valley.
The basic plot of feuding families denying young lovers the right to be together, with the traditional tragic climax that is well known, is all there, so what makes this version unique?
The main reason is Laila (Tripti Dimri), playing a flirtatious student that her father dotes on, rather than the reticent Laila of the traditional tale.
Her fiery nature sees her initially rejecting the advances of Qais Bhatt (Avinash Tiwari), the wealthy playboy son of a businessman, who is in a long battle over property with Laila’s father.
The determined Qais goes all out to win over Laila and her family, but the family enmity sees her marriage to a cousin being hastily arranged.
This brings him to the point of insanity that leads to a spurned lover giving up everything worldly.
Friends stick by him through his trials and tribulations, but he has only one thing on his mind – his beloved Laila. Then she re-enters his life, but there are other complications.
The climax is, of course, pretty predictable, but how it gets there is what true romantics will find fascinating, although the tale is some what dragged out in the second half.