About a year ago when this movie was announced with a poster, I was excited. I was very excited. Akshay Kumar is known for doing movies of different varieties. But since I don’t follow Bollywood that much, I did not know that this was going to be a comedy film. I thought this was going to be a film about sending a social message with a good plot. What’s funny is that I expected it to be a movie as such until the film’s trailer was released. And after watching the trailer, I was like WTF? I wasn’t just disappointed because it wasn’t a serious movie but also because it wasn’t an original story. I very rarely watch south movies but I at least remembered the movie this one was based on. So, after its release, I still chose to check it out for fun’s sake. 

 

The plot involves the character Lakshmi, who fights her way against deep-rooted connections between crime and bureaucracy, and finally indicts a dangerous criminal after he tried to seize her land which she purchased for the betterment of her transgender society. Her strong-willed actions cause a back clash to ensue and she is murdered by the villain (whom we know very little about as he’s only introduced when the plot wanted). After getting killed, she becomes a ghost and possesses our lead (Akshay Kumar) in order to avenge herself and her family.

 

From director Lawrence Raghavendra (never heard of him), Laxmii is a two-hour celebration of women’s empowerment. The narrative in the movie tackles issues like dependency, gender bias, and violence against women. But despite this endearing vision, the message is rather forced in a plot that lacked creativity. The narrative is very slow-paced and filled with unnecessary dialogues, over-acting, and stupid songs (apart from Bam Bhole). I think it’s very evident now that Bollywood lacks unique ideas. It’s full of average (mostly below average) filmmakers who only care about the box-office. 

 

Acting-wise, then the brightest part about this movie is Akshay Kumar. He gives another stellar performance in his already illustrious career. His versatility is clearly visible in his performance, especially with the transgender parts of the film. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone else who stood out. Kiara Advani’s role is the same as every other Bollywood actress’s role in films. That is to only sign movies to appear in songs without any involvement in moving the plot forward. Even with a limited amount of screen time, he tops off a brilliant performance. Sharad Kelkar’s cameo is outstanding. I don’t even know anyone else and I don’t think I’d want to. This is because the only thing which they do are over-acting.

 

The Cinematography is okay. Editing is bad because there are so many unnecessary stuff that could’ve been removed. Visuals are acceptable. The Production Design is okay as well but the sound was below average. The songs are unnecessary as always but I’d give a pass to the final one just to watch Akshay’s amazing portrayal of the character.

 

Overall, Laxmii is another one of those Bollywood overstuffed comedies that offer nothing new in terms of story but is still an enjoyable watch mostly because of Akshay Kumar.  Don’t go for it if you want logic or even good storytelling but if you’re wanting a okay fun watch, then you might enjoy it.

 

 

 

STW: 12/30, D: 5/25, C: 5/8, E: 1/5, A: 5/10, PVD: 6/12, S: 3/10