'Panga' Review: Kangana Ranaut is heart & soul backed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari's impeccable craft

Panga

Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Jassie Gill, Richa Chadha, Neena Gupta, Yagya Bhasin

Director: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

Duration: Two hours nine minutes

Critic's Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Panga Story:

Kangana Ranaut, Jassie Gill and Yagya Bhasin are one happy middle-class family who lead a normal life. Panga shows the journey of Jaya (Kangana) from being a world kabaddi champion to a middle-class working woman to making a comeback to the game with support from her family and friend.

Panga Review:

'Mujhe Prashant se permission lene ki zaroorat nahi padti'! Panga screams feminism from the word 'go'. We don't need a dramatic entry for a hero or a heroine in the film and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari shows it flawlessly. Jaya played by Kangana Ranaut makes an entry by kicking her husband in sleep, because once a kabaddi champion always a champion even while sleeping. The husband Prashant played by Jassie Gill doesn't get angry but he understands even when he is tired and wants a deep sleep. They are a middle-class family living in Bhopal with their seven-year-old son played by Yagya Bhasin, who is a perfect amalgamation of his parents.

The best part of Ashwiny's film is we do not just hear the woman is working, we witness them doing so. In Panga, we see Jaya doing her job as a railway ticketing clerk and has instilled the behaviour of a working woman who perfectly balances her personal and professional life. However, deep inside her she misses being a kabaddi champion and comes back to reality while stopping herself from coming back to the game. On the other hand, Prashant is the most chill husband and father and makes him a desirable man for a firebrand woman. We see a feminist male lead who doesn't question his wife for her desires, instead, he supports her for every decision she makes.

Panga is a heartwarming ode to motherhood and makes it lovable because age is not a comeback factor but a conviction is. We have heard from many mothers stating about feeling guilty while going back to work leaving their child behind. There's a particular scene for the same where Kangana calls herself a 'cruel mother' for making a decision about her career and knowing her limits while deciding on her comeback.

Every scene is relatable in Panga if you have lived in a feminist household.

Kangana Ranaut, the name is a synonym to the word talent, indeed! She carries the movie on her shoulders and will go from being a mother to a kabaddi champion in a fraction of second. She cries beautifully and also smiles innocently, very rare for an actor. Kangana is supported amazingly by Jassie Gill, who proved he is not only an amazing singer but fab actor too. He makes everyone go 'aww' in every scene.

And the kid Yagya (Adi) is to watch out for! If you ask why?! He is the one who pressurises his mom to live her dream and make a comeback, he also makes his dad feel guilty for not deciding to take care of his child while mom made the country proud in Kabaddi. The dialogues given to the kid and the way he pulled it off are commendable.

We need a friend as selfless as Richa Chadha and boy, what a natural actor she is! The actor is the perfect casting as Meenu and she is effortless in every frame.

How can we forget Neena Gupta?! She is an adorable yet strict mother to Kangana. Her only wish eventually becomes is that her daughter credits her too and not just her husband while winning hearts with her comeback.

Ashwiny makes sure she does not leave the smallest details ignored. For instance, Kangana's weight loss while she starts working out on her son's insistence and we do see her body transformation eventually.

The screenplay of the film is the hero and we are back with 'content is the king' era. Hats off to Nikhil Mehrohtra and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari for scripting the film well keeping in mind all the elements. Dialogues and additional screenplay by Nitesh Tiwari are visible and make the film a perfect blend of the talented filmmaker couple and Nikhil.

Panga Verdict:

This 'Panga' needs to be taken and to be loved!