Mumbai: On Sunday evening, the co-producers of Manikarnika hosted a special screening for handpicked guests. While those invited were generally positive in their response to the film except for one prevalent complaint about the film’s length and the over-dominance of the lead actress in the proceedings. An actor whose role has been chopped to almost zilch says, “This has got to be the longest show reel ever made for an Indian actor. It is nearly two and a half hours long and it isn’t a fast-flying narrative. The film is weighed down by its own sense of self-importance. Every frame is about only one actor.”
According to this source, actors such as Atul Kulkarni, Danny Denzongpa have been reduced to props. “Sonu Sood is not there at all. He has been replaced by Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and the role is now much smaller than what it was. Atul who plays the important role of Rani Laxmibai’s war General is reduced to two scenes. While Nihar Pandya who plays her brother is a blur.” According to this source, “Kangana is in almost every frame of the film. All the other characters have been marginalised to a shadowy nothing. To her credit, she powers the plot, holds it together. But it’s a one-woman show or more like a show-reel.” The source complains about Kangana’s dialogue delivery. “She is unable to deliver the historic lines with enough force. But that apart she is adequate as queen of Jhansi. The second half is all by Krish and the first-half is all done by Kangana. The audience can easily tell the difference between the two halves.”
