Review
Honsla Rakh
Movie
The film ‘Honsla Rakh’ is a recent release starring Diljit Dosanjh, Sonam Bajwa and Shehnaaz Gill in lead roles. After Kala Shah Kala (2019) and Jhalle (2019), this film is Amarjit Singh’s directorial comeback. Did this film disappoint us or did it excite us? This is what we’ll discuss in the review today!
So to know what my review of ‘Honsla Rakh’ is, read ahead.
To begin with, Diljit Dosanjh plays the role of a father who has a 7-year-old child. The film is based in Vancouver, Canada and it is the debut of the Diljit & Shehnaaz pairing. In a way, we got another on-screen pair, but this match did not work well for me. From the trailer, I had high hopes of the banter they had as a couple but even in the film, there wasn’t much about the Dosanjh-Gill Jodi except a few scenes and songs. The story was focused more on the Sonam and Diljit coupling, which is a successful pairing as we have all seen in earlier films.
Now how do both sides of the story come together? The story goes as such…
Diljit and his son are left behind by his first wife because she’s an ambitious woman and thinks that having to take care of a child will hold her back from her dreams. The couple did not want a child after marriage but unfortunately… or fortunately, the wife becomes pregnant and they have a child together after which Shehnaaz Gill, the first wife leaves the house.
Now this leaves a Punjabi guy and his typical ways of dealing with his child as a single parent. He faces issues, everyone he goes to for help says ‘Honsla Rakh’, therefore the title.
This part of the film that comes under the first twenty minutes has a little bit of background and the struggles of a single dad lessen the impact of the whole film. So for those who are going to watch the film soon, keep your expectations for the starting a little less because then it feels like a classic Punjabi comedy but then! After the first half an hour the way the film picks up its pace, it’ll leave you surprised, super excited and laughing for no reason!
This happens because Diljit comes back to his form, which we haven’t seen in such a long time. He comes back to his natural way of acting and of course, there’s the added embellishment of the Bollywood experience he has gained during this time. So the Pollywood superstar keeps us engrossed in the film.
In terms of his look, there were times when it felt like it was the same Diljit who acted in ‘Jatt and Juliet’ with the way he was dressed and the turban style, it felt like a 10-year-old Diljit. But later on in the film, this aspect was improved on too. Overall his turban colors were beautiful and he looked like the ‘hero’ he is with his global fan following.
If we talk about the performance, the three of them have played their characters well. I have already mentioned that while one pairing worked, one didn’t work so well. Surprisingly, Shehnaaz Gill carried the role she was given really well. Looking at the trailer, I wasn’t sure if Shehnaaz would be able to live up to the character, especially as a lead. But she did full justice to the typical Punjabi, ambitious girl who was so career-focused that she was able to leave her own child just to become something in life.
On the other hand, Diljit’s quirky side, back-to-back comedy punches, I was like wow! Diljit’s back in action. I mean I was missing him and I can officially say— I’m a fan again. This was the thing that many Diljit fans were missing.
Other than this, I was trying to compare his performance in ‘Honsla Rakh’ to ‘Shadaa’ (2019) but the way Rakesh Dhawan has written the film and Amarjit Singh has directed it, the film is completely different from ‘Shadaa’.
Then, this film was also being compared to ‘Good Newwz’ (2019) which again, is a pregnancy-based drama but according to me, this film has nothing to be compared to ‘Good Newwz’ since the theme of the film is not pregnancy. The whole story of the pregnancy in ‘Honsla Rakh’ was limited to a song. After the back story is told, the film is a journey in which all the characters are living.
As far as the side characters are concerned, there was no over-acting, chaos or crowding in the casting. All the actors played strong individual roles and didn’t require extra support from other members of the cast. So the casting—both lead and supporting, were enough for their own roles and fit in well.
Coming on to music, the film wasn’t over flooded with songs and for me, the placement of the songs was perfect. I say so because there was a song wherever I needed to relax or take a break since I was glued to my seat throughout the film. The dialogues are well-written and spoken, the comic timing is perfect, the cuteness quotient is 100% and for me, the film was almost perfect.
I say almost because of the first 20 minutes which slowed the film and then at the end when Shehnaaz wore sneakers under her sharara! The editing of the film, done by Manish More was crisp and the digital intermediate (DI) was done well. The colors were beautiful and the cinematography by Baljit Singh Deo was absolutely brilliant, very beautiful, the frames were worth watching in each shot and of course, Baljit Singh brings up the city in a very beautiful manner.
Overall, it’s a great family entertainer neither does it have vulgar language or double meaning jokes, nor is it very loud like quite a few other Punjabi films. It doesn’t have quick dialogue exchanges or forced laughter, instead it’s a nice and breezy film that will keep you glued to your seats throughout. The family will enjoy it, take your kids along with you, there’s nothing wrong with the film, the songs are great.
All those who contributed to the film have done a brilliant job. I would say that after ‘Kala Shah Kala’ if I want to remember an Amarjit Singh Saron film, it is going to be ‘Honsla Rakh’. Go watch it now, Honsla ni rakhna nita ticketan ni milnia!
