'Laxmii' review: Akshay Kumar's film is nonsensical and wasteful
What's the story
Laxmii is, more or less, all the things that you do not want a film to be. This Akshay Kumar-starrer movie, directed by Raghava Lawrence and streaming on Disney+ Hotstar, is cliched, mediocre, tiresome and problematic, all at once. Even as it is gifted with talented actors, it fails to make use of them. Here is our review.
Plot
A young man and the spirit of a transgender
On paper, Laxmii's plot is rather simplistic and understandable. It is only after you watch the film that it feels like an utter hotchpotch. It is the story of Asif (Akshay), a man who believes in logic and hates any talk about spirits and superstition. But his beliefs and life are shattered after he gets possessed by the spirit of a transgender person.
Details
A blend of random and meaningless drama
Laxmii plays out like a blend of random and unrelated footage, where virtually anything can happen at any time. The narrative transports from Daman to Dubai in the blink of an eye. And that is only a small instance of its oddity. The movie feels like watching random YouTube videos non-stop, that too without any skip option.
Details
Poor writing, coupled with disastrous execution
Laxmii is replete with problems. But if one issues overshadows the rest of them - it is the film's writing. The screenplay is unbelievably bizarre. It takes you places, but in vain. It is coupled with equally, if not more, disastrous execution and editing. In this horror-comedy, the comedy is horrifying and the horror is comical.
Performances
Akshay's hammy performance can't save it
Akshay Kumar tries too hard to make sense of this sham of a film. But obviously, he is doomed to fail. Clad in a saree - he sings, dances and shouts, but still fails to deliver the point, if there is one in the first place. Akshay's hammy performance is simply not enough to save this movie.
Performances
Good actors, marred by a shoddy script
In fact, almost the entire supporting cast, despite comprising good actors, appears to be witnessing the tamasha just like the audience. They look perpetually confused and horrified by the mediocrity and meaninglessness of what they are seeing. But, to be fair, they are never at fault - they are simply marred by a shoddy script and even worse direction.
Final word
To watch or not to watch?
Laxmii is one of the films that will leave you speechless, but not for any good reason. The only sigh of relief is that it is a digital release, and digital platforms luckily have the option to fast-forward. Without a doubt, Laxmii is one of the worst Bollywood films in recent years. Final rating: 1 out of 5 stars.