Known for delivering hits like Raanjhanaa and Tanu Weds Manu, Aanand L Rai is back with another unusual love story.

Atrangi Re’s wacky love triangle offers a new angle – watch as Sara Ali Khan, Dhanush and Akshay Kumar take you on a rollercoaster ride of magic, madness, mystery and melodrama!

Director: Aanand L Rai

Cast: Sara Ali Khan, Dhanush, Akshay Kumar

Runtime: 2 hours 18 mins

Rating: 3/5 

Storyline

Our Atrangi love triangle starts with Rinku Sooryavanshi (Sara Ali Khan) – a feisty, Bihari girl with dreams of grand romance in her head. You know Rinku is a ride-or-die kinda gal… she’s been caught, beaten black and blue by her family while trying to elope with her mysterious lover multiple times. But Rinku ain’t confessing who he is…coz you know – honour killing. 

And no wonder she’s tight-lipped! The poor girl was scarred for life as a kid after her own Grandma murdered her parents in cold blood, right in front of her. Geez, talk about childhood trauma!

Now, Rinku’s family are so fed up with her rebellious running away, they want to get her hitched to the first eligible bakra they find. And then enters our Vishu babu (Dhanush) – a calm, practical Tamil doctor who’s trying to convince (himself?) that he’s in love with his Dean’s daughter and must get married. But alas, fate has other plans.

Rinku’s family literally abducts Vishu, gasses him with Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and forcefully weds him to Rinku (who is drugged as hell in the scene, not merely sad). That sure does explain this absurd picture – 

When Rinku gets to know about Vishu’s fiance she’s naturally elated. The duo agree on a win-win pact; once they reach Delhi they’ll part ways – Vishu will marry Mandakini aka Mandy, and Rinku will race off into the sunset with her lover Sajjad Ali Khan (Akshay Kumar). 

Without giving any spoilers, Sajjad is simply no ordinary man. He’s an older, charismatic, daredevil magician. His story with Rinku is the stuff star-crossed romances are made of. 

The trailer might make you feel Atrangi Re is going the ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ way – with the husband trying to reunite his wife with her boyfriend. But wait, this love triangle truly has an ‘Atrangi’ twist.

Now, Rinku wants to have her cake and eat it too; she’s unwilling to divorce the husband or let go of the lover. And how can Vishu compete against the ‘TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE’ Sajjad? However, there’s a big REVEAL about Sajjad that will turn the odds highly in Vishu’s favour. What is it?

That’s what the madcap journey in ‘Atrangi Re’ will take you on- full of drama, romance and whacky fun.

What Do We Think?

No SPOILERS… but Aanand L Rai and Himanshu Sharma have tried to delve into the topic of mental health while creating this heartwarming, eccentric love story.

There are a few Easter eggs that hint that something is up if you look carefully. Nowhere does Atrangi Re get preachy while addressing the issue. Though they do try to make you root for the characters, we feel they could’ve gone a little deeper and more complex into the mental illness aspect. Because Vishu’s best friend (Ashish Verma) literally plays a psychiatrist… but the whole thing is played up for laughs and is quite problematic at times.

Talking about the performances – Atrangi Re belongs to Sara Ali Khan. After a promising debut in Kedarnath, unfortunately, she’d failed to leave a mark with Coolie No.1 and Simmba. But here, she has truly gotten her teeth into the character! Sara has given a highly energetic, spunky performance as the over-the-top Rinku. 

But she should’ve toned down on the sad, puppy-dog face during the emotional scenes. And her Bihari dialect is slightly off-putting, she’s not quite nailed it. However, Sara has held her own in the movie and is in no way overshadowed by the star power of her co-stars. And her Chaka Chak moves are already ruling Instagram.

After a stellar performance in Raanjhanaa, fans will be excited for Dhanush’s reunion with Aanand L Rai in Atrangi Re. Dhanush is endearing, funny when required and though his chemistry with Sara is not sizzling… it is adorable enough, and they make it work. And he has carried off his vulnerable moments with grace, one of them being his love confession scene – as he pours his heart out in Tamil to a bewildered, clueless Sara. He’s a good albeit a besotted foil to Sara’s hot-headed act.

Though Akshay Kumar plays an integral role in this love triangle as the larger-than-life Sajjad, he’s got the short end of the stick here. We can see him doing justice to the part of a magnetic, adventurous magician and his scenes trying to one-up Dhanush are hilarious. But his romantic pairing with Sara looks jarring! There was no justifiable reason for his and Sara’s characters to have such a big (28 Year) age-gap and looks like Aanand L Rai’s decision has translated weirdly onto the screen. 

Nevertheless, Atrangi Re is a refreshing watch – capturing the picturesque locales of Bihar, Madurai and Delhi vibrantly. The film definitely has a few ‘WTF’ moments that require you to toss logic out of the window and it could have been better with its treatment of mental health. But it is engaging and entertaining enough with a touching if slightly cliched finale.

Music Box

AR Rahman’s music perfectly complements the quirky, upbeat mood of the film. He has blessed us with groovy hits – Chaka Chak and Garda! 

Rait Zara Si adds that sweet, wistful touch while Little Little is all seeti-maro fun.

Hit Or Miss?

Hit for the performances! Grab some popcorn and start off your Christmas binge-watching with this fun, wacky love triangle.

Where To Watch Atrangi Re?

Streaming on Disney + Hotstar