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THE WARRIOR QUEEN OF JHANSI
Director: Swati Bhise Cast: Devika Bhise, Rupert Everett, Ben Lamb, Nathaniel Parker, Jodhi May, Derek Jacobi MPAA
Rating: Running Time: 1:42 Release Date: 11/15/19 |
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Review by Mark Dujsik | November 14, 2019 The Warrior Queen of Jhansi is torn between telling the story of Rani Lakshmibai, the eponymous ruler, and telling the story of the people against whom she's fighting. Context is important, especially in a story of politics and war such as this one, which dramatizes the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company. There's a point, though, at which context ends and a kind of narrative-sharing begins. That's the case here, as co-writer/director Swati Bhise comes up short providing the context of Lakshmibai's importance in favor of making sure the other side of the mutiny, divided only to a certain degree as to what should be done, is heard. That division, between those who believe diplomacy is in order and those who believe absolute destruction is the only answer, becomes the real conflict of this tale. That's not the wrong story to tell, but it definitely doesn't feel like the correct one in this case. After a
brief history of the early life of Lakshmibai (Devika Bhise, a co-writer and the
director's daughter), we find her a ruler without a kingdom—at least in the
eyes of British and company laws. Lakshmibai has tried to protect both locals
and British military officers from the mutineers, but she is repaid by having
the rule of her adopted son denied by the company. In order to preserve the
sovereignty of her family's rule, Lakshmibai assembles and trains an army of
women against the inevitable assault by British troops. This side of the story—written by the Bhises and Olivia Emden—is rushed to make way for figures such as Queen Victoria (Jodhi May), who regularly scolds the Prime Minister Palmerston (Derek Jacobi) for his indifference, as well as Sir Hugh Rose (Rupert Everett), the commander of the attacking forces, and Sir Robert Hamilton (Nathaniel Parker), a company representative who wants Lakshmibai and her army decimated. There's also a semi-romance between Lakshmibai and Major Robert Ellis (Ben Lamb), who is torn between his duty and his love for India. The resulting narrative's split focus doesn't do either side many favors—neither do the screenplay's structural oddities (random flashbacks) or unconvincingly choreographed battles. The Warrior Queen of Jhansi is clearly trying to appeal to an audience that doesn't know this story. By the end, we're still not certain we actually know it. Copyright © 2019 by Mark Dujsik. All rights reserved. |
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