Raksha Bandhan is a new Hindi film that has released today alongside the Forrest Gump adaptation Laal Singh Chaddha. The film is set in a small town where a brother played by Akshay Kumar attempts to get his three sisters married to keep the vow he made to his mother. The film is directed by a veteran member of the industry Anand L Rai. The film was interesting as it was taking the Hindi film industry back to its strengths, strong family drama and feel good atmosphere. Given the current predicament the Hindi film industry is going through, it can really use a win. So the expectations from an Akshay Kumar film was high. Let’s see whether the film has managed to fulfill those expectations.
What are the Critics Saying About Raksha Bandhan?
The critics seem to be divided into two groups of people where one group appreciates the film as a family drama that includes a message on dowry while the other group finds the film regressive in every nature that tries to bring audiences to small town based films but fails in doing so due to its outdated premise. That’s a pretty sharp contrast. It is pretty rare that one film would draw such juxtaposing opinions from film critics. I think the films is suffering from the different political and social opinions of people that are seeing the film in a way that fits its narrative. I’m not siding with either. It may be a good family movie or it may be a regressive one. Let’s see what the critics say.
I wish I could mark myself safe from RAKSHA BANDHAN. But the wounds run deep.
Aanand L. Rai has done the impossible: made a film worse than ATRANGI RE
Review:https://t.co/J6WhgNKYQs
— Poulomi Das (@PouloCruelo) August 11, 2022
Raksha Bandhan is a stunningly poor film.
Review:https://t.co/g4X3bar1EM
— Rahul Desai (@ReelReptile) August 11, 2022
.#RakshaBandhanReview: A family entertainer that takes form of social commentary at some places, but not losing its essence of celebrating the beautiful sibling bond. @akshaykumar is terrific and his sisters are super cool. Great direction by @aanandlrai.https://t.co/0v0ah8JQkm
— Monika Rawal (@monikarawal) August 11, 2022
#MovieReview : #RAKSHABANDHAN is a touching family saga, with a highly emotional second half that uplifts the film.
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2@akshaykumar @bhumipednekar @aanandlrai https://t.co/93S01I3pgT— BollyHungama (@Bollyhungama) August 11, 2022
Review: Akshay Has Enormous Workload In Tone Deaf Raksha Bandhan https://t.co/aCNH7siW5D pic.twitter.com/aeFPKlvXjB
— NDTV Movies (@moviesndtv) August 11, 2022
"The film rests squarely on Akshay Kumar’s able shoulders. He gives off the perfect elder brother vibes. Full marks to him for sincerity and commitment," writes @devscribbler.
3/5 stars.https://t.co/bfeT83Ilsa
— Filmfare (@filmfare) August 11, 2022
It's 2022 and we have a hero who sells gol gappe with a guarantee that women who eat there will have sons. That's just the beginning of the mess that is Raksha Bandhan (send your care packages to @ReelReptile who survived to review this film): https://t.co/Sm8PiWGWcB
— Deepanjana (@dpanjana) August 11, 2022
#RakshaBandhanReview #RakshaBandhan is true to its feeling.
I'm so happy that Hindi Cinema #ReturnToFeelings.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️#HimanshuSharma & @KanikaDhillon's writing is Fabulous.@akshaykumar & @bhumipednekar you both are the real stars.@aanandlrai 💫https://t.co/bdKehyNGGv— Ashwani kumar (@BorntobeAshwani) August 11, 2022
#RakshaBandhan Movie Review: Attack On Some Serious Issue In India Society! Dowry Is Not Pride
Ratings: 3/5 🌟🌟🌟@aanandlrai @akshaykumar @bhumipednekar @KanikaDhillon @neerajsoodactor @sadiakhateeb @isahilmehta @smrithisrikanth @sahejmeen https://t.co/k0BepRf5SA
— Filmy Hype (@Filmy_Hype) August 11, 2022
ETimes Movie Review, Raksha Bandhan: Akshay Kumar's commitment to his sisters is heartwarming in this family drama @akshaykumar @bhumipednekar#ETimesMovieReview #Review #RakshaBandhan #AkshayKumar #BhumiPednekar pic.twitter.com/fPAI1Mc9zf
— ETimes (@etimes) August 11, 2022
Raksha Bandhan Review: A Beautiful Family Entertainer Loaded With Emotions And Humor https://t.co/lo8LcAt1uy via Entertales
— Sonu (@Rambovicky) August 11, 2022
#AkshayKumar's #RakshaBandhan is a simple yet beautiful storytelling 😍https://t.co/CDMFrMgxOe
— @zoomtv (@ZoomTV) August 11, 2022
Raksha Bandhan review: Akshay Kumar's emotional film has strong message on dowry https://t.co/oTl8nPyAbd
— Hindustan Times (@HindustanTimes) August 11, 2022
#RakshaBandhanReview @akshaykumar & sisters will make u cry…this film gives a strong message in a entertaining way @bhumipednekar
Full review – https://t.co/5P6BxINjw1@Akkistaan @Akky_Kuntal#AkshayKumar #RakshaBandhan
— Amit Bhatia (ABP News) (@amitbhatia1509) August 11, 2022
#AkshayKumar 's film which is high on the emotional quotient, has won over the hearts of many!#RakshaBandhanhttps://t.co/72w443cn4c
— BombayTimes (@bombaytimes) August 11, 2022
Raksha Bandhan movie review: Akshay Kumar starrer takes you back to old India with small-town values and unbreakable sibling bonds
#AanandLRai #AkshayKumar #BhumiPednekar #DeepikaKhanna #EntertainmentNews
https://t.co/JA8WI4OpOq— Bollywood Life (@bollywood_life) August 11, 2022
There’s too much of everything.https://t.co/gts49x68fj
— iDiva (@iDivaOfficial) August 10, 2022
Movie Review | Raksha Bandhan: A message driven stale tale ⭐️⭐️⭐️#glamsham @akshaykumar @aanandlrai @cypplOfficial @bhumipednekar #RakshaBandhan #RakshaBandhanReview #rakshabandhan2022 #RakshaBandhanRealEmotions #rakshabandhanspecial #AkshayKumar https://t.co/c7ydbl7Pf3
— glamsham.com (@glamsham) August 11, 2022
Review: Inspite of unavoidable problems, '#RakshaBandhan' works with its intended emotions being a tear-jerker #RakshaBandhan #RakshaBandhanReview #AkshayKumar #BhumiPednekar @akshaykumar @bhumipednekar https://t.co/0gWgP1FMAO
— India Forums (@indiaforums) August 11, 2022
After reading all the reviews dare I say that the Raksha Bandhan reception seems to be slightly towards the positive side. All the critics are accepting that the film does suffer from some unavoidable mistakes or mishaps but as the film’s heart is in the right place, the film works. However, the some people don’t believe as they find the film regressive. It doesn’t mean they’re wrong everyone is entitled to their opinion. Whichever side you may find yourself in, I think everyone agrees this is one of the most earnest performances from Akshay Kumar in a long time.
The actor was recently criticized for his formulaic portrayal of his characters. He was turning into the Rock where whatever role he plays you know he is the Rock, even the character adjusts for him. Kumar was the victim of the same syndrome in Samrat Prithviraj where the actor wasn’t looking the part. It felt like he was not a 100% committed to his roles. I don’t think this will be the problem here. I think Raksha Bandhan is going to do decent at the box office.
Given the star power of Akshay Kumar and the long weekend it has gotten amongst festivities. You may never know the boycott Lal Singh Chaddha movement may benefit this film as people would chose to watch over the Aamir Khan film on their weekends. Raksha Bandhan stars Akshay Kumar in the lead role and the supporting cast includes Bhumi Pednekar, Sadia Khateeb, Sahejmeen Kaur, Deepika Khanna, Smrithi Srikanth and Seema Pahwa.
Raksha Bandhan is currently playing in theatres near you.
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