Manikarnika

What keeps us with the film is Rani Ranaut, who in her best moments, owns her part, the single-track narrative, and the screen.

... despite these flaws, Manikarnika reveals Kangana as an artist with boundless ambition and I'm excited to see what she creates next.

When talent is matched with mediocrity in a project, talent can only take it so far.

A legend gets reborn, at least on screen, and maybe that's the only reality palatable to us right now...

The film is only set on making Laxmibai a hero (but we already knew that). A little insight into her mind would have been nice.

The Manikarnika production isn't lavish enough to suggest a grand sweep of history, and the focus on its heroine is too narrow to accommodate a larger conversation about the efficacy of Lakshmibai's actions.

The fact that Manikarnika, in an opening disclaimer, lays no claims to historical accuracy cannot, however, absolve its makers of the blame for producing a film so astonishingly inept.

Ranaut is glorious. She wears a dazzling smile early on like a cloak of confidence, and later slices down enemy soldiers with a fury that must surely have injured some extras on the set.

If you are a fan of warrior epic that's solely Ranaut's battlefield, this one is for you. Others can safely duck this nationalism-fuelled saga.

Manikarnika is a well-made film that highlights Kangana's prowess as an actor.