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Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela backdrop

Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram Leela

15 November 2013Hindi2h 34m
out of 10
Mixedlukewarm or divided
Monk Score · 24 scored reviews · 7 not rated

Bhansali's visual flair and a sizzling lead pair can't quite paper over a thin script.

Verdict tier Mixed, lukewarm or divided, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.

  • Praised: lead pair's chemistry and visuals
  • Criticised: weak or derivative script

Audience

User score 5.8 out of 10 from 33 ratings, Mixed
Read 5 audience reviews ↓

Not streaming in India

Critic consensus

What 29 critics are saying

Critical reception for Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela was broadly positive, with the majority of reviewers praising Sanjay Leela Bhansali's visual grandeur and the electrifying on-screen chemistry between leads Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. Padukone in particular was singled out by multiple critics as the film's standout asset. The most consistent criticism centred on the script and narrative, with several reviewers finding the story thin, overlong, or derivative of its Shakespearean source material, and a minority felt the film prioritised spectacle over substance.

How the 24 scores spread

7 not-rated reviews aren't plotted

Positive / mixed / negative reviews

Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10

AI-generated summary of 29 critic reviews · may contain errors

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From the papers

Critic reviews (31)

Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated

  1. Top critic

    Deccan Chronicle

    Film review ·

    However, it's Deepika Padukone whom the film belongs to. Looking drop dead gorgeous and going at her part with a wallop, she's the prime asset of 'Ram-Leela'. Eminently worth a dekko.
  2. Top critic

    IBNLive

    Film review ·

    In the end it is Bhansali - credited for screenplay, editing, music, and direction - who leaves his stamp all over the film. He brings great style and aesthetic to an unapologetically commercial film, which I'm happy to say is far more engaging than the lazy blockbusters we've seen lately. It's great fun - not the word you'd normally associate with a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film.
  3. Top critic

    Indian Express

    Film review ·

    ...creates a couple that ignites the screen, and most of the time when these two are on screen, you keep watching. It's when the guns come on, and the gun-masters start roaring and shouting, that the love-story drowns, and everything gets both too noisy and too choreographed. I enjoyed the lovers, and their ram-leela: if only the film had been more ras, not goli-leela, more roses than guns.
  4. Top critic

    NDTV

    Film review ·

    If you are drawn by the raw magnificence of the setting and the inevitable excitement of the occasion – after all an SLB offering cannot but be an event film – here's sound advice: your travel agent could do a better job of getting you to Kutch. Goliyon ki Raasleela Ram-Leela is all body and no soul.
  5. Top critic

    Rediff

    Film review ·

    ...is a monstrously excessive film with a riot of colours, a girl who looks very pretty indeed and a daft hero, but despite that being the warning on the tin whenever you attempt (foolhardily) to buy into a Bhansali product, this can't be what you bargained for. GKRR is an overplotted, bloody mess.
  6. Top critic

    Firstpost

    Film review ·

    It would have been so easy for the film to wallow in opportunistic schmaltz or obvious sentimentality but instead Ram Leela is a slyly fun movie, and one that is best appreciated on big screens.
  7. Times Of India

    Film review ·

    What new can a filmmaker do with William Shakespeare's classic love story Romeo and Juliet? The answer is, if you are Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is technically sound and artistically astute as far as art and craft go, you just become impudent, set the story in Gujarat, sign Bollywood's currently best actress Deepika Padukone (Leela), team her up with `I've-got-fire-in-my-loins' actor Ranveer Singh (Ram) and then let them loose on one another
  8. Bollywood Hungama

    Film review ·

    ...ought to be watched for multiple reasons: the electrifying chemistry between its lead actors, the strong dramatic content, the scintillating musical score, the violent streak in the narrative and of course, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's execution of the material. This is Sanjay Leela Bhansali's most accomplished work to date. It's a work of outstanding artistry. No two opinions about it. A masterpiece by the master craftsman Sanjay Leela Bhansali!
  9. India Today

    Film review ·

    It's well hyped and still surpasses all expectations. For me Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram Leela is a masterpiece!
  10. Mid-Day

    Film review ·

    While the first half keeps you riveted, the second half sags a bit in parts even when you are reeling under the sudden twists and turns of the script. A must watch.
  11. OneIndia

    Film review ·

    ...is yet another SLB creation, replete with opulence and grandeur. For all its hype, grandeur, money, blood, sweat, music, tragedy, Ram Leela is worth a watch.
  12. DNA India

    Film review ·

    This is a film by a true romantic, who is brimming with crazy passion. If you share that with him, watch it.
  13. India Today

    Film review ·

    At a run time of two-hours-forty minutes Ram-Leela could get a bit laborious but you can surpass that because Bhansali comes forth with a love story that is enthralling, sparkling and compelling but not self-indulgent like Saawariya.
  14. KoiMoi

    Film review ·

    Sanjay Leela Bhansali still masters his marvel at making magical films. Picking up an unoriginal and much beaten about idea, he mystically tweaks out a work of genius. Indefatigable and supremely engaging, the film despite its ostentatious feel is at core a fierce love story enacted effectively by Ranveer and Deepika. Putting up an astonishingly prodigious chemistry, the duo pull through the film with might. Cinema should be a fulfilling experience like this!
  15. NowRunning

    Film review ·

    ... has brilliance written all over it. One of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's finest. Yes, there are flaws but it isn't said for no reason that imperfections make a thing more real.
  16. Sify

    Film review ·

    You won't come out of the theatre texting your friends that it's a must-see film. But it's a film where you can enjoy the imagery, the intensity, performances and chemistry, and forgive the excesses. A frilly good watch!
  17. Wogma

    Film review ·

    From love at first sight to till-death-do-us-part style, crazy love via the banter and misunderstandings that any relationship goes through - Ram-Leela has it all, in gorgeous frames, amongst lots of song and dance. That also makes it predictable, long and over-dramatized.
  18. Zee News

    Film review ·

    Overall, the film is first-rate as it brings down the curtain with a universal message of peace and love. You may watch the film if you love larger than life moments.

From our readers

Audience reviews (5)

33 ratings · user score 5.8

  1. 6/10

    There are two kind of directors in one Sanjay Leela Bhansali. First makes silent noise in Khamoshi, Black and Guzaarish. Second one overindulges in Devdas, Saawariya and latest Ram-Leela. It was only Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam where he mixed lavishness with subtle emotions beautifully. Ram-Leela comes after he failed to impress us with Saawariya and Guzaarish. So he went back to Devdas style and gave his own interpretation of Romoeo-Juliet love and fights. He does four things right with six things wrong leaving you dissatisfied at the end. There are colorful sets, excellent choreography, tight direction and supreme performances by confident Ranveer Singh, gorgeous Deepika Padukone and my favorite extraordinary Supriya Pathak. At the same time, there are few extra songs, too many twists in second half, few plot holes, too much of gun sound, movie being at least twenty minutes extra long and overdoing many scenes in order to make an impression of epic proportions. No doubt Sanjay understands cinematic art to the core but he tries to impress too hard. You are left amazed by his work in some scenes but then you are completely baffled in few scenes. At the end, you are drained out so much that you don't feel like appreciating even the good parts.

  2. NeonikaNov 2013
    6/10

    This is not exactly Bhansali's comeback or even fourth best work (the best being Devdas, Hum Dil Chuke Sanam, Khamoshi and Black - in that order), but there is a feral chemistry between the lead actors which drew me into buying this version of the classic. In my book, Deepika Padukone proves her mettle with this film. She is pitch perfect for the role. Ranvir Singh may not be a lady-charmer like Ranbir Kapoor, but he is sincere and endearing as the fearless Romeo. Visually, the film is beautiful in parts but not flowing eye-candy like 'Hum Dil De Chuke..' or 'Devdas', even though it's the same excess of fictional locales and costumes in Gujarat. Some of the scenes are straight out of Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film 'Romeo and Juliet' - like Leela leaning out of her balcony that overlooks a pool, to talk to Ram and some are repeat Sanjay Leela fare - like Garba and dhols. Supriya Pathak deserves the best villain award this year for her impeccable performance and accent. Rarely do we see an intimidating female antagonist in Bollywood, so that was greatly refreshing. The story feels baseless from the beginning and struggles to keep you invested till the end. But I did care about Ram and Leela.

  3. KavyaDec 2013
    9/10

    nice movie...... its gud to watch with friends

  4. 7/10

    'Goliyon ki Raasleela... Ram-Leela' is the most entertaining Bhansali film of the decade, as of now. The film brims with a true sense of aesthetic, that decorates the film with textures and colours. The film features the decor you want to see on the screens for a cinematic experience, with sweeping, swaying costumes and brimming with productivity drama. But what's more that this love story adapted from William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is that everything else is realistic and it uses real gore and sex, something which you never get to see in a Bhansali film. The performances are also playful and superb- while Ranveer Singh as Ram might be the best performance in mainstream cinema this year, and Deepika Padukone is joyous, cherishing and amazing as Leela. Supriya Pathak's Dhankor is very fantastical, making one of the best supporting characters in Hindi cinema. Richa Chadda proves mainstream is her thing with an outstanding performance as Raseela. But what makes 'Ram-Leela' work is its unhealthy entertainment and amazingly working sounds. Yes, the lines are cheeky and the emotional highs don't lift off as much as the frequent sexual intimacies, but it still works. I am going with 3.5 out of 5 and sure that it is one of the best Hindi films of this year.

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