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Simran is a movie about a Gujarati housekeeper who works in the United States, and allows her ambitions to overpower her which leads her to get involved in the world of crime.
Critic Consensus
Critical reception for Simran is mixed-to-moderate, with the majority of reviewers agreeing that Kangana Ranaut's performance is the film's sole, dominant strength — several critics explicitly stating it is worth watching only for her. The script draws the most consistent criticism, with reviewers pointing to weak logic, lack of emotional engagement with the protagonist, tonal incoherence, and a hurried or distancing second half. A number of critics note that the film fails to cohere into a satisfying whole despite its lead's efforts, with comparisons to Ranaut's stronger previous work like Queen used to highlight Simran's shortcomings.
22 reviews · 12 positive · 6 mixed · 2 negative
AI-generated summary of 22 critic reviews · may contain errors
Report inaccuracyCritic Reviews (22)
"There's ample meat in the story, yet the writing itself is weak. The film's second half feels particularly sloppy, and don't even get me started on the caricaturish villains. But it's a testament to Kangana's full-blooded performance that Simran works despite these complaints. She's in excellent form, an artiste at the top of her game, as she gives us another indelible character in the perplexing Praful Patel. Come to think of it, the movie's no slog. Mehta keeps the pace going, and delivers some terrific moments that'll make you smile."Read full review ↗
"Kangana keeps us watching. With her plain unvarnished face, and mobile features, she comes across as a real, solid, complex woman, someone you can reach out and touch. When she's on the top of her game, helping us ignore so many of the film's loopholes, she's glorious. It's a pity her own story lets her down."Read full review ↗
"Kangana Ranaut's solid performance keeps the film watchable, but Simran is ultimately an exhausting film."Read full review ↗
"Frankly, you can't emotionally invest in Simran or root for her as much as you might want to. But when you watch the film, you will find yourself warming up to her occasionally, because she's all you've got. Let's give Kangana her due."Read full review ↗
"The struggle of Indian parents and children in America to be both American and Indian at the same time isn't new. But put together, they make the film a rich experience that cannot be slotted into one genre. My heart leaped with joy at the climax. If only, the 20-30 minutes in the second half didn't distance you from the film."Read full review ↗
"Overall, this frothy entertainer Simran is a film Kangana carries squarely on her shoulders and makes the most slipshod scenes look endearing. Watch it only for Kangana Ranaut."Read full review ↗
"Reserve this for a one-time watch as it's incredible to see Ranaut play a self-destructive rebel. But if you are looking for a cohesive cinematic piece, then you are looking at the wrong film."Read full review ↗
"A tighter second half, fewer songs and a less hurried ending would have made Simran a watch for keeps. But there's more reason to celebrate Simran than diss it. The quirky perspective at finding laughs in troubled times is a refreshing way of viewing problems. And then there's Kangana, making badass look simple, human and so full of heart."Read full review ↗
"Simran has so much going for it that you really want to like the film, root for Praful, draw satisfaction from a stellar performance of a fine artiste like Kangana. But then, something doesn't work for the film. Unfortunately, it's a great one-time watch which makes you wish that the makers had fine-tuned it enough to propel it towards a huge success!"Read full review ↗
"Overall, 'Simran' is an honest film made with a true heart and totally recommended to watch this weekend. The last scene will leave a smile on your face as you leave the theatres."Read full review ↗
"Though it is clearly a one-woman film, the film hangs together with the help of its supporting actors who do their job contributing additional desi flavour like Praful's MCP, hot-tempered father (Hiten Shah) who treats his grown daughter like a child."Read full review ↗
"Simran has come to theatres following an ugly controversy over its writing credits. The final rolls read: story, screenplay and dialogues — Apurva Asrani, additional story and dialogues — Kangana Ranaut. The truth about what went on behind the scenes may never be fully revealed, but what has emerged now that the curtains have been drawn aside is a compact, sweet, unconventional entertainer."Read full review ↗
"Go and watch this film for Kangana Ranaut's yet another stellar performance. This film also proves one more thing – there never could be a best for Kangana as she's unstoppable. Hansal Mehta! Thank you for Simran."Read full review ↗
"Simran is undoubtedly entertaining, but it is more of a presentation of the acting prowess of the incredible genre-crossing actor Kangana Ranaut."Read full review ↗
"Kangana's Queen made you want to fly to Amsterdam right from the theatre. There is nothing that you want to do after Simran, save go back home. Watch the film if you swear by Kangana Ranaut. She spreads her wings like the tiny butterflies in her stomach and flies, but Simran does not take off."Read full review ↗
"Overall, 'Simran' is sunny but lacks the emotional heft and gravitas that would have placed it in a higher league."Read full review ↗
"Simran is not a bad film but having no coherence of its genre, it might fall. It is certainly a one time watch."Read full review ↗
"An out and out Kangana Ranaut movie falters when it comes to using logic in the script."Read full review ↗
"As the idea behind the title of this film SIMRAN demands an extra dose of patience, tolerance and imagination, Hansal Mehta had an interesting badass women robber - the bombshell bandit to churn into an intriguing piece of cinema like his previous SHAHID and ALIGARH which were based on characters from real life but this time in order to turn a bit quirky it turned murky resulting in a lost bet."Read full review ↗
"Based loosely on the story of the Bombshell Bandit - Punjabi girl Sandeep Kaur, Simran could either be a great comic caper or a tragic story of greed gone wrong. It's neither."Read full review ↗
"Kangana mostly does a fine job of bringing the character to life but at times goes overboard while portraying the antics of Praful. However, all of it seems so self-indulgent that neither the film nor the protagonist is successful in making the audience empathise or identify with her."Read full review ↗
"The movie exists as a testament to Ranaut's awesomeness. The star and the character merge into one, and the movie suffers as a result."Read full review ↗
Cast & Crew
Cast
- Kangana Ranaut · Praful Patel a.k.a. "Simran – The Lipstick Bandit"
- Soham Shah · Sameer Mehta
- Rupinder Nagra · Mike Mehndi
- Catherine Dyer · Cynthia
- Manu Narayan
- Kishori Shahane · Praful's mother
- Hiten Kumar · Praful's father
Director
Writer
Music
Editing
Details
User Ratings & Reviews
5 ratings from the community
Community Reviews (3)
As expected, Kangana Ranaut's performance in Simran is absolutely praiseworthy. The story line is extremely engaging and bittersweet. Definitely recommended!
This weekend could be termed as the week of "Girl Power" as we had Sindhu making the nation proud with her exploits at the Korean Super Series. Even in Bollywood, we have a women centric movie with Kangana Ranaut, the reigning queen in the lead. There were numerous controversies leading to the release of the movie with regard to her statements on her male counterparts & nepotism. Whatever might be the case, the trailer of "Simran" seems to convey that it is going to be yet another gem from Kangana. With Hansal Mehta calling the shots, the quality of the movie wont be in question. But will it be able to satiate the audience??? Praful Patel (Kangana Ranaut) is a divorced, independent Gujarati female who worked in the hospitality industry in Atlanta. As her parents constantly nagged her to get hitched, she has been on the lookout for a suitable apartment where she could move into. After years of hard work, she finally managed to hoard sufficient savings along with a loan from the bank that would enable her to get a place of her choice. But before she could seal the deal, she goes on to Sin City with her cousin. Just like it has happened to many, she loiters into the casino & gets hooked onto the dealer's table once she starts winning. Hoping to cash in on more money, she gambles the next day as well & that's when reality hits her hard as she looses whatever she had including the deposit to her apartment. Her desperation to win it back makes her borrow money from a loan shark. Little did she realise that she was in an absolute quagmire which would change her life forever. Hansal Mehta's credentials as a director is well established with movies like "Aligarh", "Shahid", "City Lights" etc to his credit. His latest venture is loosely based on Sandeep Kaur aka "Bombshell Bandit", a Punjabi Sikh nurse who is presently serving jail time in the US for robbing several banks. The story by Apurva Asrani as such is interesting especially the complex character of Kangana that is intriguing, childish & crazy all rolled into one. But his screenplay falters in the second half, as the robbery, police investigation & climax seemed rather silly & preposterous. All the technical aspects has been handled adequately be it Anuj Rakesh's cinematography, Antara Lahiri's editing & Sachin Jigar's music. Coming to performances, it was a one woman show with Kangana being absolutely brilliant. Her goofiness in Vegas reminded me of Mr. Bean which was spot on. Equally impressive was her ability to convey her vulnerability & establishes her position as one of the finest actresses in the industry. Since the story basically revolved around her, none of the other characters barely got much screen space but even then Sohum Shah as Sameer deserves praise along with characters like Praful's parents & the bar attender in Vegas. Verdict: Well it's not a type of movie that will be lapped up by the masses but it will have the urban audience interested. There is no doubt that the film has flaws in the screenplay just like the protagonist. But if you ask me, Kangana's performance definitely makes it worth watching. In short, do check it out!!!! Rating: 2.75/5 Regards...Ben
Good. Good : Kangana's extraordinary performance ( the movie is completely on her shoulders and could be flat without her presence ) , Fine performance by the cast , Decent direction , good story Weakness : overall screenplay is a let down , second half is disappointing






















