Akshay Kumar, who is known for stepping into the shoes of every character with perfection and leaving the audience amazed by his versatility, treated his fans with one of the most awaited films of his career- ‘Laxmii’. The horror-comedy could only manage to churn out boring humour. The film lacked spice and was definitely not a Diwali blast, yet the star cast put up a great show with their performances.
Akshay as Asif/Laxmii, Kiara Advani as Rashmi, Sharad Kelkar as original Laxmii and others including Rajesh Sharma, Ayesha Raza Mishra and Manu Rishi Chadha were perfect in their skins. The film is not as funny as it was supposed to be. ‘Laxmii’ tries being a satire of sorts against obsolete customs and rituals but the effort defeats itself owing to the sheer plasticity of the narrative. The film also tries making politically correct noises about the transgender community and Hindu-Muslim harmony.
That last bit is especially highlighted through Asif and Rashmi. He is Muslim, she is Hindu and so her parents won’t accept Asif. The twist in the tale comes when Asif is possessed by the spirit of a transgender woman named Laxmii who is out on a mission of vengeance. The film is too haphazard in its storytelling which does not leave any impact on the audience.
There is very little that a cast can do if the writing of a film is poor. In the case of ‘Laxmii’, the film wholly rests on Akshay Kumar’s duality as the rationalist Asif who turns into Laxmii on becoming possessed. Akshay cuts an impressive picture as Asif but then that’s the easier deal of his role. Sharad hits a few interesting notes when he is not giving in to the temptation to overdo his act as the original Laxmii.