Laxmii Movie Review - Yet Another Akshay Kumar Film In The Pool Of Akshay Kumar Film

Another day, another Akshay Kumar vehicle desperately trying to mend the moral compass of our society.

In Raghava Lawrence's Laxmii, Akshay Kumar plays Asif, a senior member of the "Jaago Avam Committee." This organization disproves the existence of ghosts and spirits. Laxmii may serve as a remake of the 2011 Tamil film Kanchana (which I have not seen), but something tells me this "ghost awareness" aspect is inserted because of Kumar himself. Anyone familiar with his filmography knows about Kumar's inability to resist shoehorning social messaging into his plot. If others write a script based on a story, Kumar - working like an uncredited writer pulling strings in the background - tends to weave the story around social messaging. Since Laxmii is a horror movie, you get Kumar debunking various myths surrounding the spirits using scientific explanations.

In an earlier scene, after exposing a Baba, Asif looks at the camera and announces he will start wearing bangles if he ever comes across a real ghost. This is not the last time you will hear these words from his mouth. His stare at the camera serves as a challenge or warning to the audience to stop any hocus-pocus surrounding supernatural superstition. But we know Asif will wear bangles - and not because this is a horror movie; the opening credits give us a visual of Asif wearing them.

Take a moment to reflect on his name, Asif. It's a Muslim name. His wife’s name is Rashmi (Kiara Advani) - a Hindu name. With these names, I was one hundred percent sure that a Hindu-Muslim dynamic would come into play. This is an "Akshay Kumar Movie," which automatically translates to "Moral Ahead." And boy was I proved right. Asif and Rashmi run away to get married. While Rashmi's mother (Ayesha Raza Mishra) is okay with it, her father (Rajesh Sharma) is not. Another, let's say, "Akshay touch," comes when Rashmi tries to remind Asif of their anniversary. She asks whether he may be forgetting something, and he exclaims, "Tomorrow is 31st March, IT returns bharne hai" (We've to fill our IT returns). Akshay really does not leave any chance to remind us to be a responsible citizen. It's only a matter of time until he is declared as the National Human of India.

The setting shifts from Haryana to Daman (the only unique thing in this story) when Rashmi's mother invites them to celebrate their 25th anniversary. As far as I remember, this celebration does not happen. Why? I don't know. On their arrival, the car gets punctured near the haunted location - an old ritual of this genre. A quick glance reveals an empty ground, and a house on its side separated by a wall. What's haunted is the ground, and the house adjacent to it displays its residents' bravery.

When they finally arrive at Rashmi's, a joke involving the game of statue begins. Rashmi’s father stretches the punchline beyond capacity. Here we get a quick remark on Rashmi's father's chest pain, another thing that is never acknowledged again. Why did we need to know about it? I don't know. After learning Asif's profession, Rashmi's mother summarizes his job description: Someone who drives away ghosts and spirits. Still, when Laxmii's spirit begins haunting, it is not Asif who drives her away. The reason for it is more than Asif refusing to believe in the sightings. Believe it or not, Kumar grabs this opportunity to milk out messaging on religion. Within minutes, mandir, masjid, and church are referred for exorcism purposes. One can almost hear the tagline with: "Divided through God. United through Demon."

But to confirm whether a spirit is actually present or not, a pandit speaks of performing three rituals. Obviously, all three of them pass. But was going over all three of them necessary? Well, if you are so dimwit to consider only a 33% probability of there being a ghost after seeing a coconut continuously rolling by itself, then yes. Then again, what else can one expect from a movie with ludicrous scenes like Asif sipping on lemongrass tea while the lights flicker automatically? This tea was supposed to be a reason for the unification of the father-daughter bond. For reasons unknown, Rashmi's father refuses her daughter's apology, but his heart melts after hearing two lines from Asif. I suppose it had to be Akshay all the way as the winner.

Addressing the elephant in the room, Kumar gives a typical "Akshay Kumar Movie" performance, and at this point, only makeup sets him apart from his previous roles. The actor has been so "rooted" with our society that when he walks in a saree or stands with an army of transgender people, you don't see Asif. What you see is a superstar representing the minorities of our society. And that is what the actor wants to do (again) with Laxmii - to usher in a taboo from the closet to our room. Recently, both Ayushmann Khurrana and Akshay Kumar have started this trend of putting message over movie. Perhaps, they need a reminder about the other aspects of films. A movie messaging, if you may.

Kiara Advani is such a fine actress. It's sad to see her wasted in here. Watch her closely in the scene when she finds out about Asif's possession. Her confounded stare resembles the one found in women who suddenly realize their husband is gay. Kiara manages to be serious and comical according to the tone and the situation. This one moment is preventing me from fully declaring her as just eye candy in this spooky mess, which she is undoubtedly used as.

It's also notable how everyone is so sound asleep in Laxmii. People scream and run around the house, but no one wakes up to these sounds. Did all of them read the script in bed? Even at a hotel, not a single soul (apart from the ghost) peeks out of their room as a couple screams in the corridor. If nothing else, Laxmii gives a valid (if absurd) excuse before slipping into a song. We get a mandatory hero-entry song. Asif "takes" Rashmi "inside" his dream giving way to Burj Khalifa song. Then there is Bam Bholle song arriving at an event during the climax. Does it make Laxmii any better? Hell, no.

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