Queen

Plot synopsis:
In the 1997 general election, Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) becomes Britain's newly elected prime minister. Queen Elizabeth II (Helen Mirren) is wary of Blair and his pledge to modernise Britain. Three months later, Diana, Princess of Wales dies in a car crash at the Alma Bridge tunnel in Paris. Blair's director of communications, Alastair Campbell (Mark Bazeley), writes a speech, calling Diana the "People's Princess." The phrase catches on and millions of people display an outpouring of grief at Buckingham and Kensington Palaces. Diana's death sparks division amongst members of the royal family, with some of the view that since Diana was divorced from Prince Charles (Alex Jennings) prior to her death, she was no longer a part of the royal family. They argue that Diana's funeral arrangements are thus best left as a private affair of her family, the Spencers. Charles, however, argues that the mother of a future king cannot be dismissed so lightly, and persuades the Queen to authorise the use of an aircraft of the Royal Air Force to bring Diana's body back to Britain.
In London, flowers begin to pile up before the palace railings, forcing the changing of the Queen's Guard to use another gate. British tabloids become inflammatory about the lack of a statement from the royal family. Charles leaves no doubt that he shares Blair's views about the need for a statement. As the royal family's popularity plummets, Blair's approval rises, to the delight of his anti-monarchist advisers and wife, Cherie (Helen McCrory). However, Blair, unconcerned about his increase in political popularity, does not share these sentiments. While disagreeing with the Queen's course of action, Blair begins to develop an admiration for her. Blair tells his wife that a republican Britain is ludicrous and begins to denounce the anti-monarchical views of his Labour Party advisers. Blair immediately calls the Queen and recommends three strong measures to regain public confidence of the monarchy: attend a public funeral for Diana at Westminster Abbey, fly a Union flag at half-mast over Buckingham Palace, and speak to the nation about Diana's life and legacy in a televised address.
Blair's recommendations outrage several members of the royal family including Prince Philip (James Cromwell) and the Queen Mother (Sylvia Syms), who views such steps as an undignified surrender to public hysteria. The Queen shares their feelings but believes that there has been a shift in public values and that perhaps she should abdicate. The Queen Mother dismisses the idea by saying that she is one of the greatest assets the monarchy has ever had, stating: "The real problem will come when you leave". She reminds the Queen of the promise she made in Cape Town, South Africa on her 21st birthday, that her "whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong...". Meanwhile, Philip tries to distract William and Harry (Jake Taylor Shantos and Dash Barber) from Diana's death by taking them deer stalking. While venturing out alone in her Land Rover, the Queen damages it crossing a river and is forced to telephone for assistance. The Queen quite alone on the expanse of the estate, begins to weep, either out of stress or a sense of loss for Diana. She is distracted as she catches sight of a majestic red deer which Philip had been stalking with William and Harry. The Queen is struck by his beauty and the two stare at each other. Hearing a distant gunshot and fearing the deer will be shot, the Queen shoos the animal away and decides to carry out Blair's recommendations. While preparing to return to London to attend a public funeral for Diana, the Queen is heartbroken to learn that the deer has been killed on a neighbouring estate, asks to see the stag, and is upset at its loss.
The royal family finally returns to London to inspect the floral tributes to Diana. While watching live television coverage with his staff, Blair becomes angry and disappointed at his advisers, declaring that the Queen is admirable and that Diana had rejected everything the Queen held most dear. The Queen later follows Blair's advice to make a public statement on live television, in which she speaks about the life and legacy of Diana and describes her as an exceptional and gifted human being. Two months after Diana's death, Blair visits Buckingham Palace to attend a weekly meeting with the Queen. The Queen, finally displaying a compassionate response to Diana's death, has slowly regained her popularity. However, she believes that Blair has benefited himself from her acquiescence to his advice and that she will never fully recover from that week. The Queen warns Blair that he will find that public opinion can rapidly turn against him, and states that life in Britain has changed and that the monarchy must modernise in the future. When Blair suggests that he can help with this, the Queen replies to him: "Don't get ahead of yourself, Prime Minister. Remember, I'm supposed to be the one advising you". The Queen, realising she must move forward making concessions as the position of the monarchy has changed over time, finally softens her stance with the Prime Minister. She invites him to join her for a walk in the gardens at Buckingham Palace. The film ends with The Queen and The Prime Minister walking together.

Tags: flashback

Review:
Queen is one such film that will make you want to watch it again.The story is similar in theme to English Vinglish (Yet another masterpiece) but stands out in execution and story telling.Kangana Ranaut delivers her career best in Queen no doubt.I was actually there on location in Amsterdam sometime in September 2012 when they were filming the last scene where she runs down the bridge to meet her friends at the rock show.
With Big names such as Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane involved in Editing and Production as well; the product had to be Top Notch.A movie that would require the audience to connect with the Lead Character; eventually got me connected to all the characters, including Vijay played by Rajkummar Rao. I am sure most guys (at-least in their heads) can relate to that lad.Some scenes were executed perfectly.
When Rani played amazingly brilliant by Kangana Ranaut discovers herself on her solo honeymoon trip in Paris and Amsterdam, she comes back to India with a winning smile on her face.
After Kangana, movie belongs to writer-director Vikas Bahl who shall be remembered now forever for penning this neat story and screenplay flooded with so many fresh and out of box ideas.
So I am going to only mention few things in more detail.Ranaut's performance: One of the best performances to come out of Hindi cinema in several years, this is not about shedding tears, yelling, looking cute/ gorgeous or dancing (which interestingly accounts for "good acting" for most Indian audience).
One thing is certain - it is hard to imagine any other actress in this role and hard to imagine this movie without Kangana Ranaut as Rani.Vikas Bahl's direction: The credit also goes to the director, Vikas Bahl.
To All the Bollywood fan's you should watch QUEEN not because it has a good story no it doesn't the plot has been used numerous times but the journey of Kangana from a shy obedient Rajouri Garden Delhi Girl to a confident open minded today's modern girl is quite awesome.
Hatsoff to director Vikas Behl for showing the brilliant character development of the protagonist (played by Kangana Ranaut) from Rani to Queen which scores in its riveting screenplay (Behl, Parveez Sheikh and Chaitily Parmar) along with crackling dialogues (Anvita Dutt and Kangana Ranaut), the cinematography by Bobby Singh and Siddharth Diwan actually reminds of the film 'Dev D' and it captures the locales beautifully along with the moments in the film and then comes the music score by Amit Trivedi which is simply fabulous and scores in making the narrative flow like anything.
Its all about movie actress queen, heart of film lovely actress Kangna , She must get Filmare award for her role, She did very well role i really loved her, how she manage situation with her innocent face and dialogue show that real Indian girl which is well discipline and belongs to well cultured, Apart from actress i really enjoyed songs and role played by her friends all of them are amazing, its look new actor but they showed talent beyond and language is not issue for all of them, how they express their feeling on movie they don't need words, its just amazing new guys.Finally, I would say that just go and must watch movie .Enjoy life with Fullest!!!.
Best Hindi Movie Watched So Far. Kangana's performance is simply outstanding.
I guess no one could have played the role of naive and simple "Rani" better than her.The best part about this movie is that it will teach you lesson of life and its beauty.
Amit Trivedi's soulful music brings in an added advantage but the dialogues(additionally penned by Kangana herself!) replete with humor, are bang-on!The plot however gets meandering and over-indulgent at times, Rani's first kiss and the golgappa becoming a rage in the Dutch boulevard appear fabricated but those are minor passable glitches .The beauty lies in the authenticity of the characters and Bahl brings out the flavor of the NRI influences in a refreshing way.
Lisa Hayden is a complete revelation playing the unapologetic Vijaylaksmi.The depiction of the refusal to feign hypocritical coyness while encountering the physical relationships is no mean feat and she does it with gusto.Queen is a gem and one must watch it for Kangana's heartfelt act.Right from its start till the ending credits rolling and paying tribute to Facebook,its a winner all the way.
A heart winning tale of a simple and innocent girl from Delhi, which stays with you even after leaving the auditorium.A perfect movie at Woman's day.Kangna really shines like a QUEEN.
Is this the new taste, if it is its not worth it, events in the movie weren't big enough to engage, the fact that rajkumar rao had a small role was a plus because now we can say not only katrina kaif gets to be the small fit, the message of representing black, Russian and Japanese people was good and how ud rather be with them than a bad Indian which people in India wouldn't know because they haven't interacted with overall it was a failed attempt to represent the aspects approriately abit more needed in middle story though covered Indian people in foreign life rawly as some things haven't been brang out that it did with dialogues, needs a higher standard due to high entertainment from utube vids.
you will be entertained,cherished,satisfied at the end of the movie,and surely will fall in love with the Kangana's character....totally a feel good movie....
Queen is a movie which starts with a familiar note of a Punjabi style Delhi wedding .Suddenly the focus shifts on to another familiar happening -- A selfish boy Vijay ditching his long time girlfriend Rani just 2 days before marriage because he has realized that he has changed so much owing to his new job and lifestyle but the love of his life has not changed at all.She is still the same innocent , simple middle class girl whom he admired earlier.
The transition from happy wedding ceremonies to a maatam (funeral) type situation is captured beautifully specially when the family is trying to explain to the eunuchs in front of a heartbroken Rani that the wedding was there but it is no more happening.The story catches your attention in very first 10 minutes and you start hating the bad boy Vijay so much so that you can just watch this movie till end to make sure that Rani does not get into his trap again.
The character then moves to a new landscape altogether which is quite refreshing because we are fed up of snobby stories where a breakup is the end of life.Most importantly, director's vision is very clear as he efficiently portrays how Rani does not forget her past but at the same time, being a real-life plain hearted simple girl, she does not overdo the crying part.
The end is not a high octane drama but suits well.Thanks to Rajkumar's superb acting, viewers like me kept praying that Rani does not fall into his sorry act and moves on in her life.Screenplay: After watching first 10 minutes of the movie, one feels involved in the story.
Every scene takes you closer to the lead character.Typicla north Indian scenes like eunuchs coming for blessing the couple and taking their share of goodies , have been added quite interestingly and add value to the story.Story in Paris seems just a bit dragged sometimes but overall all characters in foreign lands have been handled beautifully such that you start liking them as much as the innocent Rani.Last scene where Rani thanks her culprit Boyfriend for introducing her to this new fresh .life, summarizes the story creatively.Another scene which is very creative is the one where Rani tries to hide away from Eiffel Tower but cannot find any space where she would not be reminded of her long cherished dream of having dinner with her would be husband on the Eiffel Tower.
Seems like she has used her theater skills to get into the skin of a Delhi middle class girl extremely well.Kangan perfectly expresses the vision of the director while depicting the innocence,simplicity and occasional craziness of Rani's character.Occasional murmuring sounds and voice modulation while talking to foreigners(intentional) lend more authenticity to her character.Rajkumar has done extremely good acting of an irritating ex-fiancé who thinks that he should be the only man in to Rani's life even after ditching her just before marriage.Rani's mother , father have done their role with an ease and maturity.The character of Rani's brother has been done beautifully as he shows the right expression as any Dilli wala brother would show to a guy who ditched his beloved sister.
And this trip, through Paris and Amsterdam, proves to be a journey of self-discovery for her; she goes through her grief with the help of four varied and interesting people she befriends along the way, lives a little, and finally finds the importance of independence; it's about taking the reins of her life into her hands, and actually become the Queen of it.
The movie abounds in clichés - the free-spirited half-Indian single mother, the Muslim girl working at the strip club to cover family expenses, the good-looking and proud Italian chef, and the Indian Food ('golguppa') sale in a Foreign Fair - but all these are proficiently used to contribute something or the other to the characters and their stories, and that's what allows me to excuse or overlook them.
'Queen' doesn't lag for a single moment; it's engaging and entertaining from beginning till the end of credits (yes!).And the leading lady Kangana Ranaut is the main reason why this movie is a triumph.
Already being associated with last year's best (among Hindi films), 'Lootera', and churning out an exhilarating movie like this, Bahl seems to have a good taste; I really look forward to his future work.The crisp editing, the tasteful cinematography, and Amit Trivedi's appropriately-timed remarkable music score help create the overall masterpiece it is.(Rani) Getting drunk and dancing beside a random stranger on the street, sharing a Santa-Banta "non-veg" joke with her Russian friend and bragging about her sense of humour, innocently buying gifts for her family at a Sex Accessory Shop, are just few of the scenes from an incredibly memorable movie.Life is filled with pain and humour; to know, when to cry and when to laugh, helps you sail through it (life) smoothly.
Kangana Ranaut revels in her solidly- written role, and delivers a first rate, heart-felt performance.This is a film that is no less tangy than the gol gappas that Rajouri Garden girl Rani Mehra rustles up in an Italian pizzeria in faraway.It's not any typical tragic drama where a girl with tears in her eyes narrates her sad tale.Although, the storyline is not any 'out of the box' element but Kangana's flawless acting and the perfect portrayal of the characters makes the film a must watch.
One of the best scenes in the movie that you will surely not want to miss is when this village girl Rani gets drunk for the first time in Paris and after that...well, I don't want to reduce the fun by revealing all..
Kangana essays that role perfectly and so have the supporting cast including Lisa Haydon and Rajkumar Rao. Kudos to Anurag Kashyap for bringing such kind of movies to the fore.All in all, Queen is entertaining and leaves you with a smile at the end.GO WATCH IT!!!!!.
I really liked Bahl's Chillar Party and he gives an awesome direction to Queen as well.Rajkummar Rao makes his presence felt and has good screen presence with Ranaut.
A movie, whose scenes, are discussed everywhere you turn around, at office, at home, while travelling etc., These movies seldom creates box office history, but are watched, re-watched and stay etched in memory, going on to become what they called as "cult classics".Queen is one such movie, and here i am recommending to a whole new world of audience to go and watch it.The movie begins with Rani (Kangana) gearing up and excited for her marriage only to be dejected to hear, a day before, that she is not up to standards or not ready to face the new world that her fiancé is currently living in.After sulking, crying and going hungry for a day, she decides to move to the next most exciting thing she had planned after her wedding - The Honeymoon.
The fun ride and experiences changes Rani from within as she slowly transforms in to a new person.The characters she meets have simple and limited role to play, but each leaves their impact on Rani as well as the audience in their very own subtle and humorous ways.The direction is top notch and brilliant by Vikas Bahl who just didn't take one wrong step whether taking the story forward, the locations, the characterisations etc., all are perfectly synchronised.The music is catchy, especially 'London Thumakda' and the old bollywood remix 'Hoton Se Lagayi Toh', which you are sure to hum around for a few days.The movie, however, from start to end belongs to Kangana.
It is heartening to see women centric films back in Bollywood - Kahaani , English Vinglish with Queen adding extra charm to the genre.Queen tells a self-realization story of a simple and conservative North Indian girl who goes for a honeymoon alone after she is vehemently rejected by her fiancé.
I watched this movie today...i was expecting that it gonna a average But it is one of the best movie I have ever seen, Hats off to QUEEN( Kangana Ranaut).Kangana have done brilliant performance before like in Krish 3 ,Life in a metro,Gangster,Tanu weds Manu...her performance in queen was superb.Director Vikas Bahl done a very brilliant job.
Success of this movie also goes to music director Amit Trivedi who gave a fresh music which became soul of this movie.And other co-actor Rajkummar Rao, Lisa Haydon etc were also good.Although its a family entertainer but at some scene during the movie you may feel embarrassment(If you watched it with your family).Director Behl's narration succeeds in making the film worth a watch for some fresh cinematic experience.Queen gonna win many awards at end of 2014 and will be a blockbuster of the year..
Well that is until she decides to go on her honeymoon by herself to fulfill her lifelong dream of seeing Paris.Kangana plays Rani the eponymous Queen who goes from being a naïve home- science girl from Rajauli, Delhi to being the globetrotting backpacking Chick in the due course of the movie.
Also I would like to believe the "Alice in Wonderland" Sweatshirt that Bahl put Rani in wasn't a mere co-incidence and that is the level of detail that makes this a movie worth revisiting so that you can pour over the details and soak in its richness.Watch this movie for the fantastic Kangana Ranaut.
No sooner does the film open in the home of a West Delhi sweetmeats vendor amid the hustle and bustle of an impending wedding, than it becomes amply apparent that the audience is in for a treat of an unprecedented kind."Queen", thanks to a remarkably crisp and sophisticated screenplay (Parvez Shaikh, Chaitally Parmar and Director, Vikas Bahl), and infectiously lively dialogues written by Anvita Dutt and Kangana Ranaut herself, is like a wonderful puff of fresh air.
must watch family entertainer ....A Delhi girl from a traditional family sets out on a solo honeymoon after her marriage gets canceled.Director: Vikas Bahl Writers: Vikas Bahl (story), Chaitally Parmar (story), 3 more credits » Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Rajkummar Rao, Lisa Haydon | See full cast and crew ».
Directed by Vikas Bahl, QUEEN actually works instantly since it breaks all the set molds of a Hindi film as soon as the girl moves out to her foreign destination to enjoy a honeymoon alone!
Still, the ones really giving you a great time in the theater are the actors playing Kangana's family members especially the father, kid brother and the grandmother giving her a lovely life teaching advice sitting out of the locked door.To sum up QUEEN is a charmingly entertaining film, which many might rate as just a multiplex movie or something taking our Indian traditions for a toss and more.
Vikas Bahl's second directorial venture 'Queen' portrays the self depreciating star (after her role in Krrish 3 & Rajjo) Kagnana Ranaut in a never-seen-before avatar of Rani; a simpleton girl from Delhi aspiring to have a simple and contended married life ahead with her lover Vijay (Rajkummar Rao).However, her dreams get shattered terribly when Vijay cancels the marriage just a day before stating the fact that he doesn't think that this relationship will progress favorably.
A busy dad, decorations, excited aunties, flowers, cute kid but what was unique and what sets out that this movie is going to be good, is the depth given to Rani's character (Kangana Ranaut)Then after a clichéd song featuring the fat Indian wedding *Minor spoiler alert*We learn that Rani's fiancé, Vijay (Rajkummar Rao) wants to cancel the marriage.So far so simple, so typical and yet unique.
The writers also beautifully portray Rani's innocence like her first dance in a strip club after she is drunk, her objection to sharing a room with 3 men, the purchase of a sex toy or meeting a striper in Amsterdam and then teaching them some Indian dance steps or her first kiss.The movie also has some laugh out loud moments...the stand out ones being Lisa Haydon's character Vijaylakshmi speaking to Rani's family on a video chat and her Dad and young brother going crazy for her and the sex toy shop scene.The script and direction are brilliant but what takes the movie to another level is Kangana Ranaut's performance.
Queen is a curious story of a young lady living in Delhi, Rani (Kangana), who is all situated to be wedded, however some way or another winds up set for her honeymoon to Amsterdam and Paris all without anyone else's input.
It is a story simply told and the only thing that's kept as a secret is the mystery behind her missing husband (Rajkumar Yadav) during their honeymoon to Amsterdam and Paris.Watch the movie to see great performance by Kangana, Rajkumar..