4 Years Of Queen: 7 fun moments from the film
A meek Delhi girl is ditched by her fiancé two days before their wedding. And then she goes on her honeymoon to Paris and Amsterdam—alone. Sounds like a bold and liberating plot, but Queen, directed by Vikas Bahl, is much more than that. As Rani, played by Kangana Ranaut, discovers life and her true self along her journey, we grow at the same time and pace as her. We support her, we root for her. We laugh and cry with her. As this sleeper hit celebrates four years of its release, we look back at some of the moments and takeaways that make it a fun watch, be it the first time or the 1000th.
Ditch the dress code
"Vijay, Hindi gaana!" exclaims a drunken Rani, not to her fiancé (Rajkummar Rao) but to her new BFF (Lisa Haydon) at a boisterous nightclub in Paris. Rani doesn't give a hoot about the unspoken sartorial rules—clad in a simple cotton kurta over jeans, she climbs up the bar, with a little push from Vijay (actually, Vijaylaxmi), and lets her tightly plaited hair down to the tune of Hungama Ho Gaya. Who needs a sparkling new LBD to have a wild time anywhere?
What's shopping without friends?
Vijaylaxmi takes Rani out on retail therapy but is disappointed at Rani's clothing picks, some of which turn out to be from the "men's collection". Banishing Rani to the curtained trial room, Vijay gives her a bunch of outfits, to which Rani asserts, "Mera style aisa nahin hai." But deep down, Rani likes trying on the sleeveless tops and minis, obvious from the selfies she clicks. Letting your bestie choose your wardrobe can actually be beneficial.
Go global, think local
While in Paris, Rani is returning from a travel agent's office when a tramp starts tailing her. Catching up with her, he grabs her handbag, but Rani puts up a fight. Screaming "chor, chor, chor" and wailing "mera bag, mera bag, mera bag" on top of her lungs—Delhi-style—she holds on to her possession, even when chances look bleak. Thankfully, a resident hears the din and shoos off the goon in time. Call it pure, clever self-defence.
Know what you cook
Rani reciprocates her hostel mates' gesture—to let her sleep alone in their room—by making them French toast for breakfast. When Tim (Joseph Guitobh) remarks, "I'm from France, this is not French toast," she replies, "Nahin yeh sirf India mein milta hai." She's a living, breathing, moving encyclopaedia on world cuisine—except fish heads, though—also evident from how she later spells out the various versions of 'golgappa' in different states of India. #KnowledgeGoals are made of these.
Love thy nation
When Marcello (Marco Canadea) claims to Rani that "Italian kiss best," she counters him by saying, "Indians har cheez mein best hain—kissing mein bhi. Emraan Hashmi ki koi bhi film uthake dekh lo. Sab mein best kissing hai uski." Marcello asks her to "prove it," and while he goes on and on about how he likes her, Rani— who's never kissed before—practises her lip work, and in a jiffy, lands her pout on Marcello's. Clearly a proud moment for the country of Kama Sutra.
Research can save face
Unaware that she's in one of Amsterdam's infamous sex-souvenir shops, Rani assumes that the products in there are all novelties, perfect as gifts for "family and friends". Her trio of friends can't help snigger at her as she picks up an "electric massager" to cure her grandfather's "joint pain" and skips the fetish belt because it's available for cheaper at Lajpat Nagar. We're waiting to see the recipients' reactions.