It’s rare to see a film stay true to its story with such conviction. Hindi films have made dropping the ball a habit. But Raanjhanaa is a different story. Its greatness lies in the fact that it conveys emotions about love in their purest form. Don’t mistake it for theatricality or impressive drama. On the contrary Raanjhanaa’s themes are layered and subtle. Its dialogue is its real punch. Its characters are its soul. Raanjhanaa is one of the best written films in a while. And one of the best films you’ll watch in a while too.

The story starts in the religious city of Kashi and it travels to the political by lanes of New Delhi. A kid dressed up as Shiv on the occasion of Dussera falls in love with a young girl offering namaz. As you can imagine, their love story grows up with the expected religious clashes. It then moves into a whole new political scenario, full of deceit, one-upmanship and coup. But this grand mounting of a love saga doesn’t distract you from the bare truth. The fact that this story is about a skinny young man with a Tamil accent, in love with a radiant and ambitious young girl.

The contrast between the North Indian setting and the South Indian hero is both amusing and ironic. Full marks to director Aanand L Rai and writer Himanshu Sharma for getting the small town milieu right. In fact, they use it to their advantage and as an effective narrative tool. It serves as a wonderful and logical reason for the madness exhibited by the characters. As the dialogue in the film goes, “…yeh Benaras hai. Agar launda saala yahan bhi haar gaya toh jeetega kahan (This is Benaras. If a street-smart lad doesn’t win in love here, where will he)?” There’s the right amount of attitude, wit and humour in this film. And it complements the dramatic bits to great effect.

Performances by the entire cast are top notch. Dhanush leads the pack. His Hindi with a South Indian twang is charming. And the reason is a confident actor delivering to the best of his ability. Let’s just say, with his performance as the small town Kundan in Raanjhanaa Dhanush justifies that National Award sitting on his mantle. Sonam Kapoor does a good job with her role as well. She goes through a helluva dramatic arch. Her journey from a small town girl who falls in love at the drop of a hat to a social activist who puts her heart in jeopardy is impressive. There are more pleasant surprises. Performances by Abhay Deol, Swara Bhaskar and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub are all equally brilliant. They add strength to the dramatic tour-de-force of Dhanush’s and Sonam’s characters.

As always you don’t realise the true weight of a good soundtrack. But AR Rahman’s music in Raanjhanaa is geared for the setting, the story and the emotions. It doesn’t stand out; instead it blends seamlessly into a near flawless product. All the time, adding to the steam of the film.

Raanjhanaa’s narrative comes with minor flaws but they’re almost negligible in the wake of its emotional impact. Aanand L Rai has gone one up on Tanu Weds Manu. In the process he’s captured a phenomenally human side of love. Not the fluffy type we’re used to seeing on the big screen. The kind that we feel every day, every moment. Being a hopeless romantic adds to the kick of this film. But all said and done, if the climax of Raanjhanaa doesn’t sway your emotions you haven’t been in love. Grab a ticket, clutch the hand of your loved one and go fall in love. This time with great cinema.