Laxmii review: Akshay Kumar and Sharad Kelkar shine in this fireless bomb!

Director: Raghava Lawrence

OTT Release: Disney+Hotstar

Stars: 2.5/5

For director Raghava Lawrence, 'Laxmii' could have been his big-ticket entry into the glitzy world of Hindi films, but he misses the chance and how! The film is a remake of his 2011 Tamil venture 'Kanchana' and when you have Akshay Kumar anchoring the ship, expectations are sky-high!

Laxmii, which was earlier titled 'Laxmmi Bomb' is essentially a story of a transgender character, played brilliantly by Sharad Kelkar. How he is wronged and killed makes for a good thrilling narrative towards the climax of an otherwise absurdly written script. 

Let's get cracking from the start!

Akshay Kumar (Asif) and Kiara Advani (Rashmi) are married for three years and their nephew whose parents get killed in an accident stays with them. Over-the-top lines from the very beginning do irk you, especially when a little boy is made to say, 'ye abhi bi Hindu-Muslim mein atke hue hai', you know how superficially a heavy-duty message has been slipped into your memory. 

Well, because the daughter eloped and her family is upset with her, she bags the first opportunity of meeting them when called by mommy (Ayesha Raza Mishra). And thereafter, hell is let loose (literally). 

The couple lands in Daman, Asif is possessed and the real horror begins. 

Akshay Kumar as Asif is impressive and has aced the Laxmii act too, but Sharad Kelkar is the surprise package. He plays the transgender character of Laxmii, highlighting the plight of the community. 

Full marks for the untouched concept and creative thinking but the direction falls flat when it comes to execution. Comedy is slapstick with no push in comic punches. 

As a viewer, when you watch 'Laxmii', you know it has a South-style moviemaking influence. But, unfortunately, this time, it does not tickle your funnybones. 

Songs like Burj Khalifa and Bam Bholle are the only takeaways. A rock-solid supporting cast with actors like Ashwini Kalsekar, Rajesh Sharma, Ayesha Raza Mishra, Manu Rishi Chadha and Jab We Met's Anshuman aka Tarun Arora on board, the audience expected a better watch.

When you have a powerful concept in hand, a superstar like Akshay Kumar, director Raghava Lawrence could have created a Bomb of an entertainer.

Kiara has done what was asked to - look pretty and act exactly how actresses in dubbed versions of films down south do. She could do better.

Watch 'Laxmii' only for the concept - there is no comedy and the horror is the script!