
Manikarnika completely belongs to Kangana Ranaut and she is is outstanding in the film. The action in the movie is top class. First half is a bit slow but second half is very good. Ankita Lokhande also makes her presence felt.
The only downside is that you the movie doesn’t tell you more about the Queen, it just focuses on showing Laxmibai as a superwoman.
MANIKARNIKA: THE QUEEN OF JHANSI STORY
The movie is based on the life of Rani Lakshmibai, one of the key figures during the Rebellion of 1857, which was eventually crushed by the British.
Release Date: Jan 18, 2019 (India)
Cast: Kangana Ranaut as Rani Laxmibai, Atul Kulkarni as Tatya Tope, Ankita Lokhande as Jhalkaribai, Jisshu Sengupta as Gangadhar Rao, Suresh Oberoi as Bajirao II, Danny Denzongpa as Ghulam Ghaus Khan
Director: Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi, Kangana Ranaut
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain, Nishant Pitti
Run Time: 2 hour 8 Minutes
Here are review from other critics:
Ratings:3/5 Review By: Rajeev Masand Site: News18
That unforgettable line and the image of a female warrior on horseback, a sword raised in one hand, a baby strapped to her back, is, for many, the first thing that comes to mind when one mentions Rani Lakshmibai. As it turns out, this film, directed by Krish Jagarlamudi and Kangana herself, doesn’t expand your understanding of the iconic warrior queen much more.I’m going with two-and-half out of five for the film, and an extra half for Kangana Ranaut’s terrific performance. Which makes it three out of five for Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi.
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Ratings:3.5/5 Review By: Taran Adarsh Site: Twitter
Inspiring movie that has scale and soul…Kangana, take a bow. You’re terrific… First half could be tighter. Second half awe inspiring… Climax brilliant… Power, pride, patriotism – this has it all. #ManikarnikaReview
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Ratings:3/5 Review By: Anupama Chopra Site: Filmcompanion
The film can’t match the epic scale of Baahubali or the aesthetics of Padmaavat but there is enough grandeur on display. Even the men are ferociously bejeweled and the fortresses are impressive. But you will have to ignore the inept CGI work, especially in the battle scenes. But despite these flaws, Manikarnika reveals Kangana as an artist with boundless ambition and I’m excited to see what she creates next. I’m going with three stars.
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Ratings:3/5 Review By: Raja Sen Site: Hindustan Times
The film seems as historically accurate as Mel Gibson’s Braveheart — which is to say it prizes the valorous myth, and takes ’creative liberties’ to tell its story. This is fine as long as the story is gripping. Directed by Ranaut and Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi, Manikarnika achieves the simplistic ambition of saluting the queen, but feels too long and a bit too cardboard. The budgetary constraints show. The patchwork is constant. However, it must be said that all our period epics look like filmed theatre productions (only in the Baahubali films do swords appear heavy) and there is a straightforward earnestness to Manikarnika, even when craft is lacking. It feels less wasteful than excessive period catastrophes, and I’d readily pick this over a baroque Sanjay Leela Bhansali carnival.
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Ratings:1/5 Review By: Saibal Site: NDTV
Manikarnika is agonizingly soulless. Platitudes piled upon synthetic platitudes do not add up to great cinema, especially when none of the film’s war cries delivers any bang for its buck. Save yours and give the film a miss unless you like the sound of misfires.
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Ratings:3.5/5 Review By: Ronak Site: Times Of India
Overall, Manikarnika is a well-made film that highlights Kangana’s prowess as an actor. For a first time filmmaker, she undoubtedly shows spark and potential as a storyteller. Short of an epic, this larger-than-life war drama has enough valour and spirit to keep you engaged in these pages of history.
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Manikarnika Trivia
Deepika Padukone had the opportunity to deck up like a queen in Padmaavat, but now its the turn of Kangana Ranaut to look like royalty.
Kangana Ranaut, who was filming at the Junagarh Fort in Bikaner for her movie ‘Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi’, looked every bit majestic dress in a beautiful wine red saree (wore in Maharashtrian style).
The filmmakers and Kangana went to the Karni Mata temple close to Bikaner to take blessings before starting up the schedule.

Direction was not perfect be it Krish or Kangana. However, Kangana however has taken up all of the movie. I definitely would have liked to see more of Tatya Tope. Actually, a separate film can be made on Tatya Tope whose heroics were no less than Laxmibai.