The Taj Story Movie Review: Paresh Rawal Fails to Elevate a Shallow Historical Drama

The Tushar Amrish Goel-Directed Film Tackles a ‘National Issue’ But Suffers from Loud Dialogue and Predictable Courtroom Clichés. Rating: ★★

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• Film: The Taj Story
• Director: Tushar Amrish Goel
• Cast: Paresh Rawal, Zakir Hussain, Amruta Khanvilkar, Namit Das, Sneha Wagh
• Rating: ★★ (2/5 Stars)

The Taj Story wades into pre-release controversy by questioning the official narrative surrounding India’s most iconic monument, but the film itself turns out to be far less explosive than its premise suggests. While there is an interesting idea at the heart of director Tushar Amrish Goel’s film—revisiting the enduring myths and historical debates around the Taj Mahal—the execution ultimately drains it of any real impact.

Plot and Purpose: A Puzzling Premise

Paresh Rawal carries the film, taking on the role of an Agra tour guide. At one point, his character addresses the elephant in the room, asking why they are “suddenly revisiting the Taj Mahal’s history? Why today? Why 2025?” He labels it a “desh ka mudda” (a national issue) that people rarely discuss. Instead of providing the promised clarity, however, this declaration only leaves the viewer more puzzled about the timing and necessity of the film.

The plot, written by Goel and Saurabh M. Pandey, has a promising start: the tour guide’s life is upended after a viral video captures him questioning the origins of the Taj Mahal, leading swiftly to his dismissal. Determined to restore his honour and pursue the truth, he decides to challenge the official historical version in a court of law.

Execution: The Courtroom Cliché

The film’s structure is predictable. The first half is short, tracing the predictable journey of an ordinary, wronged man who morphs into a reluctant rebel. The second half shifts entirely into a courtroom drama.

This legal battle is packed with references to old texts, historians, and manuscripts, but the arguments are too shallow, and the entire sequence fails to hold the viewer’s attention for long. The proceedings move entirely by the book: public outrage, a self-represented hero, and a climactic verbal duel filled with attempted one-liners. Unfortunately, none of the dramatic moments or verbal exchanges truly land.

Paresh Rawal, despite carrying the film almost entirely on his shoulders, brings nothing new or fresh to the archetype of the sarcastic, crusading hero. His character’s constant stream of sarcastic remarks during the courtroom exchanges quickly wears thin. What should have been powerful, thought-provoking dialogue often ends up feeling unintentionally comedic.

The Verdict

The Taj Story tries desperately to be a thought-provoking film but never quite manages to be convincing. The execution does a disservice to the central idea; the dialogue is loud when it desperately needed to be sharp, and the arguments are shallow when they should have been persuasive.

By the time the credits roll, the film has managed to neither spark genuine debate nor leave the audience with any meaningful historical insight. The sole silver lining, perhaps, is Satyajit Hajarnis’ cinematography, which does successfully capture the beauty of the Taj Mahal. The film receives a rating of two stars.