No other star in history of Bollywood had such a dominance on Diwali what Shah Rukh Khan can boast of.'Dil To Pagal Hai,'DDLJ','Kuch Kuch Hota Hai','Mohabbatein','Kal Ho Na Ho','Om Shanti Om'etc. are example of his power to entertain family audience on auspicious occasion (his next with Yash Raj opposite Katrina and Anushka will be releasing next diwali!).But 'Ra.One' is special because of more than one reasons.First,it is costliest film ever made in Bollywood with Shah Rukh producing it.Second,in recent times Salman has given few hits in quick succession and Aamir has biggest hit in his kitty put extra pressure on Shah Rukh.Third,this is Shah Rukh's dream project and he promoted it with all he got.So the success of this flick is crucial to Shah Rukh as well as the number game of Bollywood.
As always,I am not going to take you through story and plot like all the critics(it does not make sense as either you must have watched it till now or you will be going to watch).Lets start with interesting sequences.Start with dream sequence is interesting and couple of guest appearances in it will make you smile.After that there is nothing much for next half an hour except SRK's typical showcase of family, humor and pretty average performance in the character of Shekhar,the south indian engineer.But film picks up with song 'Criminal'(I have not seen SRK dancing like this since 'Kaali Kaali Aankhein' in 'Baazigar' 18 years back!) and events happening simultaneously with his son in background.But sadly after this,director again test patience and takes time to introduce main.protagonist.Yes,after the death song (should had been edited) film picks up and remains high on adrenaline till the interval point when real action unfolds with entry of 'G.One' and his first combat with 'Ra.One'.
After interval point,Rajnikanth's special appearance in a fight sequence gathers claps and cheers in every theater.But after this action,film again slips in melodramatic mood where 'Ra.One' is getting friendly with Kareena,his son and irritating south indian neighbor Satish Shah (his comedy tests your nerve!).But after 'Dildaara' song things start moving swiftly as 'Ra.One' takes the form of Arjun Rampal.From this point film does not allow you to blink eyelid and runs at breathtaking speed.'Chammak Challo',followed by one hell of a twist involving Kareena,the train sequence with 'Raftaarein' song playing in background,building trembling at Mumbai station and then the very climax-all sequences are worthy of repeat watch.
In nutshell,film entertains and hold the attention but slips more than one time in unnecessary tracks(which may work with small town and audience of 'masala' films).If you watch it as Superhero flick,it may disappoint you but it is actually a gaming movie,first of its kind and it succeeds from that prospective.
By far,'Raftaarein' song in train sequence is high point of the film.'Criminal' and 'Chammak Challo' will sure make audience dance in single screen (multiplex audience only sees the movies but single screen audience feels it!).Overall quality of VFX is best ever in Bollywood and sets new standards.Vishal -Shekhar delivers great music and Resul's sound design is topnotch.Dialogues are good specially Arjun Rampal's lines will make you clap.
Performance wise,Shah Rukh is average in the role of Shekhar but steals the show as 'G.One'.He controls his mannerism and speech plus his energy with intensity create fire on screen.Kareena looks ravishing and in 'Chammak Challo' she is irresistible.But surprise packages are Arjun Rampal as 'Ra.One' and boy Armaan playing Shah Rukh's son Prateek.This is Arjun's best performance till date and will win him many awards for sure.Armaan has quite a substantial role and he delivers a 10/10 show.Satish Shah should retire as he makes you tear your hair,Dilip Tahil and Shahana Goswami are good in small roles and all three guest appearances of Rajnikanth,Sanjay Dutt and Priyanka Chopra invoke laughs.
But the real winner is THE PRODUCER Shah Rukh who is ready to go to any limit to make 'Ra.One' a memorable experience with its world class technical standards and marketed it like never seen in Bollywood.Director Anubhav Sinha is the real culprit who fails to keep it real tight and allows narration slip every now and then.
Overall 'Ra.One' deserves a watch because it offers something new in Bollywood,a real breakthrough film and pushes the limits beyond mask wearing comical low on technology superhero(remember 'tacky 'Krrish'!).And it will post big numbers at box office as it entertains well through most of its parts especially a sheer treat for children and youth.
Go watch it with open mind and you will bound to have blast this diwali with 'Ra.One'.
Rating 3.5/5
Box Office Verdict 90 cr plus in first weekend and 110 cr in first week itself.175 cr -190 cr should be domestic lifetime nett.
Did you know?- The guy who shots 'Ra.One' with a bullet in his nose is Mushtaq Sheikh,who assisted in writing of film.The waiter standing on side in 'Dildaara' song when Kareena swallows ring,is director Anubhav Sinha.
DAMADAMM (sheer torture)
