Ra-One

Rating : 5/10
Release Date : 26th October, 2011
Time : 156 minutes
Director & Writer : Anubhav Sinha; Music : Vishal, Shekhar
Starring : Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Armaan, Arjun Rampal, Dalip Tahil, Shahana, Satish Shah

Ra-One is a very ordinarily scripted film which has some stand out moments (only a few of which don’t feature the lovely–in-red Kareena). Instead of focusing on its core, interesting premise, a villain who steps into the real world combated by a father –son duo, it chooses to delve into silly subplots, irrelevant characters & songs which detract from the film. And its much hyped special effects were also a let down. Nothing we’ve not seen before, either in Hollywood or locally (Robot, for example).


Geeky, Tam-Brahm SRK is a game programmer who, inspired by his bratty son (Armaan), creates a game with a super-cool villain Ra-One, more powerful than the hero, G-One. Unfortunately, due to the artificial intelligence of the villain, he picks up a few tricks that weren’t in the script and decides to seek vengeance when Armaan leaves a game incomplete. Most of the rest of the film deals with Ra-One’s search for Armaan and G-One’s attempts to thwart him.


I found it sad that instead of ‘changing the rules of the game’ in Bollywood by making a slick, crisply edited superhero film that doesn’t deviate from its main storyline, SRK chose to add every masala element conceivable and take the easier, more appeasing route. So the scientist is a tam-brahm, complete with all the ‘ayyo’s and an accent that is thick at times but changes to SRKs more familiar baritone when reciting shayari. There are unnecessary cameo’s by Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopra and Rajni. Irrelevant characters (Dalip Tahil, Shahana, Satish Shah, the Chinese mom). Rehashed jokes (‘I don’t know how to make idli’) and buffoonery moments (none more cringeworthy than the MJ one). And preachy dialogue (esp between the father son) when something more snappy would’ve been more representative of todays generation.

What works are some of the moments when G-One attempts to adjust to the human world (the airport scanner) and with SRKs household (Kareena as SRKs wife gets it just right for her role). Some of the fight sequences. The haunting ‘Bhare Naina’ song, which, thankfully, plays in the background during a key sequence in the film.

In its current form, this works primarily for pre-teens and for SRK’s adoring fans. Logic is given a miss, it takes until halftime for the film to really warm up and even then it drifts a little.


Its tough to ignore all the hype and focus just on the film with this one, especially with promos, songs, PR and the smiling visage of the main protagonist hounding you on every screen (big, small and the internet).


Most superhero films seem to take their time to find their feet. I find the original Batman films (Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer) almost unwatchable now with their cardboard heroes and over the top villains. The new ones, with Christian Bale as the angst ridden hero and more real life villains, are superb ! I hope that this is the case with Ra-One. That the next one, which is set up well right at the end of this one, doesn’t try to be cheesy, glitzy but really about the black & white battle of good vs evil and all the greys that lie in between.

PS : This project wasnt conceived in 3D and it shows when you watch the 3D version

Force

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 30th September, 2011
Time : 137 minutes
Director : Nishikant Kamat; Writer : Ritesh Shah (inspired by the Tamil film ‘Kaakha Kaakha’); Music : Harris Jayaraj
Starring : John Abraham, Genelia D’Souza, Vidyut Jamwal, Mohnish Bahl, Sandhya Mridul

I cant remember the last lead pair where both had dimples. It added a touch of cuteness and this along with some light hearted moments distract us from the fact that the story has large gaping holes, some flaws that only movies can permit. Yet, there is enough going on in terms of the action, romance and sheer hunkiness to keep you engrossed and ignore some of the silliness


Beefy, action oriented Narcotics officer, John Abraham & his special squad bust four drug gangs across India. However, a new player, led by the ruthless Vidyut is happy then to takeover and rake in the moolah. Things get personal when his brother is killed by John’s team, Vidyut being of the ‘eent ka jawab pathar’ ilk. In the midst of all this, the shy, quiet, soft to hardly spoken loner, John, meets Genelia. Effervescent, sweet, a member of the ‘have mouth, will talk’ club, she is making rapid inroads in John’s life. At a time when he would rather have no one to care for, no attachment or relationship that can be exploited by the people he chases.


The tiny package, Genelia steals almost steals the show here, amidst the biceps and finely ribbed abs around her. Comparisons between John’s biceps and her waist size would not entirely be out of order. Yet the couple comes across well, John’s reticence and her natural bubbliness looking natural and unrehearsed. John is good as the man on a mission, balancing raw action with anger and calm on different occasions. Vidyut is a find. And the directors made him fight, move in a certain elastic way, which makes you go ‘wow’ when you first see it. It’s the kind of thought that was put in to make Tarzan ‘skateboard’ on trees in the Disney feature and definitely adds an extra dimension.



In a film about muscles, guns and a touch of romance, should we be looking for logic ? It’s a formula that’s worked in India and Hollywood for many years without it. Its normal possibly, therefore, for cops to have a clear shot but take out the henchman instead of the gangleader. Normal for cops, even though there are four of them, not to chase a guy who fired shots in a mall but only the two people who they were tailing. For a cop to land up for a key confrontation with just one gun and one magazine round. And in the face of a real, tangible threat, when denied any protection by the police, not to agree to cover each others back, finding a safe house for their family. However, while they have happened many times before in reel life, I doubt they would in real life.


I loved Kaakha Kaakha. And I enjoyed this film. Raw power and a subtle romance. Its one of those that has certain moments and certain dialogue which stays with you.

Johnny English Reborn

Rating : 6/10
Release Date : 23rd September, 2011 (India)
Time : 118 minutes
Director : Oliver Parker; Writer : Hamish McColl, William Davies; Music : Ilan Eshkeri
Starring : Rowan Atkinson, Rosamund Pike, Dominic West, Gillian Anderson, Daniel Kaluuya, Richard Schiff, Tim McInnerny

It uses every cliché in the world, lots of slapstick, mixed with some interesting situations, begs us to suspend our thinking cap completely with a plot that is rudimentary and has more holes than my favourite twelve year old vest. And yet, it connects, makes us care for the hero and most importantly, makes us laugh several times.


Its all about Rowan Atkinson and his marvellous acting skills. After a fiasco a few years ago, Johnny is coming to grips with it in the only place secret agents and superheroes seem to find appealing, Tibet, amongst the monks. When he returns at MI7’s behest, our hero with balls of steel (you’ll realize how true this phrase is after watching the film), finds an agency that has changed, has a sponsor and is definitely not so secretive anymore (they actually have check in procedures). There is a plot to assassinate the Chinese premier when he is due to meet the English PM. And Johnny English is the only person who the informant will speak to.



After many accidents (the gardening done with the helicopter), fiasco’s (the revolving chair sticks to the mind as does his beating the mom), chases (especially the Chinese man in Hongkong) and moments of buffoonery (the dance towards the end & the lipstick were both memorable), it finally draws to a rousing close


There is something about Rowan that enables him to pull something like this off. Genial, amiable, with a childlike curiosity, you like him. You therefore cringe when he goofs up and cheer when he, almost despite himself, manages to pull something off. No one amongst the supporting cast really sticks out here and given its weak plot and being almost a one man show ensures this isn’t a classic


Its an expensive film though, no expense spared in terms of sets or locales (like the first one) and despite there being no A list star, it still goes ahead and spends over $40 mn. Wonder when we’ll be able to do the same in India ?