Ra.One 3D - Get manipulated!!

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Movie - Ra.One 3D (Hindi)
Director - Anubhav Sinha
Producer - Gauri Khan
Writers - David Benullo, Mushtaq Sheikh, Anubhav Sinha, Kanika Dhillon, Niranjan Iyengar
Cast - Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Armaan Verma, Shahana Goswami, Tom Wu, Satish Shah, Sanjay Dutt (cameo), Priyanka Chopra (cameo) & Superstar Rajnikanth (cameo)
Music & Background Score - Vishal & Shekhar
Cinematography - Nicola Pecorini & V Manikandan
Editing - Sanjay Sharma 
Production Design - Sabu Cyril
Sound Design - Resul Pookutty
Release Date - 26th October 2011


SRK wanted to make this movie for his kids. So being one of the biggest superstars in the country, he thinks that - 'booty going pop pop'; a homosexual getting turned on seeing his pierced nipples and the atrocities that follow; a thesis on gaalis; 'condom-condom' for 'konjam-konjam'; grabbing the (pardon the language) boobs & ass of the actress who plays the mother; and a series of jokes on the crotch are what his kids and a million other kids in this country should watch, then he is indeed a very responsible superstar. 

But yea, this is also a superhero film. The inspiration from every other superhero film made in Hollywood history (mainly Terminator 2 : Judgement Day) and our own Enthiran/Robot apart, Ra.One has to be the most embarrassingly logic-less and convoluted superhero film ever made. And this was promoted as India's biggest film all over the world. So much for our cinema being appreciated globally. 

Apart from that, Shah Rukh Khan thinks its very funny to play a South Indian geek who goes 'Ayyayyo' with every sentence; who has ugly curly hair; who eats sphagetti and curd with his hands; who breaks into random Tamil on one hand and recites Urdu & Hindustani shayari on the other; who has a background score that goes 'Paithyakkaara paithyakkaara' (madman, madman) and much more. How sensitive. And he has the audacity to dub this film into Tamil and release it there as well. The 'thamizh makkal' and their famous pride would definitely not be hurt, SRK!!

There is no point talking about logic because Anubhav Sinha and his team of some 5-6 writers never cared about including logic in this idiotic movie even though its known to every other layman that even in the worst of superhero movies, there is a logic which applies to the world that movie is set in. But SRK doesnt care for a script or anything like that, what he sees are enough opportunities to plug in advertisements, perhaps in every other scene and make money out of that. 

There was this movie called Enthiran/Robot which came out last year. A certain Mr.Shankar spent 10 years writing and re-writing the script of that movie along with a very talented veteran named Sujatha and created a crackling movie which had soul and perfect logic within its own narrative. And moreover, it had a heart, and not something picked up from the Iron Man movie and lamely named H.A.R.T. 

SRK doesnt stop at that. After almost the entire movie was done, he goes ahead and announces that there is going to be a cameo in the movie by Superstar Rajinikanth in the movie as Chitti from Enthiran, so that people dont accuse him of being inspired by that movie. (SRK heard a narration of Enthiran from Shankar and rejected it thankfully). So the fans of the superstar waited with bated breath to see their idol on screen after his hospitalization and period of ill-health, back as the lovable Chitti. But what do we get, a whole contrived sequence and a Rajnikanth looking like a duplicate, overdone, animated version of Chitti who comes for less than a minute and is actually made fun of, in the name of a tribute. Mr. SRK knows that even a blink & miss appearance of the superstar would get all his fans (which is almost the entire population of Tamil Nadu and most of the people in the rest of the South Indian states and his fans in the North as well) to come and watch the movie at least for him. I watched the movie solely for that reason, only to realize later that SRK had taken us all for a ride. Dude or dood (as he says in the movie), be smart, but dont take your audience for a ride. They are the ones who made you what you are. And Thalaivaa, you shouldnt have done this cameo. So disappointing!! 

Now about the few good things in the movie. Kareena Kapoor looks scorching hot and she is quite likable despite her lame research on gaalis. And boy, does she sizzle in that Chammak Challo song, which is probably the only paisa wasool moment in this 200 crore extravaganza. Her negative turn in one of the scenes is also excellent and it was a surprise to see her like that. Arjun Rampal is menacing, but gets a lame role and some 5-6 scenes in total. The SFX, action sequences and production design are extraordinarily good. The train scene which looks like a combination of scenes from Spiderman 2 & Enthiran and the subsequent destruction of the VT station in Mumbai is done well, but does not evoke any excitement or adrenalin rush which one would normally get while watching such scenes. The same goes for the action scenes. So much for the work put in by all those technicians and setting high standards for post production in Indian films. The Mortal Kombat inspired climax fight is so lame and boring that you wait for SRK to get done with Ra.One. One's feelings actually go to Rampal's Ra.One and want him to kill that boring superhero G.One. Vishal & Shekhar did a good job with Chammak Challo, Dildara and Bhare Naina. But the RD Burman type superhero theme didnt create any impact at all. Vishal & Shekhar did a good job with Chammak Challo, Dildara and Bhare Naina. But the RD Burman type superhero theme didnt create any impact at all. And yes, the cameo by Sanjay Dutt as Khal Nayak was superb. You can actually walk out after that first scene and then come back later for Chammak Challo, and then walk out and leave the hall for good after that. The 3D was done quite well and was not in your face or gimmicky. 

As for SRK, you feel happy when the irritating South Indian geek dies in the first half, so that you dont have to suffer him anymore. And then comes the most boring superhero ever. In fact, he is nothing more than a glorified Bodyguard (not the Salman Khan kind :P), to the kid in the movie and not a superhero who saves the world. His introduction is quite nice, but in the second half G.One keeps changing character quite consistently - he is robotic at many places, then turns into this funny guy, then turns into the usual Shah Rukh Khan who sings and dances in Akon's voice and then tries so hard to be a hero that its really funny. Not in one scene does one feel like rooting for the superhero that Shah Rukh Khan plays in this movie. India is a country where the superhero genre is actually not required at all. All our heroes, from the time of mythology have done anything and everything that a superhero does without having to go into details of how and why he does it, and people happily accepted that. The only purpose of the superhero genre in India is to add logic to such things. Ra.One doesnt even have that. But the one good thing about Ra.One releasing is that SRK's promotional rampage would finally come to an end and we can finally start watching Television or browse the net peacefully. 

Before I forget, there is a Kuch Kuch Hota Hai tribute, a Karva Chauth scene and some family sentiments also thrown in. Thanks to guest director Karan Johar. All this in a superhero film. Like really?? 

But me sitting here and ranting about all this doesnt really matter. People are flocking the theatres and are actually loving the movie and laughing at all the offensive and sexist jokes along with their kids. People might wonder where our film industry is going when films like Ready, Singham & Bodyguard become historical hits. But they never claimed that they are making anything more than senseless, mindless movies just to make instant money. But SRK goes all out and tells the world that this is India's first superhero movie, promotes it as a kid's movie and keeps making claims of this and that. Now that is something really pathetic, considering the product's actual standard minus the visual effects and all that jazz. And for all the people who loved it, Shah Rukh Khan would definitely come up with a sequel, which would be more offensive, crude, racist, vulgar and lame.  

Bottomline - Watch, if you want to be badly manipulated by this shrewd man called Shah Rukh Khan. Else, watch Enthiran one more time instead. 

PS - For THE best review of the movie, read The Vigil Idiot -  http://www.thevigilidiot.com/2011/10/28/ra-one/