Rowdy Rathore is one such recipe. A masala Bollywood flick, in the truest sense of the word, this is one film that does not shy away from being too loud, too colorful and too spicy. Throughout the two hours and few minutes all it’s flaunting is catchy dance moves, colorful sets, unbelievable action sequences performed by a one-man army, and tacky one-liners. [break]
Taking after Dabangg’s Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar dons a mustache with a police uniform and dances alongside Sonakshi Sinha, who by the way has nothing new to do compared to her 2010 super-hit Dabangg. We are not to be confused here for plotline of Rowdy Rathore is very different to Dabangg.
Shiva (Akshay Kumar) is a small time thief from Mumbai who falls in love with Paro (Sonakshi Sinha). Amidst comedic sequences of fun and mind games, Shiva manages to woo Paro. Love smitten, he confesses to Paro his lifestyle but also vows to never steal from anyone or lie to her.
In his final theft of what appears at first to be a treasure chest, Shiva finds a young girl who calls him “Papa”, seemingly certain that Shiva is her father. Shiva, who hates kids, is forced by a police officer (Yashpal Sharma) to keep this girl.
Paro then finds out about this little kid and because Shiva lied to her, she breaks up with him and returns to her hometown - Patna. The heartbroken and bewildered Shiva delves more into the mystery, finding out things that are simply too predictable.
Then in a sudden turn of events, our hero finds himself surrounded by an entire troop of goons who want him dead. He then has to go to Devgarh and take on the head dacoit-mafia and for that he has to turn himself into an altruistic police officer Rathore, ‘Rowdy Rathore,’ who is his look alike. Yes it’s a double role!
The style of the film is nothing novice, it’s rather too predictable, melodramatic, and at times larger than life. Akshay Kumar’s kicks, punches, hip thrusts, and dialogue delivery have been prevalent in the industry for over 20 years now. In a scene he asks Sonakshi why she forgot to mention the Khiladi while talking of the superstars of Bollywood and it seems the film has been made with the same intention, the intention to prove that the Khiladi Kumar is no less a megastar! As for the director, Prabhu Deva, it seems has no intentions of reinventing Kumar and nor has he tried to reinvent Sonakshi Sinha who is no more than eye candy.
Acting wise Nasser as the village-mafia supreme puts forth a commendable job, it’s easy to hate this bad guy and the audiences enjoy seeing him getting beaten to a pulp.
The makers have intentionally utilized comedy and action as the selling point, as a result of which the plot gets sidelined. The story is of a village under a tyrant and a savior who comes from the city and liberates these villagers like in so many other Hindi films.
Cinematographically the action sequences are interesting with various angles and slow motions. Santosh Thundiyil manages to remind you of the great battles of Mahabharata through some shots.
The sub plots- especially the ones of Yashpal Sharma are convincingly placed and executed to build for a mega climax. Paresh Ganatra manages to draw some giggles.
Editing wise the film is about ok. Some of the scenes seem unnecessarily extended, and it especially loses track after the intermission owing to a lengthy and lethargic flashback.
The music is courtesy Sajid-Wajid it seems have nothing to prove. The album is just an ok collection with nothing memorable. “Chinta Ta Chita Chita” one of the songs has a ‘stuck song syndrome,’ but this track is borrowed from a Telugu song. Prabhu Deva, famed for his dance moves, shakes a leg in the song making it even more interesting. Visually speaking the songs have been performed against a backdrop of such lavish sets that it screams of Sanjay Leela Bhansali.
This is an interesting time in the Indian film industry with many film makers opting for plotlines and realistic approaches and an equal number going for melodramatic fiction with no attempt to portray realism. Rowdy Rathore looked inward to the loudness of Bollywood for inspiration.
This film is not for logical viewing; all it has to offer is a great amount of escapist entertainment. Also viewer discretion is advised for there is too much of bloodshed and violence.
And by the way, who spread the rumor of Rajesh Hamal having a role in the film?
Related story
Forever a rolling stone: Dylan going on tour — through 2024
