Rowdy Rathore

Akshay Kumar plays two characters here, each with his own half each side of the interval to accommodate the stories of ACP Vikram Rathore the fearless cop, and of Shiva the cunning thief, whom we get introduced having as glib a tongue as he has silky smooth hands every ready to pinch any valuable from anyone. We get up close to Shiva first, and his unlikely romance with Paro (Sonakshi Sinha, whose breakthrough performance was Dabangg). Vowing to give up his thieving ways to gain the acceptance of Neeraja, his henchman 2G (Paresh Ganatra) and he commits one last heist, only to find a six year old girl Chinki in the trunk of supposed valuables they stole, and compelled to have to adopt her in the meantime when she is adamant that Shiva is her dad. All these confusion will get straightened out by the time the interval rolls by, but until then, the narrative is relatively choppy, flitting between Shiva's pursuit of Paro, and his disdain for Chinki.

But it's after the interval where things got a little bit more interesting with the story of Vikram Rathore coming into the picture, and making Rowdy Rathore pretty much worthwhile. Fans of many South Indian cop films will find this Hindi remake of Vikramarkudu in familiar territory, and films of the same genre will probably tote the same narrative structure as well, with honest cop blessed with super human strength (as part of the fun) going up against corrupt officials and thugs who rule villages with iron fists. In some ways it's almost serving a cathartic function of sorts, when films offer escapism to those who feel oppressed, and find an outlet to cheer for the unlikely coming of a hero, if only on screen. With anyone challenging oppressive authority, schemes will soon be in place to remove the thorn in any corrupt side, but I must say witnessing Vikram Rathore tear through evil like hot knife through butter, was really something that anyone can cheer to after a hard day's work, especially if one has one's fair share of injustice experienced during the day.

It was publicized that Akshay Kumar hasn't played an all out action role since, well 7 years ago, but I thought Tashan wasn't that far behind although he had to share the limelight with his co-stars. Here he owned both characters he played, with the only distinguishing factor between Shiva and Vikram being the subtleness in the design of the mustache he wore for each character. Action sequences are naturally over the top in any Masala film, and this one has its fair share of incredible stunts topped with countless of explosions. There's something a little bit disturbing though in the action choreography, in its effort to follow Hollywood yet again, that slow-motion techniques favored by the likes of Zack Snyder, found its way to this Bollywood film, and in a pivotal sequence, looked very much inspired by Stephen Chow's Kungfu Hustle, even after so long.

But the best parts of Rowdy Rathore isn't the action, but the characterization and the Indian- English dialogues they're made to express. In Vikram Rathore he stands by his fearlessness of death, and threats to anyone daring to put his daughter in harm's way, with that twirl of his handle-bar mustache and smile, capped with his mantra that he does whatever he says. Shiva on the other hand, although of less brawn but equally, if not more cunning, continues Vikram's good work as Rowdy Rathore, only to add a new flavour to Vikram's threat that he now also does what he doesn't say, sending his enemies into a frenzy only because they cannot fathom what Shiva has up his sleeves.

The song and dance sequences got largely limited to when Shiva and Paro get to express their love for each other, inclusive of spatial travel to far flungs of India, and it's a little bit surprising as to the numbers of songs, and frequency the narrative got interrupted. With the second half intensely gripping, it got abruptly paused for a rock-song sequence that not only brought both actors out of character, but ruined the mood it so carefully set out to craft and instill a forthcoming brooding sense of revenge. Still, it managed to pull in more star power especially in its title track of Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita with Kareena Kapoor and Superstar Vijay as cameo Item performers.

There's a third story arc squeezed in at the end that came too rushed and was on overdrive to deliver the Rowdy Rathore portion. It was fun to see how the corrupt get their just desserts when having to go up against one of their own - the mantra it takes a thief to catch a thief - and the finale was a pretty much long drawn out affair that started off out of the blue with a sudden kidnapping of sorts. It's true that one can always fall back that a Masala film gets license to do whatever it wants to, but I just felt that if it could have been a little bit more disciplined with its structure, rather than to throw in curveballs on locales and characters, it had potential to become a cult classic. Still, for those of us who crave the quintessential Masala film in a long while, then Rowdy Rathore promises a rocking rowdy time!

With Paan Singh Tomar, Kahaani, Vicky Donor becoming big hits it ensure that there are many sensible viewers who are ready to see mature films with hatke topics dealt in an entertaining fashion. While one hand there are film makers like Anurag Kashrap,Dibakar Banerjee, Vishal Bhardwaj,Tigmanshu Dhulia who are trying to elevate the level of Indian cinema and at the same time there are the Rohit Shetty,Sajid Khan,Aneez Bazmee and hoards of South Indian inputs decelerating Hindi cinema back to 90s loud inane films. I have no problem with commercial cinema. Even Rang De Basanti or 3 Idiots are commercial entertaining films but they aren't as regressive as Rowdy Rathore. The trend started with Wanted followed by Dabang,Bodyguard,Singham whereby you have a muscled hero fighting with huge sized villain to take revenge. There are ample violence, slow-mo action sequences and loud dialoguebaazi where by the hero acquires the persona of a superman killing all in the way. There will be a family angle to instigate some over the top melodrama and obviously a dumb bimbo who is there to titillate audience's hormones with her midriff. Sadly Rowdy Rathore falls in the same category with nothing new to offer. In fact Prabhu Deva has changed nothing from the original making it a loud meaningless film only to catch the attention of single screen viewers to earn profit. There is nothing wrong in earning money but there should be an aesthetic sense to do so. At least Prabhu Deva should have presented the simple story of a cop getting killed by goons and his look-alike taking revenge differently. The hero is louder than the villain, the heroine is dumb than the ass and the janata frustrated with mundane life enjoying the slow-mo brutal action sequences. There are ample songs with sexual innuendos which are lapped by the hypocrite audiences and even the censor board giving the films "U" certificate. IMDb represents world cinema and as Indian we should show some respectable cinema to world. There are numerous topics to deal with, numerous stories to tell. Many directors are making good films, even stars like Aamir Khan is making good cinema in commercial milieu which we should highlight. I can't force people but it is high time who give more respect to films like Shanghai & Gangs of Wasseypur (releasing soon) than lapping on age old formulaic films so that Indian cinema gives more and more fresh stories. The trend started with Dil Chahta Hai shouldn't go down. Even if they want to remake Southie films there are some great south Indian films which can be remade, why do the same thing just for the sake of commercial benefits??

With Bol Bachchan & Chennai Express in the pipeline the scenario seem to be more bleak in terms of quality cinema … and the journey to regression continues :(

A regular film-goer can recall several films from the recent past with a great first half and a not so happening second. And in most of the cases such films fail to make any major impact on the viewers as well as on the box office. But if a film goes the other way round then it has the most favourable chances to win over the audience.

Luckily Prabhudeva's second directorial venture in Bollywood, produced by UTV and Sanjay Leela Bhansali comes in the latter category of movies with a fairly good second half as compared to its first. Following the sole motive of entertaining the viewers (keeping aside the logics), the director is mostly successful in its aim due to many engaging sequences post intermission full of action. And that is what actually saves ROWDY RATHORE from going on to a negative path.

An almost exact remake of Telugu Hit VIKRAMARKUDU (2006), which was also remade in many other languages, RR strictly follows the path of its original without any new or major alterations made by Prabhudeva. He remains focused on the entertainment factor throughout but in the process makes an uneven film before and after the interval which drops at several places when it comes to emotional drama in the script.

To explain the experience of watching it in its two halves, just imagine sipping an above average soup before going for the main meal at your dinner table. So, the first half of RR is like an OK starter with three fine toppings of a fresh & ravishing Sonakshi Sinha, few comic sequences of Akshay and 3 enjoyable well choreographed songs which don't let you write off the film right away. It starts off with a calm first hour stressing more upon the romance and less on the basic plot. But then Prabhudeva comes up with an energetic 15 minutes just before the interval which pull everyone back into the film forcing them to expect something much better in its next hour.

Post intermission RR suddenly becomes an enjoyable ride with some well directed action sequences reminding you of the good old cinema of 70s which followed entertainment without any logic. In fact this better part of the film can easily be compared to a Manmohan Desai kind of attempt made in the South with fast paced sequences coming one after the other without giving you any time to think. For instance, the conman replaces the Inspector (Akshay in double role) without any hassles or questioning, the heroine follows him to the same small remote area as her parental town, the child simply accepts the second Akshay as her father without raising any doubts, there is no information given about her mother and the villains are easily beaten badly by a single man with his amazing power. But despite of all these glitches, the narration keeps you entertained with its funny one liners and well edited action scenes, not giving you anything to complain particularly in its second half. So if you love watching escapist kind of cinema, just for entertainment as earlier seen in Rohit Shetty's SINGHAM, then you would love Akshay returning to his action mood. Yet ROWDY RATHORE is not another WANTED delivered by Prabhudeva with a weaker first half.

Therefore as a director, I cannot comment upon Prabhudeva's ability since he has only made "Strict Remakes" in Bollywood till now. The dancing maestro very well knows how to keep the viewers engaged and entertained in his movies. But how he would handle the same entertainment quotient in his own original project remains doubtful. Nevertheless in RR he takes ample support from both the fine cinematography and an energetic background score to generate a universally likable impact till the end. Also the action showcased in the film further helps him in generating a positive final result in a big way.

Musically Sajid-Wajid have done a nice job but again they cannot take the whole credit here as the main track of the film "Chinta Ta Chita Chita" remains a true adaptation of its original Telugu song from VIKRAMARKUDU (2006). However both singer Mika and the Choreographers (Saroj Khan, Prabhudev & Bosco Martis) really deserves a special mention here, since the songs become hugely watchable just because of their great dancing steps complimenting the beats.

Akshay returning to his favourite action genre entertains the masses both as a conmen and a police officer. But undoubtedly, he makes a much better impact post interval in all those action and confrontations scenes. Still, RR may not be able to generate the same response for him as WANTED did for Salman (which was appreciated by both critics as well as masses). The pleasant package of the film is Sonakshi Sinha who looks ravishingly fresh & beautiful on the screen, more than her pictures circulating in the print media. She definitely has a strong screen presence but only requires a good author backed role to prove her acting talent. Nassar once again excels in his role of the main villain with a superb portrayal of the Bad Man. Mushtaq Khan provides few lighter moments in the second half and Yashpal Sharma impresses in his helpless character. Both Paresh Ganatra as Akshay's friend and Gurdeep Kohli as the lady inspector are fine but Gurdeep surely becomes a victim of step treatment given by the writers.

In all ROWDY RATHORE satisfies you mid-way with only a great & entertaining second half wherein Akshay performs in his full form as the action hero. But with less romance and more action thrown in the first half it could have been another WANTED for the director without any doubts. So for now, it may get a mixed response with a particular section of viewers (who love watching Manmohan Desai kind of cinema) appreciating it a lot and another slamming it down for its logics taken for a ride.

Rowdy Rathore is a 'Dkhamakedar' masala movie.....

Akshay Kumar...... 'OUTSTANDING' he proves that he's the master of action.... With his dialogues he shatters the theater, Awesome. He has brilliantly played the role of Vikramsingh Rathore...

Sonakshi is good but doesn't have much to do.

Paresh Ganatra and the rest are good.

The movie starts slow but the Interval point is earth shattering...!!!!

Because of the slow start I'll rate it 7/10 or else I would've rated it 8/10.... This movie belongs only to Akshay Kumar, (Vikramsingh Rathore and Shiva....)

Rowdy Rathore directed by Prabhu Deva is a brainless film(story-wise) but a high-leveled entertainer with a new king Akshay Kumar!

Akshay Kumar has been having a no. of flops right from Chandni Chowk To China to Desi Boys.Housefull 2 was a major flop among critics but somehow managed to be a blockbuster.But Rowdy Rathore is something different.Although,it has no story still entertains and captivates you!

Story:

Shiva (Akshay Kumar) is a small time conman in love with Priya (Sonakshi Sinha), a pretty girl whom he met at a wedding he wasn't invited to. Into this picture perfect world enters six year old Neha who inexplicably believes Shiva to be her dad! And if this wasn't bad enough, Shiva also becomes the object of a series of life threatening attacks by a gang of deadly criminals who seem to know something he doesn't. While trying desperately to save his life and love, Shiva stumbles upon a deadly secret. A secret that will take him to a small town in Bihar; a town terrorized by a ruthless politician and the mafia he controls; a town whose inhabitants only hope for redemption is ... Shiva!

Several sequences work out in Rowdy Rathore,these are:

i)The entry of Akshay Kumar as Shiva.The sequence where one could not help but cheer with whistles,claps!

ii)The introduction of Sonakshi Sinha.

iii)The entry of Vikram Rathore(Akshay Kumar) and the fight sequences following it.

iv)The scene when a police officer's wife slams the chair of the villain.

v)The start when Akshay and his colleague 2G share the money among each other.Truly hilarious.

vi)The climax.Brilliant!

The movie also has its share of flaws.The movie could have had a better story,even the,'Chinta Ta' step makes you irritated after a point.Even there are some scenes which preferably cannot be watched with family,like the one when Akshay Kumar stares at Sonakshi's stomach.Its humiliating.

The direction is brilliant.Prabhu Deva does a good job after Wanted.

The music is fine.

The dialogs are clap-worthy.

The action sequences are classy.Although they get a bit-violent but its a treat to watch how the hero beats the more than 100 goons in a slow-motion.

Performances:

Another thing of Rowdy Rathore is the excellent performances.Akshay Kumar is excellent.Be it action,romance or comedy,the actor has an awesome skill each type of role.He is the real Khiladi! Sonakshi Sinha is good too.She has acted very well and is much better than how she acted in Dabangg.Nassar is efficient.He rocks!Yashpal Sharma is fine.Paresh Ganatra is funny as 2G.Kareena Kapoor is so-so in a cameo.Shakti Mohan.Maryam Zakaria and Mumait Khan sizzle in the item song.

All in all,Rowdy Rathore is a perfect movie for the weekend.I am giving it a seven on ten.Akshay Kumar is Rowdy,Don't ANGRY him!