Raman Raghav 2.0

When you watch a movie made by a great director or a great actor or actress you get a feeling that is difficult to explain in words. It makes you alive. But then there is a movie like "RAMAN RAGHAV 2.0" which can easily be called as one of the finest movies of Bollywood of all time. Inspired from the life of a serial killer, the film is very intelligently shown from the prospective of an individual who himself is deeply inspired by the acts of Raman Raghav (who killed around 41 people in Mumbai during 1960s to 70s) played brilliantly by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He is so into his character that even you feel scared by the way a psycho killer thinks. Well to say the least, he deserves all the standing ovations, awards and praises for this role. And India is truly blessed to have an actor like him. Vicky Kaushal in the role of the drug- addict policeman is great. Even if it is an out and out Nawazuddin Siddiqui film, he makes his presence felt in many of his scenes which in itself is an achievement considering it is just his third film. Another great thing about the movie is its direction done by our favourite "ANURAG KASHYAP". His direction is such that the film remains with you for quite a long time, actually it changes you and your way of seeing to things. For example, this film will make you afraid of every random guy who gives you a close look or just a look. The director is greatly inspired from "QUENTIN Tarantino" which is seen in his work. To sum up, this film may not earn the money which is expected due to obvious reasons and its violent content and language of course but I am sure it will surely be in your list when you recommend a film to someone. A 10/10 for this film as there are no loopholes in here.

If I were to sum it up; "Raman Raghav 2.0" is nothing but a barefaced character study. Incorporating a Sociopath, a frenzied cop; and their eventual affiliation shaped under distressing circumstances.



Depiction of a devilish killer, an insightful look within his crippled mind is in itself a petrifying thing to tell. With the help of Mr. Kashyap's pronounced finesse and an unerring act by Nawazuddin Siddiqui; Comes out an astute impersonation of a demented murderer.

Vicky Kaushal as the disorganised & drug addict policeman was simply amazing. The limelight might have been on Nawaz; yet Vicky succeeded finding out his own rhythm. This marked as Sobhita Dhulipala's debut feature, and I can definitely apprehend the success she got afterwards in several roles. A hefty praise goes to Anurag for continuously being the torch bearer in introducing promising talents.

Performances are the heart and soul in here alongside a technical prowess commonly showcased in a Kashyap Production! This time, the other aspects failed to accommodate. The storyline seems inchoate, inconsistencies in the writing being the main culprit. There are definite loose ends in the screenplay therefore weakening the core contemplation. Jumping around discrete timelines with advancing chapter sequences; a hard act to follow.

He can certainly do better, as his other stirring works are substantial testimonies to that!

One is a corrupt drug addicted cop Raghav(played by Vicky Kaushal). The other is a homeless and jobless man Raman(played by the excellent actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who has spent a longtime as a wanderer.

These two eventually collide and that is the real climax of this film. You should should know that Raman Raghav was notorious serial killer who operated in Mumbai during the late 1960s. He was caught by a massive manhunt operation. He was given a life sentence and subsequently died in 1995 due to kidney failure at Sassoon Hospital.

Do not confuse Raman Raghav with another serial called The Patthar Maar(literally means a man who kills by dropping as stone on a person's head). This serial killer operated in the years 1985-1987 was thought to have been caught, escaped, and was never heard of again. A movie was made, The Stoneman Murders (2009), loosely based on the Patthar Maar killer, starring the versatile actor Kay Kay Menon and directed by veteran director Manish Gupta.

Back to the film. The film starts in a disco joint, where Raghav is having fun with his girlfriend and is highly intoxicated on alcohol and drugs. Afterwards Raghav leaves with his girl in his car to their next stop which is supposed to be the guy who supplies Raghav with his addiction.

We then witness a murder. Raghav's drug supplier is killed. We don't know who has committed the deed. It will be revealed towards the end of the film. Next day a consort of policemen arrive at the murder scene to begin the investigation. Next, we see Raman sitting outside a police station, waiting for an opportunity to confess to a string murders that he has committed. One of the detectives listening to the interrogation is Raghav. As soon as Raman sets his eyes on Raghav, he knows his destiny.

The interrogaters think that Raman is lying to get media publicity, and so thrash him soundly and lock him up in an abandoned area. However he soon escapes later on, when some loafers hear his cries and release him by breaking the lock of his cell. After he leaves, the film really starts...

This film has intense scenes of violence that I feel that no one under the age of 18 should see. Also it shows how Western culture have corrupted the morals of people in India. We see Raghav having depraved sex with a woman who deeply loves him and wants to take care of him. She also wants to marry him and have a child. However Raghav is so drug addicted and has such lack of morals that he often threatens or beats her.

We begin to see eventually that Raghav is no better then Raman, and in a few instances we see that Raman is actually seeking redemption for his crimes. See the film to find out what happens next...

This film directed by the acclaimed director Anurag Singh Kashyap who has won the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) in 2013.

More films you may like: Hatya(1988), 100 Days (1991 film), Tarkieb(2000), Rahasya (2015) and Talvar (2015).

Thank you for taking the time to read this review. May you live long and prosper.

When Raman Raghav was recommended to me and I said I'd watch it , my heart sank a little as my experience of Indian films are not good , Bollywood ones especially but thankfully this couldn't be further from a Bollywood movie if it tried .

Set in present day Mumbai the story follows the life of a serial killer Ramanna who is inspired by an infamous serial killer from the 1960s Raman Raghav. His strange obsession with Raghavan, a young Cop keeps growing as he closely follows him without his knowledge and often creates situations where both of them come face to face.

It's amazing how a film , with a low budget , set in extremely poor surroundings and in only twenty days , can look and sound so stylish .

Director Anurag Kashyap has somehow made a silk purse out of a sows ear and deserves a massive amount of credit.

This film is soooo stylish . From the great soundtrack to the delicious on screen graphics but at the same time the story and characters on show are just filth.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is the star of the show . His performance as Raman is amazing and as screen serial killers go , this is right up there . Apparently he was hospitalised three times during the shoot because of the conditions he was working in but the end product was worth it.

The scenes in the flat with his sister , nephew and Brother in Law were as scarily brilliant as you can get .

I wasn't quite as enamoured with the story of the cop. His, and his men's incompetence seemed a little over the top at times and considering Raman was happy to be caught , the never seemed to be particularly bothered.

I absolutely loved most of this film . The last quarter was the weakest part and you couldn't help but think it probably had a couple of chapters too many but that's not going to stop me seeking out Anurag Kashyap's other films and if they are anything like as good as this I'm in for a treat .

Raman Raghav 2.0 is absolutely brilliant. Nawazuddin Siddiqui brings out his A-game as a creepy and scary psychopath. Both the leads, Nawaz as the unhinged serial killer and Vicky Kaushal as a drug addicted misogynist cop aren't likable and aren't supposed to be. There is no character you can root for but the film manages with great effect for you to root for the story to play out.

This film has incredibly tense scenes crafted fantastically. It feels often like a horror film creating an uneasy feeling of dread as to what will happen. Most of the grotesque violence happens off screen which leaves most of the gory details to our imagination.

The use of seemingly inappropriate music at times works very well. The camera work, editing and screenplay is fantastic. This is one of the best Indian thrillers made. By far my favourite film of 2016.

9/10