Director Tigmanshu Dhulia
Starring Saif Ali Khan, Jimmy Shergill, Sonakshi Sinha, Raj Babbar, Gulshan Grover, Ravi Kishan, Vipin Sharma, Chunky Pandey, Vidyut Jamwal
The film starts with a Pulp feel, with Saif walking straight into a gun pointed at him and the films zooms into flashback. Opening with an item song and gun toting men, the film almost tries to reassures that we are very much in the heartland of UP. Raja Misra (Saif) is running away from some goons chasing him and hides himself in a barat. The marriage is where he meets Rudra (Jimmy) and they bond over booze. The same night the family is attacked by Rudra's uncle Lallan (Chunky Pandey) who wants to kill everyone and help the rival gang. Raja helps Rudra by putting his own life in danger and fighting the goons, tamanchas blazing all around.
Thus begins the friendship which will see them change from regular, everyday Joes into the dreaded and respected Raja And Rudra Bhaiya. Their godfather is the powerful politician played by Raj Babbar. Forced into picking up the gun by circumstances, the duo become his most trusted and he lets them control the "security" of entire UP. From then on its a saga of rivalries, shootings and dialoguebazi.
There is a string of villains. From Gulshan Grover to Ravi Kishan playing a cross-dressing sharp shooter, to Vipin Sharma playing a top level fixer operating from inside a jail.
Revenge becomes the focus of the film as Raja fights and shoots through the lanes of Lucknow.
Sonakshi Sinha plays his love interest, a Bengali girl from Kolkata who aspires to be an actress.
Despite having a decent plot, and some good performances, specially by Jimmy Shergill, the film just fails to remain taut. The script had scope, but was not exploited. The layers of UP politics have not been unraveled, which could have made this film truly substantial. Songs come and go, and since the music is so bad, they do nothing but to slow the film down.
Saif has put in effort, his chemistry with Jimmy Shergill is excellent. The scene where Saif is explaining to Jimmy that he can not remember a girl's name is fun. Jimmy Shergill is one of the most under-rated actors. He is pitch perfect as Rudra. Sonakshi is a prop in the film, and its easily her worst film.
The dialogues are strictly ok, with a few sparks here and there.
If this is Tigmanshu doing "masala", it lacks the kick. I would blame the screenplay, which has too many characters coming and going. The entire sequence to introduce Vidyut Jamwal is un-necessary and indulgent. Even the twist in the end is predictable.
This film really disappointed a Tigmanshu fan like me. Will hope now that his next will make me forget this one.
My Verdict 2.5/5
Starring Saif Ali Khan, Jimmy Shergill, Sonakshi Sinha, Raj Babbar, Gulshan Grover, Ravi Kishan, Vipin Sharma, Chunky Pandey, Vidyut Jamwal
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| Bullet Raja - Movie Poster |
Tigmanshu Dhulia, UP, Saif Ali Khan. Interesting combination. We have seen what Dhulia is capable of in the UP turf. From the characters to the crackling dialogues, he has shown us his penchant for dark tales, with his brand of noir. Riding on the success of Paan Singh Tomar and Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, his latest film had a lot of expectations riding on it. Saif has shown he can be a Langda Tyagi when given the chance (Omkara)
The film starts with a Pulp feel, with Saif walking straight into a gun pointed at him and the films zooms into flashback. Opening with an item song and gun toting men, the film almost tries to reassures that we are very much in the heartland of UP. Raja Misra (Saif) is running away from some goons chasing him and hides himself in a barat. The marriage is where he meets Rudra (Jimmy) and they bond over booze. The same night the family is attacked by Rudra's uncle Lallan (Chunky Pandey) who wants to kill everyone and help the rival gang. Raja helps Rudra by putting his own life in danger and fighting the goons, tamanchas blazing all around.
Thus begins the friendship which will see them change from regular, everyday Joes into the dreaded and respected Raja And Rudra Bhaiya. Their godfather is the powerful politician played by Raj Babbar. Forced into picking up the gun by circumstances, the duo become his most trusted and he lets them control the "security" of entire UP. From then on its a saga of rivalries, shootings and dialoguebazi.
There is a string of villains. From Gulshan Grover to Ravi Kishan playing a cross-dressing sharp shooter, to Vipin Sharma playing a top level fixer operating from inside a jail.
Revenge becomes the focus of the film as Raja fights and shoots through the lanes of Lucknow.
Sonakshi Sinha plays his love interest, a Bengali girl from Kolkata who aspires to be an actress.
Despite having a decent plot, and some good performances, specially by Jimmy Shergill, the film just fails to remain taut. The script had scope, but was not exploited. The layers of UP politics have not been unraveled, which could have made this film truly substantial. Songs come and go, and since the music is so bad, they do nothing but to slow the film down.
Saif has put in effort, his chemistry with Jimmy Shergill is excellent. The scene where Saif is explaining to Jimmy that he can not remember a girl's name is fun. Jimmy Shergill is one of the most under-rated actors. He is pitch perfect as Rudra. Sonakshi is a prop in the film, and its easily her worst film.
The dialogues are strictly ok, with a few sparks here and there.
If this is Tigmanshu doing "masala", it lacks the kick. I would blame the screenplay, which has too many characters coming and going. The entire sequence to introduce Vidyut Jamwal is un-necessary and indulgent. Even the twist in the end is predictable.
This film really disappointed a Tigmanshu fan like me. Will hope now that his next will make me forget this one.
My Verdict 2.5/5
