RaOne Reviews: Index Pg 1 *Viewbie's Note Pg 98* - Page 20

RA.One

Rating- 9/10

Direction:***
Director Anubhav Sinha along with co-writers David Benullo, Kanika Dhillon and Mushtaq Shiekh may be inspired by international flicks as far as the concept is concerned, but they ensure that they serve the right masala to moviegoers in those 2.30 hours. What actually takes you by complete surprise is not just the money spent on visual effects or the stunning chase and action scenes, but the twists and turns in the screenplay that unravel at a feverish pace.

Acting:***
RA.ONE is a perfect vehicle that does justice to the talent of Shah Rukh Khan. He seems to have found a story and character that work in perfect sync and tandem with manic energy. SRK steers this physically challenging lead role with high-spirited self-belief. He's endearing as the father and magnificent as the superhero with a heart. Kareena Kapoor is a delight to watch. She effortlessly glides into the character. Besides, she looks ethereal in the 'Chammak Chhallo' song and her wit is infectious. Arjun Rampal pulls his act with effortlessness and style. Also, Arjun's well-designed look is admirable.
Armaan Verma, the kid who has a pivotal part to portray. He stands shoulder to shoulder with SRK and Kareena all through the film and delivers a super-confident performance.

Script:***
A father tries hard to fit into his son's world. While Shekhar [Shah Rukh Khan]

tries every trick in the book to woo his son, his son had given up on him. Just when the father-son duo hit a deadlock, Shekhar strikes gold when he designs one hell of a game. Finally, it all starts falling in place. But the happiness is short-lived. All hell breaks loose when the game that was meant to be played with, starts playing them.

Music:****
The album of the film lives up to the grand expectations. Vishal-Shekhar deliver a striking score with 'Chammak Chhallo', 'Dildaara' and 'Raftarein' being the pick of the lot. The background score, also recorded by them, is equally electrifying. V. Manikandan and Nicola Pecorini's cinematography is top notch. Same goes for the stunts and chases [Andy Gill and Spiro Razatos]. Dialogue [Kanika Dhillon and Niranjan Iyengar] are hardly ever commonplace. What I found most interesting is that, whether humorous or thoughtful, the channel of communication appears very credible. The Ra.One and G.One suits, designed by Robert Kurtzman, are super.

Verdict:
RA.ONE is the most ambitious, most expensive and the most technologically complex Hindi film ever made. It pushes the envelope further. It's not merely a film, but an experience, an event. It's a film that will rewrite the textbook of computer graphics in Hindi cinema. RA.ONE is sure to shatter all previous records and set new ones, in India as well as internationally.

Koimoi.com caught up with master filmmaker Yash Chopra after he attended a special cast and crew screening of Shah Rukh Khan's Ra.One on Sunday (23rd October). Incidentally, Yash Chopra was only one of the three selected people who got to watch the film, besides the superhero film's cast and crew. The other two were Yashji's wife, Pamela, and director-producer Karan Johar.

Following are excerpts from the conversation where Chopra talks about how Ra.One will change the face of Hindi cinema and about his plans for his next Shah Rukh Khan starrer.

Ra.One Has A Highlight Every Minute

Shah Rukh Khan has done a job that is unprecedented in Hindi cinema. And the good thing is that the film does not have just high-end visual effects wizardry, but also packs in a lot of emotional punches. After the first fifteen minutes are over, every sequence of the movie is a highlight.

Shah Rukh Khan Will Change All

Shah Rukh Khan must be commended for the massive scale and superior quality of the visual effects he has included in Ra.One, something which is unprecedented in Indian cinema. This film stands a very good chance of changing the face of Hindi cinema forever, especially because the Indian audience has never seen something like this before.

My Love Story Film Can Wait

Asked when he would start his film starring Shah Rukh Khan, the filmmaker revealed, "I told Shah Rukh to come when he is done with all this marketing stuff for Ra.One. Shah Rukh Khan told me, he would come and meet me on 1st November to discuss the dates. But I told him, there was no need to come and meet me, I would wait for as long as he felt relaxed enough to shoot the new film. Come when you are completely free and relaxed."

Shah Rukh Khan Starrer Yet Untitled

Speaking about the title of his new venture, Chopra revealed, "It is still untitled. It's never easy to arrive at a title. Even in the case of my last film, Veer-Zaara, I was undecided about the title till the last moment. Only when the censors said that they couldn't certify a film that was named 'Production Number so and so', that I quickly finalised the name, Veer-Zaara. I have yet to think up a suitable title for my new film."