Bullett Raja Reviews! - Page 6

Tigmanshu Dhulia is considered to be one of the finest filmmakers in today's times and his films like Paan Singh Tomar, Haasil and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster series were in the realistic genre and were great pieces of cinema. But whenever he tried going the so-called masala entertainer' way, he has faltered, be it Charas or Shagird. Both these films were still watchable and worth watching once but Bullett Raja is an exception. It is highly disappointing and easily the worst film of Dhulia!

The story of the movie: Raja Mishra(Saif Ali Khan) is based in Lucknow and is struggling to live his life like other commoners. One fine day, he bumps into Rudra(Jimmy Shergill) and both strike an indomitable friendship. At the same time, they land themselves in trouble while indulging in an act of self defence. Instead of hiding or running away, they decide to face their enemies. Thus Raja Mishra turns into Bullett Raja. How Raja's adventures take him to Bajaj(Gulshan Grover), Sumer Yadav(Ravi Kissen), Ram Babu Shukla(Raj Babbar), Arun Singh Munna(Vidyut Jammwal) and his love interest Mitali(Sonakshi Sinha) forms the rest of the film.

Bullett Raja commences with a bang with an interesting scene followed by exhilarating title sequence featuring key action scenes of the film of Saif(few of them don't make it to the final cut apparently). After that, the film sharply goes on a downhill. The characters and setting were unconvincing and the editing is plain bad. Scenes are abruptly cut and given way to other scenes that in turn abruptly begin! Songs are a disappointment and Don't Touch My Body was just not required. But no complaints, since Mahie Gill sizzles like never before in the song. However, Tamanche Pe Disco that ideally should have been during the end credits is just shoved into the narrative. In fact, the entire Mumbai sequence serves absolutely no purpose to the story. The other problem with the film is the absence of thrill element. Barring few scenes, the rest of the sequences, even some of the action ones, fail to excite and entice. Also, things happen very conveniently for Raja Mishra and the villains are just not powerful enough which is a very bad idea for any film! The climax arouses curiosity as one realizes that there's a twist in the tale in the offing. But this twist also turns out to be a damp squib!

Performances in a way save the film. Saif Ali Khan looks terrific but didn't seem at ease in many scenes. This was bound to happen when the director himself isn't at ease with the space he's venturing into! So sad, since this could have been another Langda Tyagi for Saif. Hope to see him in his best avatar in Humshakals and Phantom! Jimmy Sheirgill plays his part very well and one wishes he had a longer role. Sonakshi Sinha looks beautiful but has hardly anything to do in the film. One wonders why she signed the film and one hopes she has an interesting and crucial role in her next film, R...Rajkumar. Vidyut Jammwal in a way has an extended special appearance and does a fabulous job. Vipin Sharma is dynamic. Raj Babbar leaves a mark. Ravi Kissen essayed a very interesting character but the script didn't allow the character to be exploited fully. Gulshan Grover was strictly okay and shines only in the kidnapping scene. Rajeev Gupta(minister), Vishwajeet Pradhan, Sharat Saxena, Chunky Pandey and the actor who gives refuge to Raja Mishra leave their mark in small roles. Mahie Gill was smoking hot.

Sajid-Wajid's music is a disappointment. Title song and Saamne Hai Savera does make an impact but the rest of the songs were needless in the narrative. Sajid-Wajid's background score gels well with the narrative. Action is real and raw and P S Vinod's cinematography is fine. Tigmanshu Dhulia's dialogues are catchy and sharp. Tigmanshu Dhulia and Amaresh Mishra's story and screenplay offers nothing new to audiences. And Dhulia's direction also didn't prove to be of any help. As aforementioned, masala films aren't his cup of tea and it shows in some scenes which were shoddily executed. For instance, the sequence where Vishwajeet Pradhan traps Sharat Saxena was shockingly disgusting! However, a few scenes did stand out and make an impact - Saif's bravado act at the river bank made for a great watch and same goes for Vidyut Jammwal's entry. But overall, it was a disappointment. Hope Dhulia goes back to his space and gives us many more memorable films!

On the whole, Bullett Raja is a king-sized disappointment especially since it comes from the stable of Tigmanshu Dhulia. The film offers nothing new in terms of storyline, direction isn't upto the mark and editing is one of the worst ever! Performances, few action scenes and dialogues save the day. At the box office, it has no chance to excel despite being the only film of the week.