Bigg Boss 19 - Daily Discussion Topic - 6th Sep 2025 - WKV
GEETU vs MAIRA 5.9
Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai - 06 Sep 2025 EDT
Maira Armaan Poddar
Alia is new global brand ambassador of Levis
Happy Ending Kumkum Bhagya
Priyanka actually deserved more from BW. Robbed twice!
CALL FROM CELL 6.6
23 years of Dil Hai Tumhaara
SRKs looks for King
Saiyaara: a movie which will forever remind me of love
Are they planning to end YRKKH with this generation?
💕💜Somewhere Over the Rainbow #43 With Prats in our hearts 💜💕
Look Out Circular For Shilpa Shetty Raj Kundra
Baaghi 4 crashes on Saturday
Generation 5:A new chapter in Yrkkh
'Raman Raghav 2.0' review: Anurag Kashyap, Vicky, Nawaz - take a bowAnna MM Vetticad Jun 24, 2016 10:00 IST |
In one of the most telling scenes in writer-director Anurag Kashyap'sRaman Raghav 2.0, a man assaults his girlfriend in the presence of two policemen. The cops have been assigned as her personal security guards, to protect her from a notorious serial killer, yet they watch wordlessly when her own boyfriend roughs her up. It is a powerful cinematic moment in a nation that has socially (and in some instances, legally) divided violence against women into categories of "acceptable" and "unacceptable". Gangrape by slum dwellers: unacceptable. Marital rape: acceptable. Domestic abuse: acceptable. Stalking by a senior politician with the help of state machinery: acceptable. Digital rape of a subordinate by a senior editor in a five-star hotel lift: acceptable (even by Kashyap's own yardstick, in a sense, as evidenced by one of his troubling quotes in the media). Rape of an intoxicated woman who fell off to sleep in the back seat of a cab after a late-night party: acceptable. Rape of a hard-partying drug addict who went home with a stranger at a club: acceptable. There are many such moments inRaman Raghav 2.0, a film that purportedly tells the story of two maniacal individuals but is in fact a disturbing portrait of society's attitudes and responses to violence. This is not, as viewers would be expecting, a biopic of the notorious Mumbai serial killer Raman Raghav who was caught after a string of murders in the 1960s. This is the story of two deeply disturbed brutes, one a poor man called Ramanna, the other a policeman called Raghav, set in the present decade - hence the "2.0" in the title. Each is kinky in his own way, yet one has a veneer of sophistication that helps him to move around in glamorous circles while the other is obviously crude but blends unnoticed into the streets. As the film progresses, we see how they are no different from each other and how - much as snooty wealthy folk would be repulsed by this mirror - one completes the other. Many of Kashyap's films so far have been about the pointlessness of violence and the manner in which our actions inevitably catch up with us. But what about the ones who get away? What about people who do not kill with communal, sexual or other motivations, but for the pleasure of it. Is every member of a rioting mob genuinely committed to the religious group they are supposedly fighting for, or truly angry about the harassment of a woman in their community by someone from the other, or paid to be there? What about those who join in for the heck of it? Murder for the sake of murder. Murder sometimes committed in the moment. Murder committed to make way for another murder. Raman Raghav 2.0 is not, therefore, about pointlessness, but about the mindlessness in so much of the bloodshed around us. Kashyap's latest film may appear to resort to certain devices popular in the genre: the ominous sound of a metal pipe being dragged over a hard surface, for instance. Yet none of them is used in a clichd, predictable fashion. Interestingly too, though both protagonists are ferocious creatures, the portrayal of violence here is not in your face, gratuitous or exploitative. Aided in no small part by Jay Oza's discreet camera and Aarti Bajaj's seamless editing, we know that blood is routinely drawn and skulls are repeatedly cracked in this film, yet at no point do we actually see it happening. In fact, only once in the film do we get a shot of a murder victim's face after the murder. In that scene alone is a prone body shown in its entirety post a crime. The pacey narrative - with an eight-chapter structure - is unrelenting. Though the dialogues are smashingly effective, they do not rely on filmic melodrama or earthiness (the most charming part of Gangs of Wasseypur 1 & 2) for their appeal. They are hard-hitting because of the situations and settings in which they are set. Holding it all together along with Kashyap's unswerving directorial intentions is one of the best casts put together for a Hindi film in recent times. Nawazuddin Siddiqui's brilliance is now a given. Still, considering the number of gangster and crime flicks in his short filmography, it is amazing that he has managed to reach into himself to serve us something and someone so completely different from Faisal Khan of the Wasseypur films and Liak fromBadlapur. His Ramanna is eerie, scary, disgusting and yet almost elicits laughs for the matter-of-fact manner in which he goes about his bloody business. As chalk is to cheese, so young Vicky Kaushal's all-Punjabi, all-Mumbaikar, well-heeled, gruesome cop here is to his turn as an impoverished, emotionally vulnerable low-caste boy from Varanasi in 2015's Masaan. Two superbly written characters, two superb performances. The leads are all the more striking because they do not get the benefit of repeated extreme close-ups or a repeated focus on their eyes and faces in much of this film. Kaushal, in fact, wears dark glasses almost throughout and many of Siddiqui's shenanigans are captured in long shots. With these two in full flow and the story revolving entirely around them, you would think it would be impossible for any other character to make a mark. It is a measure of Vasan Bala and Kashyap's excellent writing and the wonderful cast that there are others who are memorable too. Amruta Subhash as Ramanna's sister is in top form. It would be Hindi cinema's good fortune if it manages to tap more into this consistently lovely Marathi actress who, among other roles, was so moving as the young, widowed mother and struggling professional in Avinash Arun's Killa. In a film peopled with impressive talents - including little Saksham Sudhija's beautiful, speaking eyes - Sobhita Dhulipala as Raghav's girlfriend Simmy Naidu and Anuschka Sawhney as Ankita, a sexy stranger at a party, merit a mention. Raman Raghav 2.0 does not slip up tonally at any point. From Sona Mohapatra's velvety voice at a nightclub early in film to that remarkable overhead shot of Mumbai city's beautiful ugliness in the twilight, from the impeccable sound design (crucial, since this is a film in which gore is heard but rarely seen) to Ram Sampath's background score and songs that have been quietly woven into the narrative, it is all a perfect fit. Anurag Kashyap has been a highly acclaimed writer and director for 13 years now, but I confess I have had issues with quite a few of his films, not just the widely thrashed Bombay Velvetbut some that have been showered with reviewer and fan affection. Although he has been a producer of some gems over the years, several of his own directorial ventures have felt stylistically imitative of known international auteurs, rather than being rooted in his own personality and reality. As a result, most have not matched up to the sheer genius of his debut film Paanch (which remains unreleased due to a Censor ban followed by problems with the producer), Black Friday and a darling short called Pramod Bhai 23 that appeared in the omnibus volumeMumbai Cutting. With Raman Raghav 2.0, we once again get to hear and see the son of the soil at work. Main tujhe kuchh bhi kar sakta hoon aur mujhe kuchh bhi nahin hoga (I can do anything to you and nothing will happen to me), a murderer tells a potential victim at one point in the film. This is not just one man talking because he has the confidence that the system will close ranks to protect him, this is the system, the government and the elite talking. Raman Raghav 2.0 is layered, gripping from the word go, unnerving and, in a twisted way, hugely entertaining. It is also a stinging commentary on the times we live in. He is back, people. Anurag Kashyap is back. http://m.firstpost.com/bollywood/raman-raghav-2-0-review-anurag-kashyap-vicky-nawaz-take-a-bow-2853234.html |
Written By Rachit Gupta
Posted Fri, Jun 24, 2016
Quick take: Dark, disturbing and delightful
There's a lot to like about Raman Raghav 2.0 and there's an equal amount to hate. It all depends on how much of an appetite you have for darkness and destruction. Don't think of it in terms of a Ramsay movie or The Conjuring, the horror in this film is all psychological and emotional. The sight of Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Raman stalking his prey, hunting it down and killing it in all bloody glory will make the most cold-blooded viewers squirm. The darkness and malice in RR2 haunts you, it affects you and it makes you feel sick. But the very fact that this film evokes such concrete reactions from its audience is a testament to its filmmaking prowess. Anurag Kashyap digs deep into his darkest recesses, his own Ugly in comparison was soap-opera material when it comes to shock value. This film and its repulsive environment will fill you with disgust. But if you have a taste for the macabre, you'll have a ball.
The story is the strength of Raman Raghav 2.0. Even by Anurag Kashyap standards the novelty of this concept is deliciously dark and morbid, yet it's so fresh and unique. Two violent men first stand against each other, only to discover they have more in common than they'd admit to. They're like star crossed lovers and the more they hate each other, the more they're drawn together. Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Ramanna or Raman or Sindhi Dalwai or simply Anna is the cold-blooded but quirky serial killer who's out looking for his partner. Vicky Kaushal's Raghavan or Raghav is the passive aggressive cop living on the edge and investigating the murder trail left behind by Raman. The positions of the two individuals may be poles apart, but the way they react to similar situations and hostility is exactly the same. So you have two monsters gravitating towards each other. And their fisticuffs are both entertaining and disturbing in equal measure. By the time the conclusion arrives, you're so invested into the story of RR2 that it's bound to draw an intense reaction from you. There's no escaping the choke-hold. You'll either love it or you'll despise it from the bottom of your gut.
Love it or hate it, you can't deny the fact that Anurag Kashyap's Lynchian tendencies always work on screen. He makes darkness, murder; death and destruction look like natural processes of catharsis. Like there is no light in the world of human beings. It's as if we were all hard coded to be violent and malicious. You have to watch the set-pieces where Nawazuddin's Raman stares with his cold brown eyes at unsuspecting victims. This is not voyeurism; this is pure, sinister evil of men. The set piece where he invades the home of his sister and threatens the family is so authentically scary that you'll hate yourself for watching it. Statutory warning, this particular set piece can also give you a headache. The background music and the camerawork are to be give equal credit in these scenes. The packing and the treatment of RR2 is so good, it'll give you the creeps.
If you can shake off Anurag Kashyap's horror designs and his team's effective filmmaking technique, waiting next are the nerve-wracking performances by Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vicky Kaushal. Nawazuddin serves more of what he did in last year's Badlapur. His efforts at bringing Raman to life, look all too familiar, but there are moments where he's so twisted into his character and that you fear you're actually watching a nutcase on screen. No horror film scares, ghosts or ghouls can do what Nawazuddin has managed in RR2. His cold, edgy demeanor and his appetite for gore will force you to blink more often than average. You will want to look away, yet you will keep turning back, because you just can't get enough of that composed madness. The surprise performance here though comes from Vicky Kaushal. Barely a film old, he lives and breathes his on-the-edge character. There are moments where Raghav makes Raman look like a sane person. In essence, that's down to Vicky's performance where time and again he rises to the occasion and at times even gets on an even keel with Nawazuddin. Debutante Sobhita Dhulipala as Raghav's odd-ball and feisty girlfriend is a real find too. She's the perfect combination of looks that can kill and acting talent that can surprise.
With all the lead actors in such exquisite form, you'd think RR2 is the best thing on the planet. Truth is, even though the performances are top notch and so is the filmmaking technique, RR2 still suffers a bit from indulgence and lack of writing detail. There are times when it gets a bit too engrossed in freaking you out. The editing certainly isn't top grade. Its 2 hour 20 minute runtime doesn't bore you, but with crisper editing, RR2 could have been a lot more taut and effective. Anurag Kashyap does spend a little too much effort at making his feature look and sound slick. But it doesn't always pay off.
Whether you like the frills or not, there's no denying that RR2 is a film that haunts you. It has the ability to shock and disturb. It glorifies violence and murderers. And it can only be enjoyed if you can accept misogyny, death and gore as integral parts of reality. Otherwise, this movie can be quite the nerve-wracking experience.
An opening rider in Raman Raghav 2.0 establishes the film's connect (as well as the disconnect) with the infamous serial killer of the 60s Mumbai: Raman Raghav, who had left a trail of 41 odd murders behind him. "This film is not about him," the disclaimer states. Indeed the film is about a contemporary copycat killer. But then it is not just about the new age Ramanna either.
Whodunnit? Whydunnit? Howdunnit? Raman Raghav 2.0 is actually neither of the above. Yes there are many murders that keep you riveted but they are not an end in themselves. They are more a contrivance, as is the cat and mouse game between the killer Ramanna (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and the cop Raghuvendra Singh Ubbi (Vicky Kaushal). The slayings and slaughters are mere pitstops in the journey of these two characters and their unfolding relationship with each other. The killings (right from the one at the start till those in the end) are devices through which Anurag Kashyap explores the crime vs law binary. He brings the two together, coalesces and fuses them. Is there much that separates the two? Aren't they reflections of each other? The film is a long chase in which each is actually running after his own shadow. It is as if Kashyap deliberately splits an immoral, unlawful mind into two and the film then becomes a voyage to a metaphoric completion. As if on cue Ramanna says of Raghav: "Apni mukti aurat mein dhoondh raha hai (He is looking for his own redemption in a woman)." Implying quite kinkily that it is he who is actually his salvation.
They share much in common. Both have emerged from squalid surroundings; belong to worlds that are rotten and foul. Be it the filthy slums or a decaying middle class family. So a passing reference to Vasantbalan's Angadi Theru seems quite appropriate in the scheme of the film.
Both Ramanna and Raghav are also creatures bred and brought up in patriarchy, are victims of it (Raghav's uneasy but submissive equation with his dad for instance) yet perpetuating its deep misogyny. No wonder women, however strong-willed, get the worst end of the stick, be it Ramanna's victims or Raghav's girls.
Some sequences stand out. Ramanna holding his sister's family hostage brings out his sick mind in the queasiest way possible. A massacre followed by a feast of some chicken curry and to top it all that dynamite of a song-- Behooda. Most satisfying! Or that unnervingly funny killing in slums even as an old lady is too busy collecting the potatoes fallen from her bag. The killings and bloodshed might be kept off screen but the gore and gruesomeness reach out. The black humour adds to the horror. How in the long scene at the very start Ramanna confesses to his crimes only to be let off by the police. Owning up becomes his ticket to freedom, and to more murders than the nine already committed.
More than the story itself, it is the quirky telling that is the key. Structured around eight chapters, vividly shot in the slums, pulsating with raucous music, Raman Raghav 2.0 is a taut thriller, full of energy and brimming over with tension. It doesn't flag even once and holds the viewer tightly in its grip. Such is the dizzying momentum and pace that you even stop caring about some missing pieces of the jigsaw that would have been niggling you. Clear-cut, uncomplicated Raman Raghav 2.0 takes you on an entertainment high.
The Hindi releases 7 Hours To Go, A Scandall, Junooniyat, Raman Raghav 2.0 and Shorgul have all opened to a very poor response ranging from 0-5%. It will be something if any of the films get even respectable numbers. Junooniyat and Raman Raghav 2.0 are likely to have the best collections of this poor batch.
The Hollywood release Independence Day 2 has had a ordinary start of around 20-25% but is better in the South. The film is not a huge brand in India as its more about super hero action films in India but the film could get decent ten day run depending on how it fares tomorrow.
Sardaarji 2 has taken a bumper opening in East Punjab and may well create history on day one. The film is also extraordinary in Delhi as the first show in Wave Delhi goes house full and PVR Subhash Nagar is almost full. Its the best start these high collecting theatres have seen this year including all Hindi and English films.
Sardaarji released last year had also set an opening record and went on to be the second highest grossing Punjabi film of all time. The only obstacle may be that the East Punjab circuit this year for all films has not shown the growth of previous years but this could be due to content and Sardaarji 2 could set that strai
Rating: 
June 24, 2016
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vicky Kaushal, Sobhita Dhulipala, Amruta Subhash
Director: Anurag Kashyap
The brutal murders in Anurag Kashyap's serial killer film Raman Raghav 2.0 happen off camera for the most part. Yet I found myself flinching and turning away each time the screen went black, or the distinct sound of a metal rod making contact with flesh filled the room.
Kashyap's film is not an easy watch. Nevertheless, his exploration into the mind of a killer, who, by his own admission, kills for no reason other than the fact that he wants to, is deeply fascinating.
Raman Raghav was a serial killer who operated in Mumbai in the mid-1960s, and subsequently confessed to having murdered 41 people. But Kashyap's film is not about him, we're told right at the start. It focuses instead on a copycat modern-day killer, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who holds up the notorious 60s psychopath as his inspiration, and feels a kinship to a coke-snorting police officer, Raghavan (Vicky Kaushal), whom he thinks of as no different from himself except that he kills from behind the privilege of a uniform.
In an interview he gave a few weeks ago, Kashyap said Raman Raghav 2.0 is the most romantic film he's made. In a strange way, he's right. Nawazuddin's character, who goes by the name Raman, becomes instantly captivated by Raghavan, from the moment he first sees him, killing a stranger in cold blood and for no apparent reason. Raman has found a kindred spirit in the twisted cop, and from hereon he kills to feel close to Raghavan. Can there be a more pure and selfless love?
The film then is about the cat and mouse chase between cop and criminal, although like in Sriram Raghavan's Badlapur, Kashyap too subverts the hero/villain template until the line begins to blur. The cop character is anything but a straight arrow, unable to so much as function without a hit of cocaine, and routinely abusive to his live-in girlfriend Simmi (a terrific Sobhita Dhulipala).
Siddiqiui is appropriately creepy as Raman, a long scar running down his forehead, an unmistakable glint in his eyes, and almost always dragging a long car jack behind him. In one of the film's best scenes, you watch transfixed as he coolly cooks chicken curry in a home that he has forced himself into, while the family, trapped and terrified, await their fate.
It's a testament to the actor's abundant talent that you root for Raman when he's being pursued by cops in a slum. Or you find his simplicity endearing when he can't seem to make even a basic calculation. He reveals childlike pride while casually confessing his crimes to complete strangers. His delicious turn as the possibly demented killer is easily the biggest strength of the film.
Kaushal, meanwhile, never quite matches up to his co-star's brilliance, squarely failing to turn Raghavan into an equally compelling protagonist. He has presence, but his performance as the morally bankrupt cop feels hollow and lacking in real feeling.
The film itself benefits from a propulsive music score (by Ram Sampat), some unexpected moments of humor, and an energy and pace that seldom dips. Kashyap is in good form, but ultimately Raman Raghav 2.0 doesn't bring anything blazingly new or original to the serial killer genre.
I'm going with three out of five. It's consistently engaging, but doesn't get under your skin like some of Kashyap's other films, particularly Black Friday,Gangs of Wasseypur, and the criminally overlooked Ugly.
https://x.com/umairsandu/status/1954950592771895651?s=46 Tis is review thread ?
Tehran Reviews- John Abraham and Manushi Chillar...
https://x.com/vivekagnihotri/status/1946940660067803443...
https://www.indiaforums.com/article/vash-level-2-review-a-rare-sequel-that-unsettles-in-the-best-way-and-lingers-long-after_226452...
Avatar and Signatures Shop
Anupamaa
Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon
Indian Mythology
Sampoorna
680