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SudhaSangeet

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Posted: 6 years ago

Please post the reviews here! 😃

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SudhaSangeet

@SudhaSangeet

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Posted: 6 years ago

RAW MOVIE REVIEW

Renuka Vyavahare , Updated: Apr 4, 2019, 01.29 PM IST
Critic's Rating: 3.0 /5

TIMES OF INDIA

RAW Story: Romeo (John Abraham), a bank cashier is recruited by India's foreign intelligence agency the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). They believe he's a master of disguise and can operate as Akbar, India's undercover agent in Pok (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) during the events leading up to the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Can he pull it off?
RAW Review: What happens when a spy has his cover blown? Does he continue to be a valued patriot who once served his country by putting his life in danger or does he become a liability? Would survival lead him up to being a double agent, go rogue or perhaps move on? What choice does he have and what choice does he make?
Apparently inspired by true events, Robby Grewal's film could have been an interesting human/psychological drama that understands the psyche, emotional upheaval of unsung heroes (spies). But it takes the conventional route and merges patriotism and espionage thriller, overshadowing the human aspect of the story. Raazi rightly tapped into this territory without succumbing to jingoism. While RAW isn't jingoistic either, it's a well-intended but drab film that fails to hold your attention. What you get is a monotonous costume drama that lacks emotion and tension.
The script might have looked interesting on paper with its share of dramatic twists. However, flawed execution, lacklustre storytelling, languid pace and far-fetched writing, makes this one a tad hard to embrace. You appreciate the no-nonsense narrative but it struggles to keep you engaged.
John Abraham, Sikander Kher and Jackie Shroff (who plays the head of RAW) give decent performances. Jackie's sense of style stands out as always.
RAW has its moments but is rough around the edges. The climax is audacious and you need to suspend your disbelief, if you plan to watch it.

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altgr

@altgr

Stunner

+ 17

Posted: 6 years ago

Romeo Akbar Walter Movie Review: Romeo Akbar Walter

BOLLYWOOD HUNGAMA NEWS NETWORK

Published: Thu Apr 4 20:43:20 IST

Rating 2.0 - **

When it comes to spy films, one usually thinks of the big-budget action flicks that have made mark in Bollywood like AGENT VINOD [2012], PHANTOM [2015], BABY [2015], BANG BANG [2014], EK THA TIGER [2012], TIGER ZINDA HAI [2017]. But RAAZI last year changed it all and made a mark in this space as the spy was not shown kicking ass but quietly doing her job for the country. Now a film in a similar space, ROMEO AKBAR WALTER, is all set to release. The comparisons with RAAZI will be inevitable, also because it is based in the same time period. So does ROMEO AKBAR WALTER manage to stand out from RAAZI or any other spy film? Or does it fail to deliver? Let's analyse.

ROMEO AKBAR WALTER is the story of a patriot who takes extreme risks while spying in enemy country. The year is 1971. Romeo Ali (John Abraham) works in India in a bank. He stays with his mother Waheeda (Alka Amin) who is overprotective about him since Romeo's father had died while serving the country. Romeo too has the passion to work for India but is unable to do so due to his mother. However one day he meets Shrikant Rao (Jackie Shroff), head of RAW, and he asks Romeo to join them and spy on Pakistanis on their soil. Romeo agrees and before leaving for training and eventual trip to Pakistan, he lies to his mother that he has been promoted in the bank and that that's why he has been sent for training. In Pakistan, he manages to smartly win the trust of arms dealer Isaq Afridi (Anil George), who's very close to General Zorawar (Purnendu Bhattacharya). While spying on their conversations and activities, Romeo stumbles upon an important information. The Pakistani forces are planning an air strike in Badlipur area of the then East Pakistan. This part of Pakistan is getting rebellious and wants independence. The rebels meanwhile are being trained by Indian forces and a lot of them are stationed at Badlipur, where the Pakistanis plan to drop bombs. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Robbie Grewal's story is promising and could have made for an exciting thriller. Robbie Grewal and Rahul Sen Gupta's screenplay however is very weak and flawed. The scenes don't flow well and the narrative is quite incoherent. Audiences might not be able to easily comprehend what's going on. There are too many loopholes that even a layman will be able to point out. Robbie Grewal, Ishraq Eba and Shreyansh Pandey's dialogues are well worded but nothing memorable.

Robbie Grewal's direction is not upto the mark. It is evident that he has put in a lot of research but it's of no use when you are not able to use it well. Moreover, audiences won't be able to help but compare the proceedings with RAAZI and it was a far superior product. So this factor also comes in play. Except for the final scene, one doesn't root for Romeo. His bond with his mother seems half baked. Even the romantic track with Parul (Mouni Roy) seems forced. The makers don't even bother to show what happens to Parul later on.

ROMEO AKBAR WALTER has a shocking start but then goes downhill. The film suffers from problems at many places. Audiences might not be able to comprehend what's going on in the story. Quite a few sequences are difficult to digest especially how Pakistanis start to trust Romeo so easily. A few scenes do spark interest like the intermission point, Colonel Khan (Sikandar Kher) searching Romeo's house, the lie detector test sequence etc. But such scenes are immediately followed by not-so-exciting or flawed developments. The last few minutes do evoke patriotism and tries to move viewers and the makers succeed only partly as it comes too late in the day.

John Abraham: "EXTREMISTS are Ill-Informed, Uneducated People Who want to create Trouble | RAW

John Abraham gives his hundred per cent. The film might disappoint but he won't. His deadpan expressions work very well for his character. Mouni Roy has an interesting part to essay. Though she does well, her character gets a raw deal. Jackie Shroff is dependable but at places, it's difficult to understand what he's speaking. Sikandar Kher oozes fear and terror and gets the accent right. Suchitra Krishnamoorthi (Rehana Kazmi) is fine but has very little to do. Anil George is damn impressive. Raghubir Yadav (Mudassar) leaves a mark. Purnendu Bhattacharya is okay. Rajesh Shringapure (Awasthi) and Nawab Afridi (Shadaab Amjad Khan) do well.

The music has no scope and seems forced. 'Bulleya' fails to strike a chord. Maa' is forcefully added. 'Vande Mataram' is played in the end credits. 'Allah Hoo Allah' is needless while 'Jee Len De' is there for just a minute. Hanif Shaikh's background score is quite loud but works in enhancing impact.

Tapan Tushar Basu's cinematography is appropriate. Madhur Madhavan and Swapnil Bhalerao's production design gives the film a nice retro touch. Same goes for Ameira Punvani's costumes. The clothes worn by Mouni is in sync with the era shown. Prana and Pixel D's VFX is passable. Nilesh Girdhar's editing is quite slow and the film is too long at 144 minutes.

On the whole, ROMEO AKBAR WALTER fails to impress as it suffers from a flawed script as well as a weak and lengthy execution. At the box office, it will have an uphill task to register impressive numbers.

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altgr

@altgr

Stunner

+ 17

Posted: 6 years ago

Romeo Akbar Walter Movie Review: A raw deal!

By Sonil Dedhia | Mumbai

Updated: Apr 05, 2019, 10:42 IST

Given the twists and turns, John Abraham starrer Romeo Akbar Walter comes across as a convoluted and tedious mess

RAW Review

Romeo Akbar Walter

U/A: Action

Director: Robbie Grewal

Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff

Ratings: 1.5

John Abraham's latest nation-in-peril movie is set against the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan war. Releasing nearly a year after Raazi, this one suffers from an acute hangover of the Alia Bhatt-film. It even ends with a song that seems inspired (read blatantly copied from Ae Watan...).

Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW) has a confusing structure, is supported by a blaring background score, and lacks both the smarts and the menace of being a good espionage thriller. The problem here lies with director Robbie Grewal (also director of Aloo Chaat, Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar, and Samay), who botches his own script.

Given the twists and turns, the film comes across as a convoluted and tedious mess. For a major portion of the film, you find yourself trying to decipher where it is leading. In order to fit the sub-plots, the script is stretched to a point that you stop caring. The first part revolves around Romeo's (Abraham) induction into the task force and imbibing the nuances of Akbar as he enters Pakistan. What could have been an interesting depiction, is reduced to a clichd montage of training. In the second half, our super-spy hero is in pursuit of getting details of the Pakistani Army which threatens to set a bomb in a part of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

Watch the Romeo Akbar Walter trailer:

The sequence is shot so casually that it makes you wonder if walking on the streets of Pakistan while trying to gather sensitive information, is a cakewalk. The attempt to create a sense of urgency and intrigue are undermined by the lack of coherence. The film manages to pick up the pace in the second half, but by then, it is too late to salvage the situation.

Also Read: Romeo Akbar Walter director shoots across the country in 46 days

The screenplay moves at a snail's pace and is devoid of tension. The unnecessary inclusion of a love story between Romeo and Parul (Mouni Roy) makes it further lethargic. That's not all, amidst the supposed high-tension situation, a lovemaking scene seems like a desperate attempt to titillate the audience.

Grewal tries to bank on the emotional side of Romeo as he remembers his mother. The scene is almost an ode to Darsheel Safary from Taare Zameen Par (2007). It comes across as pretentious and dreary. It seems, the director hoped to present the film as a complete package, and failed miserably. Had he stuck to the narrative of a spy, the outcome would have been very different.

Sikander Kher is the only one who has attempted to salvage the film. Jackie Shroff as the director of Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) sails by. Abraham's deadpan expressions are a hindrance but he somehow manages to hold his ground. And Roy should stick to doing Naagin instead of a gratuitous role like this. As for RAW, YAW(n).

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altgr

@altgr

Stunner

+ 17

Posted: 6 years ago

RAW - Romeo Akbar Walter movie review: John Abraham stars in a dumb movie about intelligence

RAW - Romeo Akbar Walter review: A stiff John Abraham threatens to blend into the traditionally wood-panelled walls. Rating: 1.5/5.

Updated: Apr 05, 2019 08:39:32

By Raja Sen

RAW - Romeo Akbar Walter movie review: John Abraham stars as three different characters.

RAW - Romeo Akbar Walter

Director - Robbie Grewal

Cast - John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff, Sikandar Kher

Rating - 1.5/5

Spy movies speak their own language. British spies in the movies have confidential conversations in public parks, spilling secrets while feeding ducks. Our spy movies, mostly set between India and Pakistan, feature agents and double-agents chatting at qawwali performances, presumably thinking the wails will drown them out. Romeo Akbar Walter follows spy clichs dutifully and drowns us in minutiae, but never feels immediate or exciting. It's a slow film, and the spies at the qawwali are played by John Abraham and Mouni Roy.

Abraham, possibly a shark at poker, uses expressions sparingly, as if afraid to run out of a restricted repertoire. We meet him as Romeo, a young-ish man with Arjun Rampal hair and a pockmarked face, rougher than we're used to seeing him, but the flatness of tone and performance remain steadfast. Alas, blankness and inscrutability are not the same, and, given that the film is set in Pakistan, the stiff actor threatens to blend into the traditionally wood-panelled walls.

Watch the Romeo Akbar Walter trailer here:

Set in 1971, there's interesting ground: the Indian army training rebels in East Pakistan, Indian intelligence trying to outwit the Pakistanis via diplomatic misdirection, and Pakistani intelligence that, for once, looks efficient enough to be a threat. There is even some third-act skulduggery that could have been clever. Unfortunately, the film drags on for too long, and despite RAW chief Jackie Shroff insisting "Nothing will be told to you directly every little bit is tediously spelt out.

The Indian intelligence network functions like a classroom-full of kids passing elaborately hidden notes, inside oranges and padlocks. Grewal appears so pleased with these hiding places that their logic is forsaken: an old man gives a well-dressed woman a box containing a saree covering a gun, yet the sight of these people together is so anachronistic he might as well hand her a cello case with a machine gun.

RAW buckles under John Abraham's efforts.

Some details are good. Handbills on the wall advertise the once-popular Turkish television brand, Arcelik, we hear of Prakash Padukone winning badminton tournaments in Kuala Lumpur, and a radio cruelly taunts a Pakistani Colonel with a classic, happy (albeit racist) Hindi film song. This Colonel is played by a terrific Sikandar Kher, a menacing figure who gets the dialect right, credibly swallowing English syllables: "police becomes "pulce, "lie detector becomes "lie tector. Yet this is an Abraham show, and as he takes on three characters with three names, the film buckles under the effort.

In the James Bond novels, there are pages where Bond reads a dossier. These are highly detailed pages, letting us know what Bond knows before we turn to the action and thrills. Romeo Akbar Walter is all dossier, no thrill, and it's a dossier read aloud by Jackie Shroff. Pity, really. No point in pouring a drink so dry it forgets it wanted to be a martini.

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Seig heil

@S_H_Y

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Posted: 6 years ago

Romeo Akbar Walter Is Below The Mark

Friday 05 April 2019 14.00 IST

Box Office India Trade Network

Romeo Akbar Walter opened below the mark at around 10-15% which is pretty much par the course as does not have much to interest the initial crowd. The last John Abraham film Satyameva Jayate was one of the biggest shocks of last year as it took a 20 crore nett opening on a national holiday. The film had a super hit song but one huge hit song alone cant bring such a big crowd in on day one so it would have had other pluses.

The music here in this film is weak and a hit song or two could have pushed the initial but now its depending on weekend growth. The thriller genre is not best for growth but films like Badla and Andhadhun will give hope but those films are more in the suspense - thriller zone while Romeo Akbar Walter is more in the action - thriller zone. The action zone is not best for growth.

The biggest solo John Abraham openers outside Satyameva Jayate are in the 5-6 crore nett range and it remains to be seen if Romeo Akbar Walter can go higher. The evening collections and mass sectors will tell.

The other film which was supposed to release this week Modi got postponed earlier this week. Not that it was going to make much of an impact on day one anyway.

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OG Evil Spawn

@Maroonporsche

Achiever

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Posted: 6 years ago

Romeo Akbar Walter Is Below The Mark

Friday 05 April 2019 14.00 IST
Box Office India Trade Network
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Romeo Akbar Walter opened below the mark at around 10-15% which is pretty much par the course as does not have much to interest the initial crowd. The last John Abraham film Satyameva Jayate was one of the biggest shocks of last year as it took a 20 crore nett opening on a national holiday. The film had a super hit song but one huge hit song alone cant bring such a big crowd in on day one so it would have had other pluses.

The music here in this film is weak and a hit song or two could have pushed the initial but now its depending on weekend growth. The thriller genre is not best for growth but films like Badla and Andhadhun will give hope but those films are more in the suspense - thriller zone while Romeo Akbar Walter is more in the action - thriller zone. The action zone is not best for growth.

The biggest solo John Abraham openers outside Satyameva Jayate are in the 5-6 crore nett range and it remains to be seen if Romeo Akbar Walter can go higher. The evening collections and mass sectors will tell.

The other film which was supposed to release this week Modi got postponed earlier this week. Not that it was going to make much of an impact on day one anyway.

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altgr

@altgr

Stunner

+ 17

Posted: 6 years ago

Romeo Akbar Walter And Shazam Day One Business

Saturday 06 April 2019 11.30 IST

Box Office India Trade Network

Romeo Akbar Walter had a low first day as it collected around the 5 crore nett mark. The last John Abraham film Satyameva Jayate had collected a huge 20 crore nett on day one. It was a national holiday but even allowing for the big holiday that film was a huge surprise.

The opening of Romeo Akbar Walter is in that same range as films liek Rocky Handsome, Parmanu and the Force films and out of those Parmanu went on to do well but that film was more of a drama than an action thriller which meant more potential outside the youth crowd. It remains to be seen where Romeo Akbar Walter goes. The growth was minimal on Friday evening but still Saturday should go upwards though probably not as much as it needs to.

The Hollywood release Shazam had ordinary collections on day with around 3 crore nett. This film can show big growth depending on how the metros take to it as the business is predominantly high end multiplexes.

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SudhaSangeet

@SudhaSangeet

Dazzler

+ 4

Posted: 6 years ago

Saw it today...an average fare to be honest. Movie had its share of ups and down...Romeo John's character was so perfect in his work and equally stupid was Parul Mouni's character. Jackie Shroff was good too.
Glad he chooses such events from our history which were major turning point for our nation...which else we wouldn't have known.