If he would have died the first time, we wouldn’t need to burn him every year.’ Those are our antagonist Ra.One’s (Arjun Rampal’s) words on the mythological villain Raavan he is named after. With those words, not only does Ra.One exemplify his strength but also justifies bagging the title role of the film.
The plot is interesting. An innocent Prateek (Armaan Verma), a gaming freak, longs to fight a never-losing virtual villain, a super-villain if you may. His doting father (Shah Rukh Khan), a video game programmer offers him just that, the ultimate villain, Ra.One. Although, a true believer of the powers of good over evil, he also programmes a super-hero, G.One. Advancement in technology and a certain turn in events bring these virtual superhero and villain to life. The ensuing incidents form the rest of the story.
One cannot take away from Shah Rukh Khan his superstar status. How could one? He brings a charisma to the screen rarely seen in other actors. As the curly-haired South Indian Shekhar Subramaniam, he is funny, charming even as he eats noodles with curd by hand. As G.One, he is the superhero we’ve been vying for, one that doesn’t shy of paying respect to his predecessor, Chitti aka Robot (played by the rightly credited, superstar Rajnikanth).
At this juncture, the captain of the ship, director Anubhav Sinha must be mentioned. He blows life into this unique concept much like G.One spreads love with his ‘hart’ (hertz advanced resonance transmitter). To execute a sci-fi thriller with romance and comedy thrown in definitely requires courage and understanding of cinema. He shows both.
When we speak of performance in the film, the first image that comes to mind is a spewing Arjun Rampal. A strategic move to not reveal his ‘look’ until the last minute pays off as he embodies the vicious part. His performance, especially the voice modulation is sure to win him accolades.
The apple of everyone’s eyes, Kareena Kapoor is bedazzling. When she’s on screen, she lights up the frame. Besides, nobody could have pulled off a Chhamak Challo the way she does.
The real star of the film is of course, the VFX. Highly advanced and spectacularly carried out, this is the most forward it gets in Indian cinema. We haven’t been treated with such splendour ever before except for some Hollywood films of the same genre. The time and energy put into the task at hand clearly shows.
An added treat is viewing the film in 3D. We recommend you watch the 3D version if you have the option. It takes virtual reality to another level as you might fool yourself to believe you are actually a part of the game. Even though the film hasn’t been shot in 3D, Prime Focus has done a great job in rendering it. This might just be the beginning of a new era in Bollywood.
Suffice it to say, Ra.One isn’t just a film, it’s an experience. One that takes you through a journey of emotions, thrills and laughter. One that makes you marvel and one that ultimately leaves you believing good trumps evil without a shadow of a doubt.
Rating: ****
