It’s fun, it’s fast paced, and it’s entertaining. That’s how I would like to shortly describe Tigmanshu Dhulia‘s Bullett Raja.
Bullett Raja is a typical formula film, where certain things are taken for granted. For example: there is no reason why a jobless graduate Raja Mishra (Saif Ali Khan), who has no criminal background, suddenly becomes a professional shooter. With him is his friend and confidant Rudra (Jimmy Shergill), who also gets entangled in the gang war.
The end result is simple: opponents knock off Rudra, and Raja wages a revengeful war.
Bullett Raja is well written, scenes are crisp, and not long drawn and boring. The film has it’s funny moments, but what catches one’s attention are the dialogues – which are not over the top or heavy – they are very real, and true to each character.
Coming to performances: Saif Ali Khan has an author backed role, and he does utter justice to it. Sonakshi Sinha as Mitali has nothing much to do. She grabs attention in whatever little she has got. Raj Babbar and Gulshan Grover are perfect in their parts. Vidyut Jammwal as Cop Arun Singh makes a late entry, has a two bit role, but as expected – he entirely will grab your attention with his breathtaking stunts. However, the surprise packages of Bullett Raja are Jimmy Shergill and Ravi Kishen (Sumer Yadav) – both deserve a standing ovation, seriously.
The flip side of Bullett Raja is it’s lengthy runtime, the romantic track and music. The film is predictable, but since it’s fast moving – by the time one realizes this, the film is already over.
Tigmanshu Dhulia, who is known for his films like Saheb Biwi Aur Gangstar, Paan Singh Tomar and Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns, kind of falls short with Bullett Raja. This is for the first time that Dhulia has worked with not one, but two established stars. This shows on screen, as it has taken a toll on the narrative. There was no reason for hero worshipping by him.
Tigmanshu Dhulia has tried very hard to fit a commercial actor in the film, which is the biggest let down.
Conclusion: All said and done, I want to say one thing: Such characters look great on Salman Khan. If he was cast in Bullett Raja, this could have been a Box Office Raja too.
Rating: **
