Ram Setu follows the story of an archaeologist who is assigned the task of proving that Ram Setu is a natural phenomenon with no connection to Lord Ram. The story is interesting and was an absolute winner on paper. But it is the screenplay that is a bit of a letdown here. Standing at 140 odd minutes, the length of the screenplay is perfect for a drama like this but it honestly lacks conviction.

I mean no disrespect to anyone, and I myself really enjoy reading about culture and mythology which honestly fascinates me. But I have to call out the writing here which is convenient and something that lacks conviction. I wanted to like the drama, I really did because the concept was excellent and it was a genre that Bollywood hadn’t been dabbling with at all recently. But the writing here was really patchy, almost lazy in the middle.

If you remember the sleeper hit Karthikeya 2 and why that worked as a film was the ambiguity of the subject that added an element of mystery. The protagonist there was an atheist only to be enlightened with the findings. This resulted in many goosebumps worthy moments. But here, the transition of the character of Akshay Kumar from an atheist to being enlightened takes place in such a half hearted manner(that too late in the first half itself) that you aren’t at all convinced about his transformation.

While you are introduced to the protagonist in Afghanistan, in a scene which was fairly well constructed, you needed to spend a little more time in establishing the fact that he is true to his principles. This would have gone a long way in reaping rewards. The drama is consistently watchable as it finds its groove with the introduction of the conflict. But it is the writing that is really patchy and convenient to say the least.

To give you a couple of instances, Akshay and his team are running for their lives only to be intercepted and saved by a group of rebels in Sri Lanka. Now how did the rebels know about their location? We do not know. It is moments like these that should have been ironed out which would have made for a compelling viewing. Another instance being the transformation of the antagonist played by Pravesh Rana. At that point he had killed off two from the group and yet in a change of heart helps Akshay Kumar after the latter saves his life. Every action onscreen has to be justified and this was not. Also, without any official documents, the character of Akshay Kumar lands up in court directly from Sri Lanka which made me question the logic again. I am all for creative liberty but provided it is done well and not rushed.

The drama does get a little listless in the middle wherein there were ample opportunities of tactically inserting goosebumps in the screenplay. The pre climactic fight sequence is unintentionally funny whereas the tone of the drama should have been serious. But the drama is saved by the 20 minute courtroom scene wherein the conviction that was lacking in the writing does kick in. There are some rousing moments even though some may argue that it is straight from a Whatsapp forward. But it definitely creates a stir leading up to the final act which does have an interesting twist before the audience can shout “Jai Shree Ram”. Totally worth it! But overall, I wish the same kind of conviction and intensity was maintained throughout the film instead of a rather rushed screenplay. And a small portion of the teachings of Lord Ram could have been carefully integrated in the drama, something that Karthikeya 2 had done very effectively.