- Date of Release: 01 July 2022
- Genre: Action, Thriller
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Rashtra Kavach Om
Introduction
Onto the final release of the weekend and I finished watching the new Hindi film Rashtra Kavach Om starring Aditya Roy Kapur. I had minimal expectations from the film as its trailer just did not give me any hope. It promised a similar trajectory – a protagonist ripping his shirt off, pulling a helicopter and screaming to save the day. Now where have I seen this novel idea before🤣 ? Bollywood has been coming out with these gems after gems that would really test the patience of any cinegoer. If the Baaghi and Heropanti series wasn’t enough, this seemed like a start to another mindless franchise which would ensure to kill your braincells which had survived the earlier onslaught. But I did have some hope from Aditya Roy Kapur who usually has a charming presence onscreen. If at all, would he be the person to carry the film on his shoulders and save it from sinking or atleast make it watchable? Here are my two cents on Rashtra Kavach Om.
Story & Screenplay
Rashtra Kavach Om follows the story of an agent with memory loss who must try and save the “Kavach” from the enemies. The good news is that Rashtra Kavach Om does have an assemblance of a story. But the bad news is that it is undone by an uneventful screenplay marred by an even worse execution. The screenplay standing at 135 minutes seemed like the right length for this film but boy was that a slog!
The drama opens with the introduction of the protagonist in an elaborate action sequence filled with VFX which seemed to be a cardboard cut out and almost laughable. Suddenly, he gets shot in the head and I was like ‘Oh early exit, interesting….’. But he does not die despite the bullet wound in the head, something which would stun every doctor in the world. And this trend continues throughout. People are shot in the chest and stomach but they just do not die. What an innovation this😮!
The drama then proceeds in the most uneventful manner. The action film suddenly becomes melodramatic with the whole family angle while somewhere the country’s security is at stake. This while you sit in patience waiting for this absurdity to end. Suddenly then you get some respite as a random twist initiates the interval.
The second half is marginally better with twists and turns that are decent but if you look closer they are silly. After some needless flashbacks later, you are still standing at the same place where the story hasn’t moved an inch. Honestly, a couple of twists and the end mystery is good. But the shoddy screenplay ensures that you run out of patience every now and then. The final act is absolutely bizarre and a rip off of Baaghi 3 and Satyameva Jayate 2. Every cliche in the book is thrown in the final act – as suspected there are bombs going off, vests ripping off, random war chants(but not Ronnyyyyyy) and voila your thriller is ready! In other words, the screenplay is a royal mess!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues aren’t as bad as I had imagined them to be but there are some bizarre lines which you will find in the film as well. The music is decent and the BGM manages to impress in parts. The cinematography is good as well but the VFX and the editing really stands out like a sore thumb! While the latter is very choppy, the former is ridiculous. The attention to detailing is missing and how! In a scene, a person is shot with supposedly a spurt of blood oozing out. In the very next cut there is no blood at all. I rest my case! And the action sequences are outrageous, never mind! Director Kapil Verma was just not the right candidate to direct this film. Even an assemblance of a story was put to flames with a ridiculously bad piece of direction which was just about better than his producer’s last directorial outing – Heropanti 2.
Performances
The performances are quite decent here. Ashutosh Rana is well in control here despite being offered a mediocre script. Vicky Arora has his moments to shine. Jackie Shroff was a bit of a hit and a miss here, also I wasn’t sure of his loyalties till the end which made his character look mildly silly. Prakash Raj is good although he goes over the top in the final act. Sanjana Sanghi looks pretty and has a decent outing, I think a better script should bring out her potential better. Aditya Roy Kapur looks like a beast and does a good job as well which is why you feel sorry for him. I think he should develop a bit of “script” sense by which he will be able to filter out ridiculously bad scripts from the good ones. He needed a better vehicle to showcase this side of his.
Conclusion
Rashtra Kavach Om is a distant cousin of Baaghi 3 and Satyameva Jayate 2. So you know what that means…..even a “Kavach” cannot save you. Available in a theatre near you.