As the rules go, a con film has to be fast-paced (or at least little faster than the Raja Natwarlal pace).
If not, then at least attention-grabbing, riveting with a mystery plot that unfolds slowly but surely.
Raja Natwarlal is as plain as the nose on your face, where even a Nancy Drew fan can predict what’s going to happen 20 scenes later, while watching the current scene.
It’s rather offensive that the story just takes the audience for granted and provides no excitement, or freshness.
Raja Natwarlal, having rented ideas generously from Ocean’s series, Bunty aur Babli, Special 26 and the director’s own past film Jannat, is a dull mess.
The film opens with the déjà vu of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels scene wherein the partners in crime Raja (Emraan Hashmi) and Deepak Tijori con people with a game of cards.
Like absolutely all the other characters that Hashmi plays, this one too wants quick and easy money and in the attempt to earn that, things go dreadfully wrong and his partner, his so called brother gets killed.
Raja thereon decides to take revenge (of course) and ruin the baddie responsible for the death. Thus is introduced the disinclined professional con-teacher (Paresh Rawal) to give out some lessons to our hero, so that the hero will take revenge and we all can go home happily.
[easyreview title=”RAJA NATWARLAL” cat1title=”Story” cat1detail=”Raja, a con artist on a mission to con a business mogul and take revenge.” cat1rating=”2.5″ cat2title=”Performances” cat2detail=”Performances even by the known brilliant actors are dull and lack enthusiasm.” cat2rating=”2.5″ cat3title=”Direction” cat3detail=”Kunal Deshmukh, seems to be in his hit film Jannat’s hangover and delivers nothing fresh.” cat3rating=”2.5″ cat4title=”Production” cat4detail=”The film even travels to South Africa to give the audience a stylish feel, but is monotonous.” cat4rating=”2″ cat5title=”Music” cat5detail=”The songs of Raja Natwarlal are too many, too ill timed, boring and a pain to watch.” cat5rating=”2″ summary=’Raja Natwarlal is neither a typical Emraan Hashmi entertainer not exciting enough for mystery and thriller lovers,’ word=’CON-TASTIC’]
It is a shame that while the film just before the interval comes at a super interesting plot post interval the story fizzes out like balloon letting off air and becoming useless.
Director Kunal Deshmukh, seems to be in his hit film Jannat’s hangover. Like the Jannat series, this film has the same director, same actor, Emraan Hashmi as the money greedy con-man, premise revolving around cricket related robbery and a lover who shakes her booty in a dance bar and throws a spanner in the hero’s plan to protect him.
Emraan who has done the Jannat series and Tum Mile with the director before, is probably so lack lustre from their actor-director relationship that he looks and acts in the film like a guy bored and looking for lust elsewhere.
He comes, says dialogues without any enthusiasm whatsoever and doesn’t even bother to change his clothes for the whole first half of the film.
I accept that he probably is playing the ‘roadside’ Romeo-turned-con but c’mon change your clothes at least once dude.
At times you feel that Emraan accepted the role only because he wanted to kiss the hot Pakistani actress Humaima at least once in life and scratch it off his bucket list.
Speaking of her, the beautiful Humaima Malick, who was brilliant in Bol, does a passable job in the film. Her acting is no better than all the other forgettable actresses opposite Emraan Hashmi.
Kay Kay Menon acting as the baddie, Vardha Yadav probably took up this role only because he was getting a chance to travel to South Africa for free. Otherwise why would such a brilliant actor do such a dull boring role still haunts my mind.
Zeeshan Ayub, who was like a diamond discovered through Raanjhana, has just one dialogue in the whole film and throughout is only walking pointlessly with a gun in his hand. Why Zeeshan why?
Good songs and Emraan Hashmi is always a package deal of his films. However, the songs of Raja Natwarlal are too many, too ill timed, boring, and a pain to watch.
Raja Natwarlal is neither a typical Emraan Hashmi entertainer not exciting enough for mystery/thriller lovers. It is just a dull film that will slow down your weekend. Give this one a miss and watch ice-bucket challenge fails on YouTube instead.
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