RAW (Romeo Akbar Walter) is Raw….difficult to digest !!

As Bollywood movies are getting better by the day, I thought it was good enough to give this movie a chance!

When you are going to a John Abraham movie, you are definitely not expecting any acting skills, per se at least from him. Apparently, Sushant Singh Rajput was supposed to play his role. Wonder what wonders he would have done!!?? Those who have watched Raazi will subconsciously be comparing this movie with it. The extensive training that a RAW agent would have to go through is rushed through here. Just one attempt at saving Pakistan\’s most high profile arms supplier and dealer from getting shot at, makes Akbar his right hand man. So pretty convenient and naïve!! Then one day, he\’s picked up by some junior officials at ISI just like that and tortured till he is half dead while his godfather doesn\’t have a clue.

Like I said acting skills are nonexistent as far as John Abraham is concerned. Jackie Shroff has more dialogues than John himself. Right at the start, Jackie\’s character Srikanth Rai tells John\’s character Akbar that you will be told to do things in a coded, mystical way. So throughout the movie, one can always be on the lookout for such things and can figure out many of the hidden plans. Rest of the characters too don\’t have much scope to exhibit their acting skills. Some scenes to seem to be stretched too much. The movie is about 15 to 20 minutes too long!! Thankfully there are barely any songs in this movie. John has probably gone lean for this venture amd sports a different look. Apart from Mouni Roy who is all decked up with make up all the time, John\’s look as the old guy in the first couple of minutes makes him unrecognizable!

This movie doesn\’t have the emotion, acting skills, energy, suspense, thrill, dialogues that Raazi or even Sarfarosh had as far as this topic is concerned!!

The film is supposedly based on Ravindra Kaushik, who died a traumatic death after being caught in Pakistan in real life. Apparently, Salman\’s Ek tha Tiger too was based on him according to Kaushik\’s kin. He was conferred the title of \”Black Tiger\” by the then PM Indira Gandhi or Defense Minister Shankarrao Chavan according to media sources. Through films like Raazi and RAW, we atleast get a glimpse of the extreme physical, mental and cultural hardships that these true unsung and unrecognized heroes/heroines go through!!

Did you watch this movie? How was your experience? Do let me know in the comments..