Star Cast: Himesh Reshammiya, Prabhudheva, Kirti Kulhari, Sunny Leone, Simona J
Director: Keith Gomes
Badass Ravi Kumar Movie Review Synopsis:
BADASS RAVI KUMAR is the story of a ruthless man. The year is 1989. Ravi Kumar (Himesh Reshammiya) is a badass cop from Delhi who believes in eliminating corruption. While doing so, he takes the law into his own hands and even eliminates corrupt people. As a result, he has been suspended. Meanwhile, in Oman, Syed Bashir (Manish Wadhwa), a Pakistani top official, asks the world’s biggest power marker, Pedro (Prabhu Dheva), to help him retrieve a film camera reel. It consists of pictures of a file full of information about all the Indian secret agents, their aliases, and also details of where India has hidden its deadly missiles. Pedro starts working on it but due to circumstances, the reel is retrieved by a certain Laila (Kirti Kulhari). Laila tells Pedro that she’ll hand him the reel personally in Muscat in return for a price. Back in Delhi, Commissioner Awasthi (Saurabh Sachdeva) meets Interpol agent Mahavir Ahuja (Prashant Narayanan) and the latter informs the former about Pedro and his Indian associate, namely Jagawar (Rajesh Sharma). Jagawar needs to be arrested in a case and Awasthi recommends Ravi Kumar for the job. Mahavir is astonished by Ravi’s track record but agrees to send him unofficially to Muscat for the job. Ravi agrees, not knowing that this mission is not going to be easy. During the mission, he also comes across his ex-lover Madhubala (Simona J), who incidentally is also the sister of Laila. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Badass Ravi Kumar Movie Story Review:
Himesh Reshammiya’s story is quite ordinary. But Kushal Bakshi and Himesh Reshammiya’s screenplay is peppered with mass-appealing scenes and moments that will give the audience their money’s worth. Bunty Rathore’s dialogues are one of the pillars of the film. The one-liners will lead to whistles and hoots in cinemas.
Keith Gomes’s direction is more or less fine. There are too many characters and subplots and he tries his best to keep the narrative as simplified as possible. He also makes it very clear in the very beginning that the film is made in 80s style and that ‘logic is optional’. With that directive, the audience will have no reason to complain and will simply enjoy the crazy ride. Since one needs to keep brains aside, the makers go to insane lengths and it would be fair to say that ‘expect the unexpected’. A few scenes that stand out are Ravi Kumar’s lengthy introduction, Ravi threatening Jagawar at the court, Ravi slapping the Godman, the intermission point, Ravi with Syed in the elevator etc. The diamond robbery track is very entertaining and would be loved; it also gives a tribute to the Dharmendra-starrer SHALIMAR [1978]. The pre-climax song, too, will get a roaring response from the audience.
On the flipside, the direction is a bit haphazard. Agreed that the film should not be taken seriously. Yet, things happen all of a sudden and at random in some places and could have been avoided. The writing is weak and the makers should have thought of better ways of summing it up. Lastly, 5 or 6 songs appear back-to-back and it gets tedious.
Badass Ravi Kumar | Official Trailer | Himesh Reshammiya | In Cinemas 7th February
Badass Ravi Kumar Movie Review Performances:
Himesh Reshammiya looks dashing and performs like a pro. His screen presence is riveting and he plays to the gallery perfectly. Prabhudheva is over the top but it works for his villainous role. Kirti Kulhari looks sizzling and leaves a huge mark. Sunny Leone (Nisha) is fine in a cameo. Simona J looks pretty but doesn’t act properly. Johny Lever (Raja) and Sanjay Mishra (Rana) are okay and some of their jokes don’t land well. Anil George (Bhujang), Rajesh Sharma, Saurabh Sachdeva, Manish Wadhwa and Prashant Narayanan lend able support. Mustafa Askari (Raftaar) is aptly cast. Navneet Nishan (Ravi’s mother) and Sulbha Arya (Navneet’s grandmother) are lovely. Pavan Malhotra (Ravi’s father) is fair in a cameo.
Badass Ravi Kumar movie music and other technical aspects:
Himesh Reshammiya’s music is peppy and enhances the film’s appeal. After a long time, there has been a film where songs play out after every 10 minutes. ‘Dil Ke Taj Mahal Meinn’ is easily the best of the lot. ‘Hookstep Hookah Bar’ comes next; its choreography is memorable. ‘Tandoori Days’ and ‘Bazaar E Ishq’ are well picturized. ‘Terre Pyaar Mein’ is forced but has a lovely melody. ‘Barsaat’, the only song from the album not composed by Himesh (music by Sanjeev – Darshan) has a nice 90s vibe. Ganesh Acharya’s choreography deserves a special mention. Himesh Reshammiya and Sanjoy Chowdhury’s background score is in sync with the film’s mood and theme.
Manoj Soni’s cinematography is grand. The locales of Oman are very well shot. Sunil Rodrigues, Stunt Sam and Deni Jordan Kjurcijev’s action is gory but appropriate for a film of this kind. Arun J Chauhan’s costumes are glamorous. Suresh Selvarajan’s production design is first-rate while Pentaverse Pvt. Ltd’s VFX is a bit tacky. In a way, it works for this film. Ram Ishwar’s editing could have been smoother.
Badass Ravi Kumar Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, BADASS RAVI KUMAR is a thoroughly entertaining flick that thrives on sheer madness – over-the-top action, an unapologetically 80s-style narrative, whistle-worthy dialogues, and the ever-dashing Himesh Reshammiya. Logic takes a backseat – it’s nowhere in sight – and nothing needs to make sense. If that’s your jam, buckle up and enjoy!