2.0/5
Rashtra Kavach Om begins with Om (Aditya Roy Kapur) making a LALO (Low Altitude, Low Opening) jump from an aircraft straight onto a battleship without using a parachute. That he doesn’t die on impact means his bones must have been made of metal. Then he begins to shoot at the baddies on the bridge. And then he’s shot in the head and falls into the choppy seas and yet survives. There’s a bullet lodged in his head and all this super soldier suffers from is amnesia. He starts hallucinating about a child called Rishi, whose father Dev (Jackie Shroff) was snatched away from him, while he was left to die. We later learn that he was adopted by his military officer uncle, Jai (Ashutosh Rana), and got trained to become India’s best para commando so that he could take revenge upon those who allegedly kidnapped/killed his scientist father. His dad was on the verge of perfecting the shield technology when the tragedy occurred. This invisible shield, very much like what Wakandians use in Marvel films to save their nation from nuclear attack, would have been the perfect defence for India. 16 years later, when Om grows up, the defence agencies learn that the Kavach technology has been set in production by some rogue elements and that Om’s father Dev might be the villain of the piece. His mission is to stop the sale of the technology and catch the culprits, whatever the cost may be…
This is one of those films which looks eminently good on paper. What could be better than an amnesiac superhero who is super patriotic as well? Throw in a family drama involving a loving foster-father who is also a patriot, a doting foster-mother who loves making kheer, and a female colleague, who is a combat specialist and a doctor and secretly in love with the hero, and you can’t go wrong — right? It’s said that the best laid plans are only good till the time they meet real-life situations. And that’s true of the present film as well. The writers, Raj Saluja and Niket Pandey, have put so many twists in the story that the director must have needed a map to get out of the maze. The viewer certainly needs it to figure out what’s going on. What could have been a simple revenge drama gets unnecessarily complicated and drags on and on. The extra-loud background score adds to your woes.
The only good thing about the film is the chiseled body of the hero, Aditya Roy Kapur, who, after doing romantic films galore, seems to be going for a change of genre. He does look good in all those slow motion shots where he picks up heavy guns and kills everyone in sight. The broody alcoholic act that had become his trademark of sorts has given way to the broody He-Man act, who becomes a one-man-army if provoked. His dedication to the transition can’t be faulted. He’s given his all to the film and now it remains to be seen if the audience takes to his new avatar. Sanjana Sanghi too gets to punch and kick to her heart’s content and seems to be enjoying it. Strangely, the love angle between her character and Aditya’s is only hinted at and never gets played out. Veterans Jackie Shroff, Prakash Raj and Ashutosh Rana struggle to provide some gravitas to this haphazard film but even their best efforts go in vain.
Watch the film only if you’re a diehard fan of Aditya Roy Kapur and/or of mindless action films.
Trailer : Rashtra Kavach Om
Ronak Kotecha, July 1, 2022, 1:40 PM IST
2.5/5
STORY: A para commando is on a top-secret mission for the nation. But as he goes to work with his top-notch combat skills, he realises that his personal and professional life is intertwined with multiple layers of lies, betrayal and deceit. Can he trust anyone at all?
REVIEW: Covert operations, a super-skilled fighter and an elite government agency on a mission to save the nation. These are some of the staple ingredients for a story that gives ample scope to infuse mindless action, chest-thumping patriotism and convoluted plot twists. That’s ‘Raksha Kavach Om’ for you in short – a film that must have checked all the boxes for a slick actioner on paper but on screen, it doesn’t pack the same punch. Director Kapil Verma and his writers get the setting right to mount their ambitious thriller, but the writing is clunky and all over the place. The film starts with Om (Aditya Roy Kapur) being called in for an all-important mission, but the attack leaves him half-dead. When he recovers, he has lost his memory and he is now fumbling to find answers about his past and present. He is in the care of Kavya (Sanjana Sanghi), who can kick some serious butt when it comes to defending her team members. They have their task cut out but amidst all of this, Om also needs to find his father and prove to the world that he was not a traitor.
It’s a story that is padded with multiple layers making it unnecessarily complex. The deafening background score adds noise to every big and small event on the screen. However, the action choreography is a definite plus and somewhat makes up for the otherwise lengthy and laborious screenplay. Aditya Roy Kapur is smouldering in his new macho avatar as an out-and-out action hero. The effort and dedication he has put into physically transforming himself for the role shows on screen. His action is impressive, and this is a genre he can probably explore more. Sanjana Sanghi is one of the few women in this all-male domain, but her role or performance has nothing noteworthy. Ashutosh Rana plays his part diligently while Prakash Raj comes off as very stereotyped. Jackie Shroff as scientist Dev is aptly cast.
‘Rashtra Kavach Om’ is just as unreal and outlandish as its name, if not more. But if you’re a diehard Aditya Roy Kapur fan then maybe this mission isn’t all that doomed for you.
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