Direction: Dinesh Vijan
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput (Shiv/shivay), Kriti Sanon (Saira), Jim Sarbh (Zakir Merchant/zak), Varun Sharma (Radha), Rajkummar Rao And Deepika Padukone (Cameo)
Ratings: 2.5/5
Raabta story
Raabta begins with Shiv, a Punjabi-boy-banker who is a ladies’ man and who goes to Budapest with his friend Radha. There he meets Saira, an orphan baker and they immediately take a liking to each other. infatuated with each other, they spend a lot of time together. Saira is troubled by dreams of drowning and bodies floating in the river.
During one of the parties, Saira meets Zak. Saira takes a liking to Zak and immediately fins some connection with him too, but at the same time clears her intention that she is in love with Shiv. Zak kidnaps her and takes her to her castle where he tells her about the past that is shared by the three of them. The movie shifts to the past where we meet Shiv, Saira, and Zak, where Zak killed Shiv to claim Saira. Will, Shiv, and Saira get together in this lifetime?
Buzz:
The title of the movie has been taken from the song titled ‘Raabta’ from the movie, Agent Vinod. Irrfan Khan plays the role of the narrator in the movie. The movie was dragged into court by the makers of the South Indian movie, Magadheera, over story copyrights, but they later took the case back. This is Sushant and Kriti’s first movie together. There are rumors that Sushant and Kriti fell in love on the sets of Raabta. Asin had declined the role of the female lead in the movie as she didn’t want to act after marriage.
What To Anticipate:
The idea of love following over lifetimes has not been a new one in Hindi cinema and Raabta follows the same in a newer frame and set with interesting characters. The story looks fresh and paired with good acting, the movies look good onscreen. The first half of the movie deals with the casual love story that reminds one of the recently released, ‘Befikre’, while at the same time, the second half of the movie that dwells in the past seems to have been inspired by 300 movies and Game of Thrones.
The technical elements of the movie have been shot with finesse. The lighting, the scenes, the visual effects, and a really good background score – all add to give Raabta, an upper edge. Sushant and Kriti have acted well and the chemistry between these two looks fresh and at ease. The dialogues are funny and Sushant acts as the perfect cheesy lover, a quality that has been attributed to Ranveer Singh over time. Sushant’s acting has grown and be it the role of a comic goofball or an intense warrior, he bares it all in Raabta.
Rajkummar Rao’s cameo forms an integral part of the plot, but if only his character were given a little more depth and a little more screen time. On the other hand, Kriti Sanon’s character has been given the perfect mystery that keeps one hooked until the very end. Jim Sarbh as the antagonist of the story is equally good and there is a certain creepiness that adds charm to his acting. What looks satisfying is the fact that Shiv doesn’t remember anything about the past even at the end of the story, and the plot doesn’t forcefully make him remember everything. The background of beautiful Budapest as Shiv and Saira fall for each other works skillfully.
The plot has been written with great conviction but the final execution lacks a bit of finesse, especially in the second half. At the same time, Kriti Sannon easily letting Sushant invade her apartment and her privacy at the very first meeting looks unrealistic. Also, the character of Varun Sharma has been pretty much sidelined and he is only present perfectly in those places, where the hero falls alone or needs his help. Also, even though Sushant is a banker, there is nothing banker-like with him in the movie or for that matter, even though Jim Sarbh is a liquor-tycoon, there is nothing concrete to put that in order. Also, the Batman-like voice that Sushant impersonates in the second half of the movie lacked the required intensity.
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