Raman Raghav 2.0 Review : Dark, Edgy, Gritty
After the disastrous Bombay Velvet, maverick filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, known for making gritty crime films with a dash of dark humour, decided to do what he does best and the result is Raman Raghav 2.0, a film that fans of the director were waiting for.
Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Ramanna, a serial killer inspired by the infamous Raman Raghav, who had terrorized Mumbai during the 60s, the film takes you on a journey through the mean and dirty back-alleys of Mumbai as Ramanna goes on a killing spree while a chain-smoking, coke-snorting cop Raghavan (Vicky Kaushal) sets out on his trail.
Soon, the hunter becomes the hunted and vice-versa as Ramanna gets obsessed with Raghavan and starts stalking him. How the cat-and-mouse game ends is what the film deals with.
Nawaz looks menacing with his scar and his sneer, but the actor's dialogue delivery is getting a bit too repetitive and it's high time he realizes this. However, despite this, Nawaz manages to make you wince and cringe with his performance.
On his part, Vicky Kaushal, who had made his debut as a naïve and idealistic young man in Masaan, simply wows you with his portrayal of a cop on the edge. Kaushal is dark and edgy with his tendency to explode violently and his penchant for nose candy and his Raghavan will surely bring to mind the brilliant Gary Oldman from 'Leon-The Professional'. Kaushal certainly deserves a pat on his back for this one. Sobhita Dhulipala plays Raghavan's girlfriend Simmy and though she has a short role, she certainly makes an impact.
But this is not to say that the film is without flaws. Despite creating two interesting characters, Kashyap doesn't delve in their backgrounds and you end up hungering for more. What drives Ramanna? Why is Raghavan the way he is? Such questions will torment you, but Kashyap doesn't provide the answers, unfortunately. What he does serve up is a noir thriller about two killers hunting each other, which would have been more interesting if we had an inkling of what makes them tick.
The cinematography is stark and real and shows the city with its warts and scars. Narrow alleys, garbage-strewn footpaths, sweat shops, slums, dingy police interrogation rooms - Kashyap shows it all unabashedly. The trippy background score adds to the frenzied craziness of the film.
Usually, films stop being entertaining in the second half, but with Raman Raghav 2.0, the situation is reversed. The first half of the film moves at a slow pace with long-drawn scenes and one wonders when Kashyap will get to the point. It is in the second half that the story slowly unravels and offers you a glimpse into the darkness of the human heart and mind.
The final scene of the film when Ramanna and Raghavan talk to each other in an interrogation room and the consequences of the conversation will surely send a shiver up your spine.
If you are a fan of Kashyap, you will enjoy this gritty fare...
Raman Raghav 2.0 | Official Trailer | Nawazuddin Siddiqui & Vicky Kaushal | Releasing 24th June 2016
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Release Date : 24 June 2016
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Banner : Phantom Films, Reliance Entertainment
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Producer : Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane
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Director : Anurag Kashyap
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Cast : Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vicky Kaushal, Sobhita Dhulipala, Vipin Sharma, Ashok Lokhande, Amruta Subhash
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Genre : Thriller