‘Badass Ravi Kumar’ film assessment: Himesh Reshammiya fights, sings and romances his approach by an over-the-top masala movie

A nonetheless from ‘Badass Ravi Kumar’
| Picture Credit score: @HimeshReshammiyaMelodies/YouTube

Badass Ravi Kumar begins with an earnest attraction, the place a voiceover urges individuals to placed on their 80s masala goggles, and that it’s all about ‘leisure, leisure, and leisure’. There may be additionally the all-important addendum; logic is non-compulsory. 

Now, going into a movie like Badass Ravi Kumar, it’s protected to say that our expectations are greater than set. That is, in any case, a spin-off of The Xposé, Himesh Reshammiya’s 2014 thriller movie. In Badass Ravi Kumar nonetheless, this warning feels obligatory, given simply how the movie introduces its main man. 

Ravi Kumar is an trustworthy, upright cop who solely follows his personal guidelines, punches, tackles and showers bullets, all whereas mouthing punchlines and questionable poetry in breathless succession. In case you are questioning how he isn’t sporting a uniform or simply appears to be killing individuals by the dozen, we’re helpfully informed he has been suspended a few instances…for having lengthy hair. “I hate negativity and you might be all very destructive,” he declares, earlier than slicing somebody with a chainsaw. In an introduction that appears to go on for lengthy, he additionally pushes a nationwide traitor off a helicopter, all whereas the pilot helpfully says it’s time to return for the reason that ‘package deal’ has been dropped. 

Ravi Kumar is a part of a world that tries to be as over-the-top as him, however the others nearly handle to match up. Carlos Pedro Panther (Prabhu Deva), an omnipotent mobster who walks round with a tarot card reader is tasked with retrieving a reel that has delicate data belonging to India. The reel is possessed by Laila (Kirti Kulhari), a contract killer whose sister Madhubala (Simona J) is somebody Ravi Kumar has been in love with for some time now. Ravi Kumar is quickly enlisted to make sure the reel doesn’t fall into mistaken fingers, and makes his approach to Muscat the place a lot of the motion unfolds. 

Inspirations are aplenty within the movie; there’s Pathaan, Animal, and even Dhoom 2, with Badass Ravi Kumar placing its personal spin on the diamond heist and Hrithik’s camouflage. In a daily movie, a punchline is reserved for the highs, however right here, each different dialog occurs simply utilizing punchlines. Living proof: when Ravi Kumar lastly makes a heartfelt declaration of his like to Madhubala in the course of being accosted by a dozen gunmen, she insists he says it once more, in ‘his model’. Admittedly, the tacky dialogues are the most effective a part of the movie since Ravi Kumar has one thing artistic to say in each state of affairs — whether or not it’s to speak about his love for the nation, his failed romance, or what he intends to do with betrayers. 

The movie nonetheless looks like a hodgepodge of 1 overlong sequence after one other. There’s a lengthy sequence within the second half, the place Ravi and secret agent Nisha (Sunny Leone) take the stage for a number of songs in succession (together with ‘Tandoori Days’) and you start to marvel what that is all resulting in. In a movie that’s as unabashedly masala as this one, it could have been nice to see extra of Ravi and Carlos onscreen — in fact, they’ve a dance and music face-off however it’s too brief given how we might like to see extra of Prabhu Deva’s dancing on display screen. Himesh Reshammiya nonetheless channels his Ravi Kumar avatar to the hilt; and earns essentially the most cheers and whistles within the theatre. 

A nonetheless from ‘Badass Ravi Kumar’
| Picture Credit score:
@HimeshReshammiyaMelodies/YouTube

For a movie that units expectations proper initially, and is unapologetic in proudly owning its tacky romance, and logic-defying stunts, Badass Ravi Kumar is certainly enjoyable in elements, but in addition will get exhausting fairly rapidly, even in case you are dedicated to the keen suspension of disbelief required for a movie like this one. The second half particularly feels needlessly drawn out.  

Regardless of the occasional nostalgia worth and laugh-out-loud dialogues, meandering writing and the absence of a coherent screenplay stops Badass Ravi Kumar from absolutely working as a gloriously over-the-top masala watch with nice rewatch worth. 

Badass Ravi Kumar is at the moment working in theatres