Ram Setu (2022) :
Movie Review -
Akshay Kumar's Ram Setu has been awaited not just as a film that will provide entertainment but also because it is based on one of the most culturally and aesthetically relatable topics, "Ramayana". The debates on Ramayan, or for that matter, the Ram Setu, have been going on for years and will go on for years. It's just a matter of your beliefs. Ram Setu is that debate but doesn't remain faithful to its basics. The film, which had so much potential to become a nationwide sensation with the concept of the existence of Ram Setu, couldn't grab the golden opportunity of making an adventure drama with cultural impact. Director Abhishek Sharma's daily-soap-driven execution causes a big time destruction to the film, Ram Setu (not the real Ram Setu, aka Adam's Bridge).
Aaryan (Akshay Kumar), an archaeologist, is hired by the archaeological department to prove that Ram Setu was not built by Shree Ram and his Vanar Sena. Aaryan, who believes only in science, gives a primary report which creates a question about Lord Shree Ram's existence, resulting in his temporary suspension. He is then hired by a businessman to find the scientific evidence of Ram Setu's being a natural structure, not man-made. Aaryan is accompanied by Dr. Sandra (Jacqueline Fernandez) and a Srilankan guide, AP (Satyadev), while his wife, Professor Gayatri (Nushrratt Bharuccha), is worried about threats. During the expedition, he learns many facts about Shree Ram, Raavana, and their existence. Amidst all this, the court gives an ultimatum of 3 days to demolish the Ram Setu, while Aaryan is desperate to complete his research in a given time to stop that process.
Ram Setu comes with many flaws. There are so many that just can't be named here, but a few must be discussed. Firstly, all the characters are baseless and they don't behave as per their professions. Aaryan is a scientist, yet he fails to understand a simple conspiracy. He is clueless about the expedition, and his companions are just like him. One of them suddenly turns rogue, and nobody still understands what political connect their journey actually has. The concept of Ramayana can be so spiritual and religiously powerful, but the writer takes it so casually. The court announces the demolition of Ram Setu in just 3 days. Now just imagine what kind of hysteria the country would face after hearing this. But here, you hardly see a group of 50-60 people gathering with "Jai Shree Ram" slogans. There is no chaos where there should have been one or many because this issue is so big. But sadly, the daily soap-driven pattern of the film makes it look small. There is no sense of why the political agenda takes over religion and why it is not an issue for the characters. At the end, things suddenly change for the protagonist, and he gives a long speech with so many fumbles. Where was the logic?
Talking about performances, Akshay Kumar doesn't look like an archaeologist at all. His white beard definitely makes him look ugly, and I don't know why it suddenly disappears in some scenes. Except for the lukewarm dialogue delivery in the last speech scene, he has done a decent job, but nowhere close to what it should have been. Jacqueline Fernandez still needs to work on her expressions and Hindi accent, even after so many films in the last few years. Akshay's wife, played by Nushratt, is a professor, and so you expect her to play an intelligent woman. You would be proven wrong completely. Nushrratt recently played challenging roles in Janhit Mein Jaari and Chhorri, but Ram Setu is not even half of it. The role in particular is written to be a useless one, so let's not blame her for that. The debutant Satyadev leaves a mark, though. Some of his dialogues don't come out well (that's the case with Jacqueline too). The same goes with Nassar, who has typical one-line dialogues with great irritating pauses. There are many questions about Pravesh Rana's role, but not about his acting.
Ram Setu should have gotten a better background score than 'Om Namah Shivaay'. It is a songless film in that sense, and yet it's 144 minutes (if that makes sense for you). The score in "Jai Shree Ram' is electrifying, but the scenes aren't elevated well with it. Most of the scenes lack a chilling background score, such as verbal mantras or shlokas. Did we get one in Ram Setu? No. The Om Namah Shivaya chant is too slow for that. Aseem Mishra's previous outing with Abhishek Sharma gave us some excellent frames in "Pamanu". Here in Ram Setu, you get some breathtaking frames from top view and front view, but the material isn't exciting enough. The visual effects are below par there.
Abhishek Sharma has used a wrong idea to tell a humongous tale of Ram Setu. To find the existence of Ram, you first have to find the existence of Raavana. Seriously? Prabhu Shree Ram did not exist before going to Lanka, or what? Don't we have so many places in India to prove Lord Ram's reality? What does such a big topic like this have to run like a TV series? Why did so many scenes have to be cut abruptly without any concrete endings? Sharma seems to have lost his touch after Parmanu. His previous two directorials, "The Zoya Factor" and "Suraj Pe Mangal Bhaari" were so annoying, and now this, Ram Setu. A hat-trick for him. On a lighter note, a concept like "Ram Setu - Reality of Myth" needs a larger-than-life scale and extraordinary vision, but here even basic things aren't well captured. Overall, Ram Setu falls short of its potential and fails to grasp the fundamentals.
RATING - 4/10*
Akshay Kumar's Ram Setu has been awaited not just as a film that will provide entertainment but also because it is based on one of the most culturally and aesthetically relatable topics, "Ramayana". The debates on Ramayan, or for that matter, the Ram Setu, have been going on for years and will go on for years. It's just a matter of your beliefs. Ram Setu is that debate but doesn't remain faithful to its basics. The film, which had so much potential to become a nationwide sensation with the concept of the existence of Ram Setu, couldn't grab the golden opportunity of making an adventure drama with cultural impact. Director Abhishek Sharma's daily-soap-driven execution causes a big time destruction to the film, Ram Setu (not the real Ram Setu, aka Adam's Bridge).
Aaryan (Akshay Kumar), an archaeologist, is hired by the archaeological department to prove that Ram Setu was not built by Shree Ram and his Vanar Sena. Aaryan, who believes only in science, gives a primary report which creates a question about Lord Shree Ram's existence, resulting in his temporary suspension. He is then hired by a businessman to find the scientific evidence of Ram Setu's being a natural structure, not man-made. Aaryan is accompanied by Dr. Sandra (Jacqueline Fernandez) and a Srilankan guide, AP (Satyadev), while his wife, Professor Gayatri (Nushrratt Bharuccha), is worried about threats. During the expedition, he learns many facts about Shree Ram, Raavana, and their existence. Amidst all this, the court gives an ultimatum of 3 days to demolish the Ram Setu, while Aaryan is desperate to complete his research in a given time to stop that process.
Ram Setu comes with many flaws. There are so many that just can't be named here, but a few must be discussed. Firstly, all the characters are baseless and they don't behave as per their professions. Aaryan is a scientist, yet he fails to understand a simple conspiracy. He is clueless about the expedition, and his companions are just like him. One of them suddenly turns rogue, and nobody still understands what political connect their journey actually has. The concept of Ramayana can be so spiritual and religiously powerful, but the writer takes it so casually. The court announces the demolition of Ram Setu in just 3 days. Now just imagine what kind of hysteria the country would face after hearing this. But here, you hardly see a group of 50-60 people gathering with "Jai Shree Ram" slogans. There is no chaos where there should have been one or many because this issue is so big. But sadly, the daily soap-driven pattern of the film makes it look small. There is no sense of why the political agenda takes over religion and why it is not an issue for the characters. At the end, things suddenly change for the protagonist, and he gives a long speech with so many fumbles. Where was the logic?
Talking about performances, Akshay Kumar doesn't look like an archaeologist at all. His white beard definitely makes him look ugly, and I don't know why it suddenly disappears in some scenes. Except for the lukewarm dialogue delivery in the last speech scene, he has done a decent job, but nowhere close to what it should have been. Jacqueline Fernandez still needs to work on her expressions and Hindi accent, even after so many films in the last few years. Akshay's wife, played by Nushratt, is a professor, and so you expect her to play an intelligent woman. You would be proven wrong completely. Nushrratt recently played challenging roles in Janhit Mein Jaari and Chhorri, but Ram Setu is not even half of it. The role in particular is written to be a useless one, so let's not blame her for that. The debutant Satyadev leaves a mark, though. Some of his dialogues don't come out well (that's the case with Jacqueline too). The same goes with Nassar, who has typical one-line dialogues with great irritating pauses. There are many questions about Pravesh Rana's role, but not about his acting.
Ram Setu should have gotten a better background score than 'Om Namah Shivaay'. It is a songless film in that sense, and yet it's 144 minutes (if that makes sense for you). The score in "Jai Shree Ram' is electrifying, but the scenes aren't elevated well with it. Most of the scenes lack a chilling background score, such as verbal mantras or shlokas. Did we get one in Ram Setu? No. The Om Namah Shivaya chant is too slow for that. Aseem Mishra's previous outing with Abhishek Sharma gave us some excellent frames in "Pamanu". Here in Ram Setu, you get some breathtaking frames from top view and front view, but the material isn't exciting enough. The visual effects are below par there.
Abhishek Sharma has used a wrong idea to tell a humongous tale of Ram Setu. To find the existence of Ram, you first have to find the existence of Raavana. Seriously? Prabhu Shree Ram did not exist before going to Lanka, or what? Don't we have so many places in India to prove Lord Ram's reality? What does such a big topic like this have to run like a TV series? Why did so many scenes have to be cut abruptly without any concrete endings? Sharma seems to have lost his touch after Parmanu. His previous two directorials, "The Zoya Factor" and "Suraj Pe Mangal Bhaari" were so annoying, and now this, Ram Setu. A hat-trick for him. On a lighter note, a concept like "Ram Setu - Reality of Myth" needs a larger-than-life scale and extraordinary vision, but here even basic things aren't well captured. Overall, Ram Setu falls short of its potential and fails to grasp the fundamentals.
RATING - 4/10*
