Movie review: Raja Natwarlal is a fun, one-time watch
Film: Raja Natwarlal
Genre: Drama
Director: Kunal Deshmukh
Cast: Emraan Hashmi, Humaima Malick, Paresh Rawal, Deepak Tijori, Kay Kay Menon, Sumit Nijhwan, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub
Storyline: Conmen Raja (Emraan Hashmi) and Raghav (Deepak Tijori) hit the jackpot when they dupe goon-turned-businessman Vardha Yadav (Kay Kay Menon), only to find his henchmen unleashed on them. The cat-and-mouse game and how the duo shake them off their back makes the film interesting.
Rating: **
Kunal Deshmukh’s latest directorial venture is a fun affair with a decent plot and some worthwhile performances. Raja Natwarlal has all the features of a film that works at our box offices — it has emotions, drama, a street-smart hero and comedy.
SPOILERS AHEAD
There are several loopholes in Raja Natwarlal when it comes to logic and the conning could have certainly been more cunning and conniving. One of the film’s biggest confusions is how the scene shifts between Mumbai and Cape Town. Emraan is in a business deal with Kay Kay and the next moment he meets his girlfriend who had fled to Mumbai after fighting with him! And after their adventurous ride in the rainy streets of Mumbai, they are back in the lift of a hotel in Cape Town.
However, the actors manage to pull off the half-baked con script well enough to make it seem like a fun ride. Interesting dialogues and the performances ensure that you are entertained.
In terms of performances, Emraan is doing what he is mostly loved for, kissing the heroine, being the street-smart hero who goes the wrong way to set things right. Not much of a variety there, but he does not disappoint playing Raja.
Pakistani actor Humaima Malick, who makes her Bollywood debut with Raja Natwarlal, however, is not as convincing. Her dialogues are forced and diction contorted.
Kay Kay Menon is in his effortless self — whether he is scaring the small-time conman Raja or whether he is scared when he cons him — Menon brings out the emotions totally in the audience. Paresh Rawal, too plays his part perfectly as Raja’s mentor. Sumit Nijhwan, who plays a corrupt cop, fits the bill perfectly and the lusty, evil look he has on his face each time he talks to Humaima just hits the nail.
Sadly, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub is one talent hopelessly wasted in the movie. The man who mouthed dialogues like, “Tumhara pyar na hua, UPSC ka exam ho gaya, 10 saal se clear hi nahi ho raha!” in Raanjhana, has just one dialogue in Raja Natwarlal where he says, “Ye pehle waale ka partner tha“. Though the actor is convincing enough with his menacing looks as Kay Kay’s hitman, the audience definitely deserves more of Ayub.
Raja Natwarlal may not be the most brilliant con film around, but you can watch it once for the performances and the fun it offers.
By: Sweta Kaushal, Hindustan Times
