Raman Raghav 2.0 Movie Review : Predictable, Haywire and Lacks the Marvel of Anurag Kashyap

When we walked into the theatre to watch Raman Raghav 2.0, we expected this film to redeem everything bitter that was written about the filmmaker, everything that had gone wrong after his passion project didn’t take off.

But boy, this time around, it was a heartbreak awaiting. We walked out wondering what was the filmmaker snorting to have made something as unbearable as this. His ideas are edgy, staying true to the uncanny brand of cinema he endorses but one cannot miss the deterioration in the quality of his stories. Never in our wildest dreams did we expect to go in and find a love story hidden in a movie titled Raman Raghav 2.0.

Are you wondering where are the spine-chilling thrills? Well, this isn’t the story about the psychopath Raman Raghav. It is the journey of a man named Raman and his journey to find his soulmate. This is a bizarre film that packs more mayhem than anything else. If you find yourself cringing at the blatant misogyny, you can decide to defend it by saying that it is exactly how this film is meant to make you feel. There is sweat, grime, dirt, murk and blood-vurling recounting of the psychopath’s own life. If you dig up the details about the 60s infamous killer, you’ll realize how wonderfully Kashyap has mirrored the man’s personal life in the film. From the chicken curry to the sister he had repeatedly raped in his younger days, the grim details repeats itself many times over in the film that is categorically set in 2015.

But the clever thinking is limited to just that. After a few scenes, the film’s grainy, dull color gets to you and the violence has you disinterested. Exactly three murders later, when Raman goes to meet his sister’s family, you can sense the doom awaiting in the closed walls of the tiny Mumbai flat. Shot stylishly, Kashyap keeps the camerawork nimble. There are focussed shots of Nawazuddin’s deep brown eyes, unraveling his lunatic side.

As the credits roll down, Kashyap makes it clear that it isn’t a tribute to the fear or phenomena of Raman Raghav. Neither is it a biopic about the torment he inflicted on people. Instead, Raman goes out in search of his Raghav in this tale, whom he finds in a cop intoxicated by lines of cocaine. Vicky Kaushal’s Raghav matches Raman’s insanity. They are definitely on two different sides of law – one is a protector and another the perpetrator of the crime. Kashyap shows the men to be cut of the same cloth and that is his precise problem. He fails to convince due to the lack of a backstory. Instead, his over indulgence costs him logic. As the smashing Vicky Kaushal loyally follows his director’s instructions and plays the role of a maniac, you are compelled to wonder what is the point of sitting through the excruciating film. Doesn’t an actor like him who is still in his formative years deserve better? And Nawazuddin Siddiqui plays to the gallery which is becoming a part of his DNA lately.

Is there a message in this uncanny film? Well, nothing that Sriram Raghavan hasn’t shown in Badlapur. And since, it is Nawaz again, the similarities are inevitable. You start off rooting for one character and find them on the other side of the fence by the time the film ends. Kashyap does nothing extraordinary when he plays with the personalities of Raman and Raghav to create the desired effect.

It is a visibly whacked out film with exaggerated characters who indulge in a little too much incoherence. The cop Raghav has a girlfriend named Simi who is treated like a fling all through (she is the film’s weakest link). There are fleeting references of multiple abortions and her character is used to highlight the frustration of Raghav’s life. Dear Mr. Kashyap, how is she enhancing your story? She comes off as nothing more than a prop who must be slayed to put across a point.

As the film’s final credits roll down, you have an unsettling feeling about it. Torn between your strong tug to appreciate the quirky bent of mind and slam the filmmaker’s over indulgence, you are left in lurch unsure about what to say about the movie. In such a scenario, one thing is certain. You definitely didn’t like what you saw. The material had potential but the vision was clouded by the need to prove a point. Dear Anurag of No Smoking, you are sorely missed! Did you hear overwrought somewhere? Ironic that it is the best term for the film. There is a mention of a packet of MD going missing in the film, probably Kashyap had all of it!

We rate the film a 50% on the Pinkvilla Movie Meter.