Movie Review

Rating :

‘Bullet Raja’ is set against the backdrop of the existing political scenario in Uttar Pradesh where Raja Mishra (Saif Ali Khan), an innocent Brahmin boy, is dragged into the dirty politics because of an incident involving his family. Left with no other choice, Raja Mishra takes the wrong route and transforms into a dreaded gangster.

Raja along with his close aide Rudra (jimmy Shergill) turn into a dreaded force in Uttar Pradesh and these two in turn are backed by a powerful politician in the form of Ram Pandit (Raj Babbar).

As the political game starts getting murkier, things take a violent u-turn and Rudra is killed according to a devious plan. The rest of ‘Bullet Raja’ is about how Raja Mishra goes on a vengeful spree and finishes Rudra’s killer and emerges victorious.

Positive Points:-

Saif Ali Khan looks stunning as Raja Mishra and his looks, characterization and performance are top notch. After playing Langda Tyagi in Vishal Bharadwaj’s ‘Omkara’, this can be considered Saif’s toughest role till date. The talented Jimmy Shergill has an equal role to match Saif and pulls off an excellent job as expected.

The whole set up which is based in Uttar Pradesh looks convincing while Vidyut Jamwal’s special role is a big plus for the movie. Vidyut’s stunts are really good in the film.

Some of the thrills showcased in the films are really awesome. After a not so interesting first half, the second half builds up pace and makes for a breezy watch.

Negative Points:-

Sonakshi Sinha has absolutely nothing to do in the film and her role seems forced into the screenplay. It seems her character is used to only to divert attention from the heavy violence that keeps happening in the rest of the film.

The major drawback of ‘Bullet Raja’ is that it is highly predictable. As in most Tigmanshu Dhulia’s, films, ‘Bullet Raja’ has a strong political theme and the plot is set up amongst evil politicians.

The first half of the film is a bit slow and only showcases Raja Mishra’s powerful transformation. Also, an overdose of violence that is showcased might not be liked by some sections. Overall, ‘Bullet Raja’ does not have those regular doses of fun and entertainment that one might be looking for.

The peppy and famous track ‘Tamanche Pe Disco’ comes in at the wrong moment while none of the other songs manage to register.

Technical Aspects:-

Like in all Tigmanshu films, the dialogues of the film are top notch and the dialogues for Saif and Jimmy have been written exceptionally well. The music of the film is a big letdown and so is the background score.

The entire Kolkatta episode showcasing Sonakshi is unnecessary and could have been easily avoided. The camerawork is pretty decent and showcases rural Uttar Pradesh wonderfully while the locations and sets have been designed authentically.

The screenplay of the film is gripping and so is the editing with Tigmanshu Dhulia’s direction being just about OK. He chooses a regular story and tries to set it up in a commercial format. When compared to his previous works which were more in the offbeat genre, ‘Bullet Raja’ is definitely a mainstream film.

Verdict:-

Overall, ‘Bullet Raja’ is Saif’s most commercial film till date. While his looks, character and the thrills showcased are the film’s plus points, a regular story and an even predictable story line makes this film just below average.