Ram Setu Review: Soap-Opera Level Execution Plays the Spoilsport!

Based on one of the most culturally and aesthetically relatable topics, Ramayana, Ram Setu, written and directed by Abhishek Sharma, stars Akshay Kumar in the primary role with Jacqueline Fernandez, Nushrratt Bharuccha and Satya Dev playing the supporting roles. Heated debates over Ramayana have been going on for years and will go on for years. It’s just a matter of your beliefs.

Also Read: Upcoming Historical & Mythological Bollywood Movies

Ram Setu, the film, which had so much potential to become a nationwide sensation with the concept of existence, could not seize the opportunity of making an entertaining adventure drama with cultural impact. The 143-minute soap opera-level execution plays the spoilsport as Akshay Kumar delivers yet another dud (his fifth in a row, to be precise), which has now become a common practice.

The storyline of Ram Setu revolves around an atheist archaeologist turned believer who races against time to prove the reality of the legendary Ram Setu (Adam’s bridge) before the bad guys’ plot to exterminate the pillar of India’s heritage. So, first off, this movie comes with numerous flaws. Let’s begin with the weakly written characters. Aaryan, played by Akshay, is a scientist who fails to understand a simple conspiracy. He is clueless about the expedition, and his companions are just like him.

The concept of Ramayana can be both spiritual and religiously powerful, but Sharma opts for a more casual route. The court announces the demolition of the bridge in three days. Now imagine the kind of anger, hysteria, and frustration people would have projected after the ruling. But, in the film, you only see 50-60 people gathering with “Jai Shri Ram” slogans. An example of the more no-frills approach. There is no sense of why the political agenda takes over religion and why it is not an issue for the characters. In the end, situations suddenly switch for our protagonist, and he gives a long fumble-heavy speech. “Where’s the logic?” A question audiences are often asking Bollywood movies these days.

Moving on to the performances, Akshay Kumar, who just seems to only be working for the pay cheque these days, doesn’t look like an archaeologist in any way shape, or form. Besides the bland dialogue delivery during the climax, his performance was decent but nowhere near justifying the huge remuneration he takes per film. Jacqueline Fernandez, now at the end of her Bollywood career, needs to work on her expressions and Hindi accent, although she has other things to worry about these days.

Nushrratt Bharuccha, who was very impressive in her last outing, Janhit Mein Jaari, plays a very mindless professor in the movie. Completely the writer’s fault for not utilizing her acting skills, and I could understand why she do not want to pass a big-budget movie. Satyadev, who we last saw playing the antagonist in GodFather, does manage to impress, but a few of his dialogues did not materialize well on-screen. Also, this movie deserved a better background score than Dr. Zeus’ ‘Om Namah Shivaay.’ ‘Jai Shree Ram’ composed by Vikram Montrose was electrifying, but the scenes did not utilize the aura that it created.

In all reality, Abhishek Sharma seems to have lost touch after Parmanu and had no grip on executing or narrating an exciting story with Ram Setu. His previous two films, The Zoya Factor and Suraj Pe Mangal Bhaari were bad, and this movie is no different. This needs a larger-than-life scale and extraordinary vision, but here even basic things aren’t well captured. All in all, Ram Setu falls short of its potential.

‘Ram Setu’ Rating – 2/5

Review by @samthebestest_
Edited by Surya Komal

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