Raabta Movie Review: An Average Fare

Reincarnation dramas usually have a very predictable curve, but if teamed with a good script and great performances, they usually end up working at the box-office. But is Dinesh Vijan's directorial debut Raabta one such film? Let's find out… Happy-go-lucky banker Shiv (Sushant Singh Rajput) and his friend Raghav (Varun Sharma) move to Budapest for work and spend time having as much fun as possible till Shiv runs into chocolatier Saira (Kriti Sanon) and promptly falls in love with her. Saira too seems to like him in the very first meeting and the lovebirds decide to tie the knot without much ado.

However, darkness soon enters their life in the form of Zak Merchant (Jim Sarbh), an eccentric and sinister millionaire, who too seems to have the hots for Saira and soon, it is established that the trio have a past life connection. But who gets the girl at the end? Watch the film to find out… Sushant definitely has screen presence, but his loud and bratty 'Dilli ka launda' persona is something we have seen Ranveer Singh adopt many times and as such, there is nothing new about the character that he essays. Shiv comes across as way too shallow and frivolous when compared to the intense Zak. Kriti is quite easy on the eyes, though at times her character Saira tempts you to grab her by her shoulders and shake some sense into her. Jim is delightful to watch with his twitchy intensity, though his dialogue delivery comes across as stilted at times, which dilutes his sinister aura. As for the film, the first half is quite light-hearted and fun to watch, especially the scenes between Shiv and Saira, though their romance may seem quite frivolous. However, it is in the second half that the story goes downhill. Shiv and Saira apparently have chemistry because of their past lives, but in their past lives, they were not lovers but warriors from opposing tribes, who ended up getting married for reasons other than love… so what chemistry and connection are the makers talking about? The past birth sequences don't look Indian at all and the costume designers seem to have been inspired by everything from Game of Thrones to Mirzya to Braveheart. Also, the past life sequences are devoid of any passion or intensity, which makes you wonder what was the big deal about this 'janam janam ka saath' anyway. Maybe the film sounded great on a script level, but on the silver screen, it seems to lack soul, which may affect the film adversely. In conclusion, Raabta is very average despite the plot having potential…