Raja Natwarlal Movie Review: Second Half Brings In The Energy

Time and again one comes across movies that have first and the second half giving an impression of two different stories being told. Raja Natwarlal too is one such affair. What goes in its favour though is the fact that the second half, especially the last 30-40 minutes, are really entertaining which helps the movie watching experience a great deal. Suddenly a story that sounded very average to begin with becomes a lot more engaging, which well demonstrates the good hold that director Kunal Deshmukh has on his subject.

This is the reason why one ends up wondering why the first half of the film is not just painfully slow but also hardly anything but con. It alternates between a drama and an emotional affair with a highly uninspiring love story thrown in. Neither the core plot of Emraan deciding to take revenge for the killing of his brother figure Deepak Tijori works, nor any of the sequences where he mindlessly throws wad of currency notes on his lady love Humaima Malick in a bar. In fact the highlight of the film could well have been the sequences leading to joining hands of Emraan and Paresh Rawal. However, that too doesn't bear any energy whatsoever which is disappointing as you can afford to miss anything in an Emraan Hashmi film, but energy. Worse, the songs come out of nowhere (their placement is all the more bad in the second half) and you wonder whether the team of Jannat series has lost the plot this time around. Pun intended.

Thankfully, the interval point is good and this is where the film changes direction too. With the story now involving Kay Kay Menon as a much more pivotal player, the plot starts thickening. The con game is interestingly laid down and while at times you are required to get into the zone of suspension of disbelief, you don't mind that due to the requirement of genre. Also, though at times you do feel that Menon is being played rather easily, the pace is kept so fast by Deshmukh that you go with the flow. Also, he doesn't dumb down Menon's character entirely and does bring in some 'shakki' elements into play.

This is what makes Raja Natwarlal a satisfying affair eventually as you root for Emraan, Paresh and their team the moment they decide to introduce Menon to the cricket officials. The meeting in the office, auction thereafter, the climax and the flashback that joins the dot in the con game is laid out well. Though the love story bit is still forced into the narrative, you ignore that for the other comic drama that ties the plot together.

In the entire play, Emraan and Paresh join hands well (mainly in the second half though) to bring on fun in the atmosphere. They play their respective parts well even though one does feel that their back stories could have carried more weight. Humaima looks pretty and does well in her space, though there is hardly any justification of her character inclusion. The man who plays senior cricket official (a Kumar Mangat lookalike) is very good in a meaty role. Kay Kay Menon holds the screen every time he appears on frame. Sumit Nijhawan plays the part of a cop very well and is suitably convincing in a grey role without going overboard. Deepak Tijori is endearing in a well written part.

Raja Natwarlal may not be the best con film to have emerged out of Bollywood due to its slow pace in the first half and an avoidable love angle. However the fun element and fast pace in the second half more than makes up for it. Watch it for an original con game played right till the end.