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Release date:
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March 25, 2016
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Director:
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Nishikant Kamat
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Cast:
Language:
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John Abraham, Nishikant Kamat, Sharad
Kelkar, Nathalia Kaur, Diya Chalwad, Shruti Haasan, Nora Fatehi, Suhasini
Muley
Hindi
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If you call a film Rocky Handsome, you had better deliver
what the title promises: action that would do Sly Stallone proud plus a
handsome man.
Rocky Handsome does not fall short on those fronts.
They say 1 Helen is the amount of
beauty required to launch a thousand ships. The reference, of course, is to the
legendary looks of Helen of Troy from Greek mythology – she who possessed “the face that launched a thousand ships”.
What do the Greeks know of such things?
From this day forth, let it be
said that the universal unit of beauty comes from India: 1 John is the quantum
of gorgeousness it takes to send a woman into such a stupor that for 24 hours
she cannot gather her thoughts coherently to write a review.
But seriously…
In a world that chooses to
unrelentingly objectify women, usually in a degrading fashion, this film is a
lesson in how different the treatment is when men are the ones being
objectified. We are given shot after shot of John Abraham’s naked torso, the
camera captures his bare chest, back and voluminous arms from various angles,
yet at no point does it cheapen him or play a song in the background that is
remotely the equivalent of “Main tandoori murgi hoon yaar, gatkaale saiyyaan alcohol se” (I’m a piece of flesh,
consume me with alcohol) that Bollywood has unabashedly slapped on to female
stars and unknowns over the years.
This is not a struggler hoping to
get a foot in the door by making his body his USP or an established actor
fighting for survival. This is a successful star and male producer (John has produced
Rocky Handsome) in a male-dominated
industry, holding the reins and all the cards in his hands and choosing, from a
position of power, exactly how he wishes to be portrayed by a film.
Viewers are given the full blast
of John’s exquisite physique and his wonderfully
weatherbeaten-yet-not-apparently-Botoxed countenance throughout Rocky Handsome. There is more to the
film than his sexiness though.
The action sequences dominating
the narrative are completely breathtaking. Be warned: they are extremely gory.
If you are not faint hearted and have a streak of masochism in you, the
choreography of the fights is something to behold. Most are executed by John’s
character. To watch him slaughter his enemies is to witness the grace of a
ballerina combined with the energy of a troupe of Kathak dancers slapping their
bare feet incessantly on the floor of a stage. He slices and dices humans with
his bare hands, fists, legs, arms, knives and firearms, sometimes in slow
motion and sometimes at a speed that could rival Superman.
Rocky
Handsome also
features a couple of neat club songs that are foot-tapping fun even if they –
like the entire soundtrack – are too loud in the film. The bonus is that two
talented artistes dance to them on screen: Nathalia Kaur for Titliyan (composed by Sunny and Inder
Bawra), and Nora Fatehi for Rock tha
party (the old Bombay Rockers’ number resurrected).
With so many elements hitting the
bull’s eye separately, the team appears to make no effort whatsoever to stitch
them together into a cohesive, emotionally resonant whole. Great-looking cast:
check. Action: check. Music: check. Soul: ah now, therein lies a problem.
Rocky
Handsome is an
official remake of the South Korean film The
Man From Nowhere adapted for Hindi audiences by writer Ritesh Shah. The
story here is set in Goa. It revolves around a reclusive pawn shop owner, Kabir
Ahlawat (John), who becomes fond of his neighbour’s neglected child Naomi (Diya
Chalwad). The kid’s mother Anna (Nathalia Kaur) is a junkie who sparks off mayhem
by stealing drugs from a gangster. Kabir goes berserk when the only person in
the world he seems to care about is abducted. The destruction he leaves in his
wake attracts police attention, which is how his tragic past is revealed.
Director Nishikant Kamat helmed
last year’s Hindi version of Drishyam starring
Ajay Devgn and that celluloid gemstone, Mumbai
Meri Jaan, about the July 2006 Mumbai train bombings. He debuted with the
acclaimed Marathi film Dombivali Fast in
2005. Clearly he took a vacation from his cinematic vision for Rocky Handsome, which is high on style
and visual gratification, but low on substance and passion.
Nishikant had earlier directed Force – a far better film – with John in
2011. Here he cannot see beyond his leading man’s physical appearance and
penchant for fisticuffs. John too appears so confident about the appeal of
those elements in the film that he does not even try to act. Except for one
scene in which he weeps for a woman he loves, he wears the same two facial
expressions from start to finish.
The child actor Diya is not bad
in the cuteness department, but is burdened by the heavy-handed dialogues she
is expected to deliver. The zero chemistry between John and the actresses
playing the women in his life – Shruti Haasan in a cameo and Diya – is what
keeps the film cold.
The director has cast himself as
a drug mafia boss called Kevin with limited effect (he has done better before).
In the role of his brother is an actor desperately trying to blend menace with
eccentricity and falling flat in the attempt. For a reference point he should
have checked out Prashant Narayanan’s brilliant turn as a serial killer in
Mohit Suri’s Murder 2 (2011), yet
another Hindi remake of a Korean film – that one was illegimately copied, but
very well done.
If you plan to watch Rocky Handsome then, you have two
options: you could feast your eyes on John and his feats, or make the mistake
of seeking depth and feelings within that pageantry. Choose Option 1 and you are
pretty much assured of paisa vasool.
I know, I know, that’s a terribly
superficial thing to say. This critic is guilty as charged.
Rating
(out of 5 stars): **1/2
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CBFC Rating (India):
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A
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Running time:
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126 minutes
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