'Badass Ravi Kumar' Movie Review: This Is Himesh Reshammiya's 'Pathaan', 'Jawan' and 'Animal' Rolled into One
Directed by Keith Gomes, Himesh Reshammiya's 'Badass Ravi Kumar' is not so much a film, but a relentless, disjointed, pasted-together-with-the-glue-of-spoof series of episodes
Director: Keith Gomes
Writers: Kushal Ved Bakshi, Himesh Reshammiya, Bunty Rathore
Cast: Himesh Reshammiya, Prabhu Deva, Kirti Kulhari, Sanjay Mishra, Sunny Leone, Manish Wadhwa, Johnny Lever
Language: Hindi
How much is too much? Never ask Badass Ravi Kumar. The Himesh Reshammiya re-launch movie jumps timelines, sprints, sinks, soars, and leaps through continents—all while never forgetting to squeeze in a dozen songs and even more bonkers sequences. It is not like the film doesn't appreciate the viewers asking questions, it simply doesn't care. And that, at the risk of it all, will determine whether you bite into its wild world or be left out.
But it still won't care.
Directed by Keith Gomes, Badass Ravi Kumar is not so much a film, but a relentless, disjointed, pasted-together-with-the-glue-of-spoof series of episodes. One moment it's Pathaan (2023) with its big 'twist' and spies, Jawan (2023) with its revenge saga, and then suddenly Animal (2023) with its daddy issues. That's not to say it isn't fun though, as it delivers exactly what it promises.
Also Read | CBFC Imposes Cuts on Himesh Reshammiya’s ‘Badass Ravi Kumar’
In the film, written by Kushal Ved Bakshi and Reshammiya, the actor plays a super cop, whose jurisdiction is the entire world; he could be James Bond. But he is also a son with a tragic past and a softie with a broken heart.
So, Reshammiya pops up everywhere there is a crime with a gun in his hand and tears in his eyes, for he is nursing his long-lost love named Madhubala (Simona), who is the sister of the deadly assassin Laila (Kirti Kulhari), who is trying to negotiate a deal with Don Carlos Pedro Panther (Prabhu Deva), who has a tarot card-reading sidekick, who gets killed before a godman enters the frame (Anil George)... if all this is too much to take in, spare a thought for atleast 10 other characters, including Sanjay Mishra and Johnny Lever, who are utterly wasted.
Writer Bunty Rathore's zingy one-liners hold the fort as the Badass Ravi Kumar crew deliver one epic dialogue after the other. Even before you've recovered from "Tum pehli Laila ho jisne Majnu ko maar diya" (you are the first Juliet who has killed Romeo) Reshammiya comes at you with, "I hate negativity and you all are very negative."
The film also uses the '80s as a convenient device to display some laughable VFX effects. There is a bike chase involving Reshammiya, which is Mission Impossible stripped off its budget, and a hilarious heist scene that will put the Oceans series to shame.
Reshammiya is clearly having a ball too; taking a giant leap from his previous on-screen outings, the actor is far more fun to watch here because neither he nor the film is taking anything seriously.
But despite two disclaimers underlining that logic is optional, Badass Ravi Kumar would have benefited from a tighter, more coherent script while being set in a wacky world. Because when the charm of one-liners eventually starts thinning, one looks for something more concrete to latch onto (like a screenplay?).
Still, the film plays some of its cards smartly, like the anti-casting of Kulhari, known for her feminist dramas, turning her into an '80s glamorous vamp mouthing lines like, "It is better for you if you pleasure him with marriage." Or getting Prabhu Deva to play a don who loves... dancing. These quirks are put to entertaining use with these able performers letting their guards down.
But for every great idea that the film has, it also suffers from being unable to fight the temptation to cut back at the right time. Some genuinely inventive sequences are stretched beyond their limits, rendering them both indulgent and exhausting.
All in all, Badass Ravi Kumar is like the movie version of that guy who overstays his welcome at a house party. He's a hoot in the beginning, but then slowly, with every passing minute, every extra drink, and every new punchline, you realise that he is just... too much. It would have been brilliant if he had stopped talking 12 jokes ago, but then, would the party have been as entertaining? Depends on if you are a softie or a badass.