Raju Chacha
Ajay devgans much hyped maiden directorial debut, has a lot of bells and whistles, though lacks one crucial element, the plot!
It is a shame really, this movie could have been a blockbuster.
Dubbed as the most expensive film to be made in India($10 million), which indeed maybe the case at the time this was being produced, but now that dozens of movies almost three times as expensive as it are in the line, that statement does not hold true anymore.
Plot review
The story was not original even for a Bollywood film, it had shades of Sound of music, Home alone and Lion king as well as countless other Indian movies. Don’t get me wrong this would have been an excellent movie had it been just a kiddie entertainer. Though Ajay needed to decide, is he making a romantic or a children’s film - in the end he ends up making neither. This movie will leave you bored, and by the time the good bit is on, you’ll be sound asleep.
I recommend you watch Indian King uncle or Hum hain rahi pyar ke, which although do not promise the technical excellence that Raju Chacha does, they have very good story lines and will appeal both to the children and the rest of the family.
Plot rating 5/10
Technical review -
Technically this film is very sound, in fact the effects are nothing short of a Hollywood venture, though Mr Devgan should have ensured more crisper editing, however seeing as its his debut direction, Ill give him the benefit of the doubt.
However I doubt the special effects alone contributed to the massive price of this movie - There is not really too many special effects. Recent movies Little john and Abhay have far more special effects, 50 and 25 min respectively and they cost much less than Raju Chacha.
Most of the special effects are in the beginning of the film, the animated cartoon for the credits was AWESOME to say the least - The animation for the song - Although cute, I was never really a fan of the Lion king - Im surprised Ajay was not sued for copyright infringement! It looked like an exact replica of the lion king.
The ghosts in the mansion - was very well executed - best ghost shots Ive seen, even including Hollywood films.
The ending song, is quite alright, it really should have been part of the plot - but oh well what’s done is done.
The mansion is absolutely stunning, it looks like Disney land - very well designed, im guessing a lot of the budget was because of this mansion.
Technical rating - 9/10
Music review
The songs are atrocious, I would have expected more from a name like Jatin lalit, Oh well. The only song that I liked, was the one when the end credits start to roll - too bad eh.
Music rating - 3/10
Screen play review
Most of the acting is flawed, Kajol’s talents are wasted, Ajay devjan however acts well, although not brilliant. In some kid films, you leave with the memories of the kid, well your not going to remember these kids!
Screen play rating 6/10
Overall Rating - 5 and a half 55%
Further comments -
This movie would have been a blockbuster had it been done by a professional director. Instead of putting us through 3 hours of pain, it could have only concentrated on the 2nd half and cut it down to 90 min. However it is good to see that Ajay did take a risk, a bad one but a risk nether the less.
WARNING: Below is a spoiler(part of the story), if you have not seen Raju Chacha and intend to see it some time in the future, THEN PLEASE DON’T READ ANY FURTHER.
Story line -
Siddhant Rai , a successful and leading architect, lives in his extravagant mansion with his three kids -- Rohit, Rahul and Rani. Also living in the house are Casper, their pet dog, and their butler . Siddhant’s maternal uncles – Govind Namdev and Pramod Moutho -- and his brother-in-law, Prince (Mayur), are also part of the Rai household.
The three children, who are motherless are very mischievous , every time their father arranges for a governess, they scare her away with mindless pranks.
A bank is being robbed by a small-time crook, Shekhar (Ajay Devgan), and his friend Jadoo but on leaving the bank they are caught in a traffic jam. Shekhar spots Anna (Kajol), an orphan, who is now on her way to Siddhant’s house to look after the three children. It is love at first sight for Shekhar who, with his con-act, tries to convince her that he knows her and even tells her that he is in love with her.
As Anna moves towards Siddhant’s palace, Shekhar and Jadoo are watching her from a distance. Anna meets Siddhant and the children are introduced to her. Later, the children play a crude prank on Anna when they send her a telegram announcing her parent’s death. Anna is hurt and decides to leave. The kids realise their mistake and accept Anna as their elder sister.
With the help of Jadoo, Shekhar convinces Anna of his love and Anna too falls in love with him. Siddhant comes to know of Shekhar and Anna’s feelings for each other and decides to get them married. On the day of marriage, Shekhar is arrested by the police for being a conman, who accuse him of robbing a jeweller. Anna is heartbroken and she returns to the orphanage.
Then we are shown that the fathers(Siddanth) relatives have hatched up a plan to kill Sid - they are succesful in getting him killed - and then follows the crux of the story - which really is everything that Raju Chacha stands for - The relatives take control of his mansion and treat the kids illfully
But then one day, Siddhant’s brother Raju, who had left the home at an early age, returns to protect the three kids.
In fact it is not their real uncle, but Ajay devgan returning with a new identity. The movie picks up pace here, and finally the viewer starts to generate interest.