Directed by Robbie Grewal , whose last movies MP3 : Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar in 2007 and Aloo Chat in 2009 which were not that successful , comes up with a story which turns out to be a tribute to all those spies of our country who never get their due recognition !
The film is about Rehmat Ali aka Romeo who leads a very simple life as a banker but his talent of changing appearances in dramas that he does for the bank is noticed by the RAW ( Research & Analysis Wing ) which is headed by Shrikant Rai played by Jackie Shroff and how he is then selected for a mission to be sent to Pakistan to acquire information about the enemy with a new identity of Akbar Malik . There he joins the ranks of a top arms dealer by creating circumstances that goes on to win his trust which in a very short span of about 3 months makes Akbar his right hand man and soon starts passing crucial information from Pakistan to India. The information passed on by him gives India a huge boost prior to the 1971 Indo-Pak War which was primarily to liberate East Pakistan to form a new nation , “Bangladesh”.
Jackie Shroff as the RAW chief gives a splendid performance . Every frame that he is in exudes class and elegance ! How someone in that position , sometimes have to be devoid of emotions in front of the duty that he has to do for the nation is so aptly depicted by Jackie’s character ! The initial scenes between Jackie and John where he asks him to note every minutest things very carefully and to understand the meanings of the unsaid things or to decipher the actual meaning of certain things said in a particular way makes for an interesting watch !
The supporting cast in the movie does a good job . Alka Amin as John’s mother is very good . The scenes between her and John are very heart warning. Mouni Roy is under-utilised in the movie as she hardly has anything to do in the movie. Her chemistry with John is left undiscovered as the story doesn’t give that much scope to that angle . It is also very nice to be seeing someone like Raghuvir Yadav in a movie after a long time as he’s a very talented actor . He plays the role of a Pakitani mukhbir , who passes information to John and helps him in his mission in Pakistan . However the one person who deserves a special mention is Sikander Kher whom we get to see after a long hiatus . He plays the role of an ISI officer Khudabaksh Khan who grows suspicious of John’s credentials and then eventually blows his cover .
The movie however rests on the shoulders of John Abraham , who has given a very controlled and phlegmatic performance . RAW is all about John’s journey from Romeo to Akbar and then to Walter which is very commendable . He has now become synonymous with movies about patriotism . Madras Cafe , Parmanu , Satyamev Jayate and now RAW ! John in today’s time has become what Sunny Deol was to Bollywood in the late 90’s and the early 2000’s minus the jingoistic antics that Sunny used to potray. RAW makes for an interesting watch and although it might not be able to set the box office cash registers ringing but at a time when the entire nation is getting charged up in the name of patriotism and hate slogans against Pakistan , with the various moments in the movie which keeps one at the edge of the seat , it will certainly be able to invoke a particular sense of pride and flavour of patriotism in all .
My recommendation is . if not a must watch. it is certainly worth a watch ??????