Raja Natwarlal (2014)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

review of raja natwarlal I have always liked Kunal Deshmukh as an director.His works include jannat,jannat 2,tum mile and now raja natwarlal.There has,nt been a lot of good con films in the past.Raja natwarlal begins on a slow note with Emraan Hashmi and Deepak Tijori conning a few people.The first half of the film is enjoyable though lacks a sense of humour.The second half introduces Paresh Rawal as con man too.They plan a con on a business tycoon,Vardha Yadav who killed Deepak Tijori.The performances are great.Emraan Hashmi stands tall as usual.Paresh Rawal is great in his part.The rest of the cast play their parts well.The screeplay was good although a few loopholes here and there.The climax is one of the best climaxes i have ever seen.After all said,A good con film after a long time.REcommended

Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)Rating: 3.9/5 starsGone are the days when all you expect from an Emraan Hashmi flick are a strings of kisses followed by several passionate moments. Like many of his last films, "Raja Natwarlal" too is a clear departure from his stereotypical mold; matter of fact it's starkly different from most thrash dished out by Bollywood these days. Emraan Hashmi's avatar as a con man 'Mithilesh Kumar' will startle yet entice you at the same time. The actor has indeed evolved since his "Murder" days, and how! With a slew of potent performance in an assortment of memorable films over the last few years (barring "Ghanchakkar" and "Rush", which were let down by weak scripts), he has without doubt carved a niche as one of the country's brightest stars.In this Kunal Deshmukh helmed film, Emraan plays 'Raja', a brilliant conman who dupes common men and makes merry out of the gains. His character paints a clear picture of one happy-go-lucky man, who has a heart of gold (evident when he gives out some Rs. 6000 bucks to a street kid selling cigarettes), and makes you wonder where the movie is going. However, there is a twist in the tale; Raja's closest friend and mentor – an elder brother like figure - Raghav, played by Deepak Tijori (endearing in a bit role), is shot dead in front of him one fateful night, after a huge con in which the duo pull off more than they bargained for.The conman inside Emraan takes up a new kind of pace in order to eliminate the uber-stylish and sleek Vardha Yadav (played by Kay Kay Menon with sinister flair and malicious aplomb), seeking revenge for Raghav's death. For this, he seeks out Yogi (Paresh Rawal terrific as always), an expert at long cons. The film follows their attempt to avenge Raghav's death, with a little bit of help from a motley crew of small-time con-artists. The entire journey from India to Cape Town and back will keep you on tenterhooks, and is interspersed with spells of laughter to lighten the mood intermittently.The film's strongest point is its casting. Each of the actors is perfectly-suited to the character they're portraying. Though some performances are stronger than others, there are none that feel forced or unconvincing. Hashmi plays the street-smart conman trying to pull off a long con smoothly with equal swagger and vulnerability, and together with Paresh Rawal, creates a sizzling rapport that successfully holds the film together in instances where it wobbles slightly. These two class actors make even some of the filler scenes watchable. The screenplay is linear till the time veteran actor Paresh Rawal makes an uncanny entry from Dharamshala. His get-up and dialogue delivery will certainly make you believe that the screen brightens up every time a senior actor like him makes his presence felt. Paresh as Yogi, is the mastermind whose help Raja takes to con the big man Vardha. Kay Kay Menon is fantastic as always with his Vardha, a savage in a suit, oil- slick and lean, desperately keen on acquiring a cricket team, ready to bludgeon his way towards this. Pakistani import Humaima Malick looks hot and that is how her character 'Ziya' is meant to be. Her acting talent is realistic, and she suits the role surprisingly well. Special reference needs to be given to Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, who's mighty impressive in his small bit as a hit-man. Wish he had a meatier role in the movie. Besides Zeeshan, the other side-kicks in the film too have played their parts very well.Parveez Sheikh's script is strewn with crackling scenes that are matched in equal measure by Sanjay Masoom's witty dialogues, which infuse the narrative with verve and chutzpah. The story is packed with money, cons, romance, friendship, greed, confidence, over-confidence, kisses, chases, corrupt cops, cricket associations, twists – all of which are astutely handled by director Kunal Deshmukh. The plot travels from Mumbai to Dharamshala to Cape Town, but Deshmukh retains firm control over proceedings. He also shrewdly ensures that Emraan's signature style kissing is inherently embedded in the script. The serial-kisser can give Hollywood a cutthroat competition in that department, hands down. Cinematographer, Raaj A. Chakravati's work is also worth a mention."Raja Natwarlal" wins you over by the sassy swagger of its tricks, its conmen, and scenes like the climax at the 'HDMC Bank', all with its tongue lodged firmly in cheek. The film begins with a small con game and towards the climax, ends with a huge, elaborately planned con, making the audience applaud with our hero, Emraan Hashmi. We can safely say that this time, the con is well and truly on.

Raja Natwarlal - the name didn't ride on any big hopes prior to its release. It marks the fourth collaboration of director Kunal Deshmukh and Emraan Hashmi and that too outside the Vishesh Films camp. A con- caper at its heart, Natwarlal entwines all the possible elements of a typical Hashmi potboiler - drama, revenge, twists and the customary lip locks.The Plot. A street-smart thug named Raja(Hashmi) inadvertently crosses paths with a deadly Cape Town-based don, Vardha(Kay Kay Menon, deliciously menacing)when he, along with mentor Raghav(Deepak Tijori), steal away a hefty sum from his men. Raghav is killed by Vardha's men and Raja swears revenge.He takes the help of a rather cynical ex-con guru Yogi(Paresh Rawal)in devising a royal scam to rob the don off all his ill-acquired wealth. With an agenda that they would auction a fake cricket team to Vardha as the sport is ostensibly his only weakness, the stage is all set for the battle of wits!Reportedly inspired from the 1973 Hollywood flick, Sting, Raja Natwarlal manages to keep you hooked with all its twists and turns. With an undercurrent of humor and crisply written dialogues, the narrative springs out good sequences , particularly when Raja and his motley of con-men stage a fake meeting of Vardha with the cricket board Chairman with a pest-control-in-progress tag outside the room. What doesn't work here is the love track between Raja and his girlfriend, Ziya(Humaima Mallik) and the monotonously choreographed dance-bar numbers. And every time, the action ticks off , it is soon ruptured by stupidly placed songs .Even the beautiful picturizations amidst the scenic locales of Cape Town and the music by new-find Yuvan Shankar seldom do the damage control. It would also require a suspension of disbelief for the discerning viewer to see how an overtly incredulous tycoon gets tricked in the name of a fake cricket league.With a mediocre intensity this time, Emraan Hashmi pulls off the act efficiently. He imbues Raja with a steely resolve and manages to give an emotional depth to the character. The movie redeems much of its lost strength from accomplished stars like Paresh Rawal who is superb as the satirical con-coach and mouths hilarious two-liners and Kay Kay whose performance is near immaculate. It was rather disappointing to see the talented Mohd Zeesan Ayub(Raanjhana) wasted in a sliver of a role as the mute hit-man .Humaima, who proved her potential in Pakistani films, hardly impresses here and is reduced to an average glam queen.Sumeet Nijhawan(Maazii,Diskhiyaoon) is adequate as the wicked policeman.Raja..isn't a great film, but at the same time doesn't disappoint you with its mischievous shades.

Similar in vein to films such as Snatch, Hustle and Life of Crime; this Emraan Hashmi starer will probably rank as one of his best films and is a welcome uplift after the mediocre Ek Thi Daayan. Hashmi should be applauded for taking risks with films that other much bigger names in Bollywood don't. He may not have the star power of the Khans but, with the exception of maybe Amir Khan, he has recently been willing to experiment with roles a lot more. Here he's paired with Humaima Malick in her first Indian film and she does a decent job as the girlfriend in tow; whatever India's verdict on her debut, she will still have her outstanding lead role in Shoaib Mansoor's "Bol" under her belt. Kay Kay Menon flips form psychotic to ice cool villain at the flick of the switch but, as always, he never fails to deliver and is believable as the rich and corrupt antagonist. The assassin who is hired to kill Raja (whoever the actor is) is excellent despite minimal dialogue and limited screen time. One of South cinema's biggest music directors, Yuvan Shankar Raja, turns in some modern numbers that just may linger; either way, thankfully these items numbers don't detract from the narrative too much. Just suspend disbelief because of course a lot of the twists in the plot are totally implausible but we need to remember, this is fiction with the sole purpose of entertaining the masses. Not an imperfect film but miles better than most releases Bollywood has had to offer in this genre this year.