'Bhagwat Chapter One- Raakshas' movie review: Even the reliable Arshad Warsi and Jitendra Kumar fail to uplift a forgettable thriller

Cast: Arshad Warsi, Jitendra Kumar, Ayesha Kaduskar

Director: Akshay Shere

Language: Hindi

Arshad Warsi can be one explosive actor if he gets the role that can allow him to explode. After all, Madhur Bhandarkar, Siddharth Anand, Kabir Khan, Kabeer Kaushik, Abhishek Chaubey, and Aryan Khan —all directed their firsts with him. And then we have another unpredictable performer called Jitendra Kumar. His smiling face can even conceal something devilish is what we see in their new film together that’s called Bhagwat Chapter One : Raakshas. The story also explains the reason why they have kept this title. Warsi is Inspector Vishwas Bhagwat and Kumar is described as a Raakshas for what he does.

The film is directed by Akshay Shere and written by Bhavini Bheda. And it ticks all the cliches one is f̶a̶m̶i̶l̶i̶a̶r̶ frustrated with. So this is another cop hiding his demons and has anger issues. We are told he’s supposed to attend ten classes of anger management but the trait only skims the surface. Warsi loses his cool with way too inconsistency ala Krazzy 4 and Golmaal Returns. There are only a handful of slaps that we get to witness from a supposed ticking time bomb. Kumar fares no better. Like how a smart nemesis should, Kumar’s a character that harps on deception. He tries to be delusional and deliciously wicked and twisted but there’s no way this is a memorable outing, especially when we have Ashutosh Rana in Dushman right up there.

This forgettable thriller is mostly humourless but there’s one good line right in the first scene when a father takes a dig at his son Bhuvan and says ‘Yeh humara teen gunna Lagaan maaf kara dega.’ This is the only time one could sit up and take notice of the reference of this Aamir Khan film after what feels like ages. Suddenly, Kal Ho Naa Ho and Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage feel like a lifetime ago. Those were truly the days.

Bhagwat plays it too safe, as if afraid or awkward to go all bonkers and milk the hideousness of the premise or the people it occupies. There are scenes of sexual tension and police brutality, but the watered-down treatment dilutes all the effectiveness. Even the references of Dussehra and Raavana feels tried, tested, and tiring. A mythological touch is no longer compelling enough to guard a loose material. Even Arjun Rampal inhaled the bone-chilling nuances in an otherwise middling Ra.One back in 2011 with far more conviction. And there’s the streaming platform problem. Bhagwat is barely 120 minutes long and this is in no way a compliment but it should have stayed for much longer. It tries to connect all the ends together way too hastily. It’s like offering closure and yet keeping the room ajar for continuing the story.

It’s infuriating to see movies end with a note on a black screen that tells us what happened next instead of allowing the actors to do so. The courtroom scenes look as if they were shot in between actors’ lunch breaks. The makers rush to get to the next scene without bothering if the previous one left any impact or not. A premise this juicy didn’t deserve the jaded telling and treatment it ultimately gets. Even the milieu never sucks us into the dingy world of flesh trade the film shows. Bhagwat Chapter One : Raakshas is a film that squanders its potential and plot. Now that’s monstrous!

Rating: 2 (out of 5 stars)

Bhagwat Chapter One : Raakshas is now streaming on Zee5