Romeo Akbar Walter Movie Review: A raw deal!

Romeo Akbar WalterUA ActionDirector Robbie GrewalCast John Abraham Mouni Roy Jackie ShroffRatingsJohn Abrahams latest nationinperil movie is set against the backdrop of the 1971 IndiaPakistan war Releasing nearly a year after Raazi this one suffers from an acute hangover of the Alia Bhattfilm It even ends with a song that seems inspired read blatantly copied from Ae WatanhellipRomeo Akbar Walter RAW has a confusing structure is supported by a blaring background score and lacks both the smarts and the menace of being a good espionage thriller The problem here lies with director Robbie Grewal also director of Aloo Chaat Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar and Samay who botches his own scriptGiven the twists and turns the film comes across as a convoluted and tedious mess For a major portion of the film you find yourself trying to decipher where it is leading In order to fit the subplots the script is stretched to a point that you stop caring The first part revolves around Romeos Abraham induction into the task force and imbibing the nuances of Akbar as he enters Pakistan What could have been an interesting depiction is reduced to a clicheacuted montage of training In the second half our superspy hero is in pursuit of getting details of the Pakistani Army which threatens to set a bomb in a part of East Pakistan now BangladeshWatch the Romeo Akbar Walter trailerThe sequence is shot so casually that it makes you wonder if walking on the streets of Pakistan while trying to gather sensitive information is a cakewalk The attempt to create a sense of urgency and intrigue are undermined by the lack of coherence The film manages to pick up the pace in the second half but by then it is too late to salvage the situationAlso ReadRomeo Akbar Walter director shoots across the country in 46 daysThe screenplay moves at a snails pace and is devoid of tension The unnecessary inclusion of a love story between Romeo and Parul Mouni Roy makes it further lethargic Thats not all amidst the supposed hightension situation a lovemaking scene seems like a desperate attempt to titillate the audienceGrewal tries to bank on the emotional side of Romeo as he remembers his mother The scene is almost an ode to Darsheel Safary from Taare Zameen Par 2007 It comes across as pretentious and dreary It seems the director hoped to present the film as a complete package and failed miserably Had he stuck to the narrative of a spy the outcome would have been very differentSikander Kher is the only one who has attempted to salvage the film Jackie Shroff as the director of Research amp Analysis Wing RAW sails by Abrahams deadpan expressions are a hindrance but he somehow manages to hold his ground And Roy should stick to doing Naagin instead of a gratuitous role like this As for RAW YAWnAlso ReadJohn Abraham RAW Romeo Akbar Walter isnt a jingoistic flagsaluting filmCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates