Ram Setu Movie Review: Akshay Kumar's Film Is A Bridge Which Struggles To Stay Afloat

Story

Ram Setu opens in Bamiyan, Afghanistan in 2007 where Aryan Kulshreshtha (Akshay Kumar), a renowned archaeologist is a part of a subcontinental team of experts deployed to excavate the remnants of a Buddhist site destroyed by the Taliban. While digging deep, Aryan stumbles upon an ancient treasure box, only to be interrupted by the Taliban going 'bang-bang'.

While dodging the bullets, he and a fellow Pakistani archaeologist stumble upon a reclining Buddha in a nearby cave. Their discoveries earn them praises and Aryan graciously offers his findings to the neighbouring country. "Dharm sirf todta hai, sanskriti jodta hai," he proudly exclaims when a journo quizzes him about being an atheist.

Aryan's achievements land him a promotion and he is appointed as the Joint Director General of a fictional Archaeological Society of India. Elsewhere in Rameshwaram, a shipping tycoon Indrakanth (Nasser) wants to demolish Ram Setu to shorten the route which is to be taken by one of his fuel-guzzling ships.

Keeping in mind Aryan's lack of belief in religion, Indrakanth ropes him to establish 'evidence' that Ram Setu is not man-made but has been formed naturally. However, a dive in the cool blue waters by Aryan leads to some startling discoveries which sets a chain of events. Soon, Aryan finds himself on the run with an environmental scientist Dr Sandra Rebello (Jacqueline Fernandez) and a mysterious tour guide AP (Satya Dev) in Sri Lanka.

Direction

Akshay Kumar's Ram Setu might remind you of the Sethusamudram project which had snowballed into a major controversy in 2005. Director-writer Abhishek Sharma pulls off some threads from that real-life event to weave a mishmash of history, mythology and fantasy. Unfortunately, his screenplay unfolds as unimaginatively as Akshay rising from the waters carrying a supposedly 7000 year-old yellow slab on his shoulder (a la Bahubali style).

One of the biggest reasons why Ram Setu fails to impress is because of the lack of conflict in the writing. Kumar and his team travel to a range of exotic places like crocodile-infested waters, dense forests, caves with tusks on the walls and dusty mountainous places as easily as one hops into a Mumbai local! Towards the end of the film, Abhishek Sharma relies highly on Akshay delivering sermons on 'sanskriti' in the Supreme Court which lends a preachy tone to the film.

Performances

Akshay Kumar pulling off a desi Brad Pitt look with his salt-and-pepper hair, gets to sprint and jump through the sands, forests and the busy bylanes of Jaffna. Oh wait, he even fist-fights in a helicopter. If only the writing had a quarter of Kumar's enthusiasm! Jacqueline Fernandez gets to drop some scientific jargons in her dialogues and yes, that's her only contribution. Nushrratt Bharuccha fleets in and out just like the logic in this film.

The only person who lends color to this otherwise drab outing is Telugu star Satyadev who makes his Hindi debut with Ram Setu. Despite the stereotypical depiction of his character, he lends some gravitas to his role. Pravesh Rana does his job well. Naseer finds himself in yet another wasted role.

Technical Aspects

Aseem Mishra's cinematography draws cheers in parts and pieces. The CGI is tacky as Sharma tries to pass off the waters at Daman as Rameshwaram. The blunt editing adds more to the woes.

Music

Vikram Montrose's 'Jai Shri Ram' blends well with the narrative of this Akshay Kumar-starrer. The background score of the film too, works fine.

Verdict

"Main control nahin convince kar raha thha", Akshay Kumar's Aryan Kulshreshtha tells another character while narrating his conversation with a pilot. Unfortunately, his convincing isn't enough to ensure a smooth sailing! Despite a promising concept in hand, Ram Setu fails to be the bridge that connects to your hearts.