Movie Review: Raghu Romeo

I seem to have terrible luck with Rajat Kapoor movies, although I sincerely wish I didn't, because they're so cracked out and fun! Well, a nice fitting euphemism - unconventional. While for Mixed Doubles I arrived 45 minutes late, I was watching Raghu Romeo at home in the aftermath of some delicate drama, and my parents kept calling me to spend time with them. So I must have paused and rewound the movie maybe 5 times, and missed some connections.

But it is a rather whimsical film starring a hapless looking Vijay Dass (the superlative Marigold-eating corrupt contractor Dubeyji from Monsoon Wedding who fell for the servant girl Alice?) as Raghu, a slum-dwelling dance bar waiter who ignores his mother while concentrating on Neetaji, this epitome of love and sappiness on a popular soap opera on television. (Honestly, you have to see the quintessential Bharatiya Nari on Indian television to know what I am talking about. A middle class woman, usually victimised, on a crass, nouveau riche set that is supposed to be an old-money, traditional joint family, with a decent figure, poker-straight hair, full-make-up even in the daytime, a sari, and a round red bindi and big limpid eyes. Injustice after injustice is committed against her, usually by female relatives with curly bindis and smaller eyes and 'modern' clothes, but she waxes eloquent about love and forgiveness and bravery, and continues to fight for the right/honour/dignity of her husband (who is either useless, missing or dead) or son. Tooooooo much).

Anyway, poor Raghu is rather a nice boy, preventing (or attempting to) lascivious conmen and hitmen (Brother Mario played by Saurabh Shukla) from touching the dancers at the bar he works at (particularly Sweety, played by Sadia Siddiqui to perfection, who has been developing a crazy lil' thing called love for him), though he is intimidated by even her teasing "come-hither" gestures.

'Neetaji's' (played unbelievably by Maria Goretti, the pert-nosed cutie who one is surprised to see in such an unlikely role) birthday comes up, and Raghu buys a Rs. 400 Taj Mahal statue to impress her. He ventures into the studio and his gullibility is quite unbelievable, as he continues to confuse actors with their characters. He doesnt succeed in meeting Neetaji, and instead gets kicked out by the people there. (what is really cute is that he, like every human on the planet seeking a favour, tries to find some common connection with the watchman at the gate, trying to get him to let him in). Anyway, depressed, he sits by the sea, and recounts a hilarious list pf problems that ail him, (including some hard-hitting truth and India's pathetic cricket score), before a song ensues in his imagination (much as it is wont to do in any mainstream film, and indeed, in my imagination), of Neetaji in various acting situations mouthing words she would say but behaving unlike her character would do).

Cut to a narrator stopping the scene and telling you all about Raghu, our protagonist and asking the audience what will happen. Much like a newscaster or the back of the DVD. Heheh that was damn random.

Anyway, after he asks his boss for money to pay for the Taj Mahal, and an argument ensues and he gets kicked out for stealing it after his boss's refusing him. Brother mario takes pity on him and hires him as his driver, and Raghu has NO idea what he does. Soon Mario gets a contract to shoot Neetaji (aka Reshma), and everytime (twice or thrice) Raghu sees her, he gets excited and starts calling out to her and twice Mario misses. Cut to a funny scene where various people are interviewed about the shooting and say the most ridiculous things. Anyway, then a plot is hatched to actually go as extras to the shoot for a scene in which Neetaji is to be kidnapped. Instead, Raghu actually manages to kidnap her and whisk her away to Sweety's house in her village, to keep her safe purportedly. (This is where the title song appears, in a random rap thing. With Raghu trying to be cool!)

'Neetaji' comes to to find herself tied on a charpoy. After showering invectives on Raghu and trying to escape, she gives up and still remains suspicious of him, and supremely annoyed that he cant differentiate her reality from her dialogues. (there is another song in this midst, this time Qawwali style. This seems to be where Farah Khan got the idea to do all her sensational different-genre songs from in Main Hoon Na!) The climax comes along soon enough with Sweety appearing, really mad at Raghu for bringing her to her house, unable to take Reshma's star tantrums, and pissed off as hell that Raghu doesn't like her. Mario also shows up. Some gunmanhandling and funny bitching happens and ultimately all's well that ends well, with Reshma returning safe and sound with a kidnapping story and a party to celebrate her return, which Raghu is also invited to. Here he finally gives her the Taj Mahal, and waits expectantly for her reaction. She only smiles and says thank you naturally, and drives off. But the disillusionment in his eyes, the shattered expectations of 'something more', are too heartbreakingly well-done. Of course the next morning, New Years, he shows up at Sweety's doorstep. Fin.

My favourite scene is when he returns home from work on a rainy night and starts frantically to look for a place in teh house where the roof isnt leaking to protect his precious TV, before he places his body over it to shield it as his mom half-whacks, half-dries him. Oh, and also when Mario and Raghu keep complimenting Reshma on the salad she cut while Sweety glowers silently, having made the whole meal, till she cant take it any more and explodes!

Good acting. Maria Goretti takes time to be credible till she emerges more like herself as Reshma. I'm too used to seeing her as perky MTV VJ. Raaz and all the other characters are great. Mario's neediness and nonstop persistence in the pursuit of Sweety is damn annoying (as I'm a woman) and endearing (as I'm a viewer), till he sees that sweety likes Raghu. Awwww!!!

Conclusion: Emotion, drama, action, the quintessential dream big Bollywood movie, about a man hung up on unrealism but in a VERY random package! With a significant difference: reality and the humour it contains.

Did you know? Rajat Kapoor's producers were obtained on the basis of an email he sent, buying shares of teh film for Rs. 10,000 each?

Rajat Kapoor's website