Ram Setu

wogma rating: Watch if you have nothing better to do (?)

quick review:

Amusing that a film with such a strong agenda cares about proving the “scientific-ness” of its claim. Why even bother? Otherwise, interesting premise with yadi-yada dialogue, performances, special effects, music, etc.

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Director: Abhishek Sharma
Cast: Akshay Kumar
Running time: 140 minutes
Genres: Adventure, Mythology
More Movie Info

You know that Aryan played by Akshay Kumar, Akshay Kumar himself, and Ram Setu, have a chip on their shoulder from the opening sequence itself. Here’s an Indian archaeologist rubbing off banter towards him by a Pakistani archaeologist as dust on his sleeve. The Pakistani archaeologist, though, is apologetic and accepts the banter thrown at him by Aryan. Only the Indian knows how to be patriotic and, with all his largesse, compels others to be patriotic too. You then have Aryan pretending to be unbiased as Akshay Kumar seems to push an agenda.

Character’s transition is convenient to suit the film’s agenda.

My question is: Why? The claim is that xyz is what many people believe and thus must be true. Then why spend 2+ hours trying to prove or disprove? And while doing so, expose the lack of logic and back it up with, “if this is not scientific enough for you, it’s your problem!” Why not say with conviction what it wants to say and let the non-believers continue on their trip? Why does religion think it is essential for science to be on their side? It’s not like the believers need science. It’s not like the non-believers will glance over and let go of the gap in logic.

So be it. Everything else about the film is half-decent. You don’t go in expecting breathtaking graphics, music, or performances and you don’t get them. Had it not been for the premise of figuring out if Adam’s bridge between India and Sri Lanka was built by the Indian mythological figure Lord Ram, Ram Setu is a lot like other Akshay Kumar films. It is about him, the jarring age difference between him and his partner, his character’s heroism, and how cool and brave he is. You know things like how he doesn't need noise-cancelling headphones in a helicopter and coral doesn't hurt his bare hands. In that sense, I am grateful for the promising stakes the film begins with, even if the writing is less than ordinary.

The dialogue isn’t great, to begin with, and gets worse with more inanities as the film progresses. The film’s point isn’t to develop any character arcs, and it knows that. Two people have a change in character—one is inconsequential, and the other is unconvincing, to say the least. In fact, the latter’s transition is convenient to suit the film’s agenda. It isn’t clear when he moved away from what he spent a good hour of the film telling us, “Religion divides, culture unites.”

The film is littered with eye-roll-inducing arguments, incidents and revelations. Thank goodness a film’s script can be thought of as, at most, literature and cannot claim to be history.

- meeta, a part of the audience

24 reviewers(?) - 0 yays 5 so-so 19 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

So-So, by Bobby Sing, Bobby Talks Cinema.com : ...Overall, though RAM SETU had a significant theme, strongly related to our Indian religious beliefs and emotions, it sadly doesn’t come-up with any worthy interpretations missing a potential opportunity. The writers strangely conceive the content as if nothing has been done, and no exploration has been made in all these decades before 2022. Nothing much to write about the performances too as they all remain a victim of poor writing. But here we at least have the protagonist not faking his age, proudly having a white beard.... full review

So-So, by Devesh Sharma, Filmfare : ...Apart from Akshay Kumar, the actor who gets the most footage is South actor Satya Dev, whose antics remind you of Circuit from the Munna Bhai series. Unlike Circuit, he remains a mysterious figure and provides the only real twist in the film. Both the girls, be it Jacqueline Fernandez or Nushrratt Bharuccha, don't have much to... full review

So-So, by Nitin Jain, Glamsham.com : ...Overall, a technically average film based on information converted into an adventure thriller, Ram Setu is just passable, a one-time watch at max for the sake of Hanuman. Go watch it for him.... full review

So-So, by Hiren Kotwani, MiD DAY : ...The under-water sequences are a little underwhelming and don’t exactly take your breath away. Considering all the equipment at their disposal, even if Indrakant’s team had managed to source one loose rock from Ram Setu earlier, Aryan’s character would be irrelevant in the whole scheme of things.... full review

So-So, by Himseh Mankad, Pinkvilla : ...Overall, Ram Setu isn’t a bad film, but it’s not good either – It lies somewhere in between. The subject will have some takers, but we wish, the director had gone wider with his vision by integrating opposition from the natural forces too, and not just stick to the human evils. Watch it for Akshay Kumar, Satyadev, and a rather novel though despite jitters in the screenplay and execution. It’s a mixed bag, though better than the last 3 Akshay Kumar films – Cuttputtli, Raksha Bandhan, and Samrat Prithviraj.... full review

Thumbs down, by Subhash k Jha, Bolly Spice : ...The cinematography (by Aseem Mishra) is a saving grace, as it trails Archeologist Akshay, and his comely assistants Jacqueline Fernandez and Jeniffer Piccinato(who are in it for the ride in the jungles of Sri Lanka) and a South Indian Hanuman AP, short for Anjani Putra played by a lively Satyadev Kancharana.... full review

Thumbs down, Deccan Chronicle : ...Satyadev Kancharana is the only person who adds some credibility to the entire tale. Coming as it does just a couple of weeks after the Telugu film Godfather shows that Satyadev is in good form and should be encashing the good times. Amazing cinematography and poor graphics are also facets of the film that make it a tad amateur. The script is more than anything else needed to be buried outside the dig and dust of any enthusiastic archaeologist.... full review

Thumbs down, by Jagdish Angadi, Deccan Herald : ...Many of the characters have not been cast properly. There is hardly any screen presence for Nasser, the antagonist and Nushrratt. Akshay Kumar and Pravesh Rana, however, impress. Those valuing their money and time may skip this ‘Diwali gift’. Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/entertainment/dh-talkies/ram-setu-review-akshay-kumar-delivers-another-dud-1156655.html... full review

Thumbs down, by Deepanjana pal, Film Companion : ...Akshay Kumar's Ram Setu has a brilliant story at hand - where does science end and faith begin? Can literature, just because it has years on its side, be declared history? The argument rings obvious bells as you sit and watch Akshay's Aryan tread this tricky path. Unfortunately, a brilliantly debatable and thought-provoking issue such as this is completely marred by terrible, terrible execution. Apart from tipping his hat to everything he thought he needed to - religion, faith, wokeism, wokeism in the realm of religion, religion in the time of wokeism - Abhishek Sharma (director, Ram Setu) does little more to really stir the pot.... full review

Thumbs down, by Rahul Desai, Film Companion : ...Thank God made me cringe, not only because the film itself is so dull and juvenile, but also because it brought back memories of how my pre-teen head used to process such low-IQ comedies.... full review

Thumbs down, by Madhuri V, Filmi Beat : ...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.... full review

Thumbs down, by Nairita Mukherjee, india today : ...Akshay Kumar's Ram Setu has a brilliant story at hand - where does science end and faith begin? Can literature, just because it has years on its side, be declared history? The argument rings obvious bells as you sit and watch Akshay's Aryan tread this tricky path. Unfortunately, a brilliantly debatable and thought-provoking issue such as this is completely marred by terrible, terrible execution. Apart from tipping his hat to everything he thought he needed to - religion, faith, wokeism, wokeism in the realm of religion, religion in the time of wokeism - Abhishek Sharma (director, Ram Setu) does little more to really stir the pot.... full review

Thumbs down, by Devasheesh Pandey, India TV : ...Satya Dev as AP has a decent enough role apart from Akshay Kumar. When he joins the crew on their expedition to unravel the truth, the film shows some potential but it was never meant to be one person's job. In fact, Satya Dev's character gives the film its biggest strength, the climax. However, Ram Setu is too weary of a film to sit through for 2 minutes of an interesting ending.... full review

Thumbs down, by Umesh Punwani, koimoi : ...All said and done, while I give this film a glowing one star, I’d still want you guys to watch this. Not because it has some saving grace, but because if Rajkumar Kohli (Jaani Dushman’s director) set out intentionally with an unlimited budget to make the worst movie ever, he could not have made something this bad.... full review

Thumbs down, by Sameer Ahire, Movie Talkies : ...Ram Setu should have gotten a better background score than Om Namah Shivaay. It is a songless film in that sense, and yet it’s 144 minutes (if that makes sense for you). The score in Jai Shree Ram is electrifying, but the scenes aren’t elevated well with it. Most of the scenes lack a chilling background score, such as verbal mantras or shlokas.... full review

Thumbs down, by Saibal Chatterjee, NDTV : ...Ram Setu seeks to drive home one singular point, and in unambiguous black and white: "Iss desh mein Ram ko jo nahin manta uska muh toh kala hona hi hai (In this nation, one who denies Lord Rama's existence deserves to have his face blackened)."... full review

Thumbs down, by NISHAD THAIVALAPPIL, News18.com : ...Overall, the movie is not something that I would recommend. In this year that has terribly gone wrong for Hindi films, we’ve added another that would fight for a spot on the top among the flops of the year. Abhishek Sharma and Akshay Kumar have missed out on the opportunity to release a good work of fiction this Diwali.... full review

Thumbs down, by Isha Sharma, NewsBytes : ...Not worth a trip to the theaters, watch on OTT The convoluted narrative tests your patience to the extent that neither you immerse yourself in the plot nor do you care about the characters at all. This indifference sums up one's complete experience toward the movie. The forced rivalries and ulterior motives can be sensed with closed eyes. You can miss the ride to the theaters for this one.... full review

Thumbs down, by Deepa Gahlot, Rediff : ...Akshay Kumar's choice of films is getting to be increasingly bizarre, though this one would have been tough for anyone to carry off. Logic is not the film's strong point, and it takes the audience's credulity for granted.... full review

Thumbs down, by Nandini Ramnath, Scroll.in : ...There is no scope for logic or even basic common sense in a narrative that insists that religious belief must be placed above secular knowledge. Portions of Ram Setu are set in Sri Lanka, where a civil war rages between the Lankan military and Tamil separatists.... full review

Thumbs down, by Anuj kumar, The Hindu : ...The makers want to see the issue from the prism of faith, and instead of negotiating the complex layers of the past, Ram Setu seeks to jump to an imagined golden age, without building a bridge... full review

Thumbs down, by Shilajit Mitra, the new Indian Express : ...Akshay puckers his face in an odd squinch, like someone constantly smelling conspiracies in the air. It is unexplained why his character—a reasonably skeptical, well-esteemed researcher—would undergo such a sudden change of heart, or extract grand theories from flimsy, incomplete evidence.... full review

Thumbs down, by Pratikshya Mishra, The Quint : ...Having watched a film like Kantara that takes mythology and creates magic on screen, Ram Setu disappoints primarily because of how shoddy the script and its treatment is. The lore in epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata is extensive and have potential for many interesting arcs and side-arcs but Ram Setu is not it.... full review

Thumbs down, by Renuka Vyavahare, Times of India : ...Barring a few decent chase sequences, Ram Setu has no spark and is way too preachy. Lord Rama doesn’t need a salesman or films acting as Instagram influencers for him.... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

1 readers - 0 yays 0 so-so 1 nays

Nay! Thumbs Down, by Raj : Can't always make quick buck on religion & nationalism

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Parental Guidance:

  • Violence: Bombing, gun fights, fist and verbal fights
  • Language: Clean
  • Nudity & Sexual content: None
  • Concept: An archaeologist sets out to prove that Adam’s bridge is a natural phenomenon and not man-made.

Detailed Ratings (out of 5):

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Comments (2)

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Raj

Dear Meetu,
Happy Diwali to you, your family & friends
I smiled while reading the initial paragraphs. Perfect..! I think, some heroes - including Akshay, want to make a quick buck with the mood of HINDU-ist fanaticism and quickly dole out religoius, nationalist AGENDA-based-stuff. You are so right about it being HALF-BAKED.. just like a cake - one can't eat, swallow, or spit out - it sticks leaving a bad taste in mouth. I think Ram-Setu is such a failed attempt.

@Raj thank you! Yes indeed! Well said.

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