The review of Badass Ravikumar highlights Himesh Reshammiya’s signature approach, seamlessly blending eccentricity with musical interludes.
The average person has approximately 60,000 thoughts every day. Among these are several ‘intrusive thoughts’, which are unwanted and involuntary. Badass Ravikumar was Himesh Reshammiya’s intrusive notion, and he let it triumph.
Make no mistake: he is Pathaan, Tara Singh from Gadar, and Jawan combined into one lethal killing machine. Whenever he talks, there is an echo. And he’s not like us mortals; he always rhymes whatever he says.
This movie doesn’t just target the antagonist—it bombards our senses, with logic taking the hardest hit. But Himesh makes it obvious right from the start: rationality is optional, in big letters. So one cannot blame him for the atrocity he has committed here. As a movie critic, one feels helpless since he is prepared to make a return.
The plot, or the lack thereof
There’s no story here. Himesh does what he loves. He will hack people apart with a chainsaw and then jump from a valley after being shot. Only to return for a 15-minute sequence in the second half where he and Sunny Leone dance to about 5 different songs back to back–the mood starts with ‘Tandoori Days’, then moves to a heartbreak song by Shreya Ghoshal, then back to a peppy number–Himesh doesn’t give you a second to process what’s going on. Oh, there’s also an emotional explanation for why he keeps a pack of cigarettes but never smokes them.
And then there’s the diamond heist segment, which had the audience in splits nonstop. Is there anything Ravi Kumar cannot do?
Himesh is in charge of the music, lyrics, and screenplay, as well as producing a film in which he appears in every shot. His brilliance is utterly inescapable. ‘I am the son of the soil,’ he says randomly.
Does it… work?
To Badass Ravikumar’s credit, no one stood up and left midway; they all stayed for this brainrot.
Throughout the two-hour length, only Kirti Kulhari’s appearance brings one back to reality. What use does an actor of her caliber serve in this film? The job choice she has had to make is somewhat upsetting, because she feels out of place in a role that just needs her to display skin and carry a cigarette at all times.
Ultimately, Badass Ravikumar turns out to be an overwhelming cringe-fest, just as the teaser had blatantly suggested. You receive what you are promised. If you’re a fan of Himesh Reshammiya’s creations, this movie is a perfect pick for you. If you aren’t a fan of Himesh Reshammiya yet, you probably are.
