Himesh
Reshammiya
does
not
have
the
swag
or
the
acting
chops
to
play
a
loose
cannon
cop,
and
he
takes
the
role
much
too
seriously,
sighs
Deepa
Gahlot.
What’s
with
these
Bollywood
tributes?
In
2014,
Himesh
Reshammiya
played
the
maverick
cop
Ravi
Kumar
in
The
Xpose,
which
was
set
in
the
1960s
as
a
homage
to
films
of
that
era.
Over
a
decade
later,
he
has
supposedly
become
a
badass,
and
in
his
new
film,
he
pays
a
‘logic
optional’
tribute
to
the
’80s.
Nobody
who
actually
saw
the
kind
of
films
Badass
Ravi
Kumar
emulates
would
look
back
fondly
but
thanks
to
sporadic
bouts
of
induced
nostalgia,
the
idea
has
grown
roots
that
’80s
Bollywood
was
all
slapdash
kitsch
with
outrageous
dialogue.
True,
there
was
a
section
of
films
that
were
massy
to
the
lowest
common
denominator
but
that’s
not
all
the
’80
were
about.
Himesh
Reshammiya,
who
had
an
insane
spurt
of
popularity
as
a
singer,
somehow
got
it
into
his
head
that
he
is
movie
star
material.
If
he
were,
he
would
not
have
to
produce
films
for
himself.
He
just
wanted
to
be
an
over-the-top
hero,
and
the
easiest
way
is
to
lampoon
the
worst
kind
of
films
made
at
one
time.
A
parody,
if
done
well,
is
the
best
form
of
flattery.
James
Bond
spoofs
are
a
genre
by
themselves.
Unfortunately,
Badass
Ravi
Kumar
falls
between
parody
and
homage
and
does
justice
to
neither.
Ravi
Kumar
is
called
back
from
suspension
—
he
is
constantly
suspended
for
killing
criminals
—
to
trace
a
‘reel’
that
contains
India’s
top
secrets,
which
enemies
(read
Pakistan)
want
to
get
their
hands
on.
A
dancing
joker
of
a
villain,
Carlos
(Prabhu
Deva)
is
given
the
job
of
acquiring
the
reel,
which
has
been
passed
around
and
reached
the
possession
of
Laila
(Kirti
Kulhari,
an
unlikely
femme
fatale).
She
also
happens
to
be
the
sister
of
Ravi
Kumar’s
lost
lady
love
Madhubala
(Sonia
Kapoor).
The
trigger-happy
cop
lands
up
in
Oman
and
is
up
against
a
bunch
of
no
gooders
(Anil
George,
Rajesh
Sharma),
who
are
no
match
for
his
custom-made
gun
or
his
rhyming
dialogue
(Bunty
Rathore
channeling
Kader
Khan).
A
few
minutes
into
the
film,
there
is
a
genuine
sense
of
fun,
which
soon
degenerates
into
an
anything
goes
mayhem.
Sidekicks
(Sanjay
Mishra,
Johny
Lever)
do
their
own
thing.
Sunny
Leone
makes
a
guest
appearance.
Songs
are
inserted
at
random.
A
heist
sequence
is
put
in
for
the
heck
of
it.
At
a
crucial
point,
the
villain
says,
‘location
change’
and
everybody
goes
off
to
dance.
Himesh
Reshammiya
does
not
have
the
swag
or
the
acting
chops
to
play
a
loose
cannon
cop,
and
he
takes
the
role
much
too
seriously.
So
after
a
point,
it
ceases
to
be
a
spoof,
and
becomes
just
another
B-grade
action
film
that
is
lost
in
the
deserts
and
palaces
of
Oman.
If
there’s
one
amidst
the
crowd
of
actors
who
says
‘what
nonsense’
and
plays
Carlos
like
he
was
in
a
fancy
dress
party,
it
is
Prabhu
Deva.
He
gets
the
preposterousness
of
the
goings-on
and
gets
his
laughs,
even
though
he
is
a
nasty
bloke
who
kills
for
the
fun
of
it.
Ravi
Kumar
needed
this
madcap
energy
but
Reshammiya’s
stolid
presence
that
struggles
to
hit
coolness
with
long
hair,
dark
glasses
and
cheesy
lines,
but
effortless
badassery
cannot
be
acquired.
It
is
either
built
in,
or
slogged
for.
Badass
Ravi
Kumar
Review
Rediff
Rating:
