Critics Are Sceptical But ‘R… Rajkumar’ Rakes In Big Money

Here is one Bollywood flick that has drawn flak from critics and still managed to make waves at the box office. Shahid Kapoor-Sonakshi Sinha starrer R… Rajkumar is an action-packed masala movie with numerous dance numbers (well, that’s the least you can expect from director Prabhu Deva) and a spicy mix of fights, romance, comedy, social issues and political conflicts. If that sounds a bit confusing, here’s the other side of the coin. In spite of the predictable and unsavoury mix of many elements, the movie has raked in some big money after an average-to-good opening on December 6. Day I collections stood at around Rs 9.5 crore, the biggest opening for Shahid till date (Mausam comes second with Rs 7 crore nett on the opening day). R… Rajkumar has grossed around Rs 37.2 crore after the 4th day, keeping the audience happy and the cash register ringing.

But there are loads of side issues to consider in this case. Surprisingly, much of the business came from the single screens while multiplexes saw a lukewarm response during the first weekend. However, R… Rajkumar has certainly romped past Saif Ali Khan’s gangster flick Bullett Raja that grossed only Rs 25 crore at the end of Day IV. After the 11th day (it opened on November 29), the Saif-Sonakshi starrer is still languishing with a total collection of Rs 46.60 crore.

Going by the numbers, Shahid’s all-new Dabaang-like avatar (a far cry from the sophisticated Badmaash Company) has managed to capture the audience after a series of flop shows. But critics have torn it apart and not without reasons, either. The movie veers between mindless violence and inane comedy while watering down some things as serious as corruption and custodial rape.

Film critic and analyst Taran Adarsh has tweeted: #RRajkumar movie review: Doesn’t work. It is Prabhu Dheva’s weakest Hindi film to date! Taran, however, acknowledges its box office success, saying: #RRajkumar sails safe!

Film critic Anupama Chopra writes, “R…Rajkumar is ostensibly Prabhu Dheva’s first non-remake Hindi film but you’ve seen it all before… That’s not enough to take you through the rest of this bludgeoning movie. I’m going with one and half stars.”

Others, too, are quite caustic about Shahid’s flick. According to Tushar Joshi of DNA, “Watch it if you are in the mood for a loud no-brainer that relies on formulaic over the top entertainment.” Shubhra Gupta (Indian Express) wrote, “It is nothing but blank putrid noise. R… for Rubbish.” Subhash K. Jha of SKJBollywoodnews comments, “R… Rajkumar is Prabhudheva’s rumbustious raga of the Rowdy.”

But all said and done, the latest flick has helped Shahid come out of a three-movie span of either flops or middling performers. His earlier release this year was Phata Poster Nikhla Hero, an action comedy directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The movie earned around Rs 37.1 crore in India in a span of two weeks and was declared a flop. Teri Meri Kahaani (2012) and Mausam (2011) suffered similar fate even after good starts and critical acclaim. Mausam, a romantic comedy, collected Rs 44 crore nett in its first week and ended its lifetime collections with Rs 69 crore nett. Teri Meri, a rom-com directed by Kunal Kohli, finished with average overseas business of around $2.3 million. At home, the movie collected around Rs 23 crore.

Does it mean only age-old formula movies can churn out money as far as the Indian audience is concerned? Not really, but the reception of R…Rajkumar seems a bit paradoxical. However, the coming weeks are sure to reveal more about the trend, and we will wait and watch.

Image: Indiatimes