Vaada raha… i promise

Samir Karnik completes his trilogy. NANHE JAISALMER was about dreams, HEROES was about pride and VAADA RAHA is about hope. The commonality in all three films, besides Bobby Deol and child star Dwij Yadav, is the emotional quotient. VAADA RAHA, inspired by a Russian fable, is about the bond between two patients – a grown up man and a kid, respectively. An interesting thought, nonetheless. But there’s a hitch. The writing isn’t too convincing and what actually dilutes the effort is that it tends to stagnate at places. More on that later!
 
What does stand tall in VAADA RAHA is Bobby Deol’s super performance. This is his most accomplished work to date!  Duke’s [Bobby Deol] life can be called gratifying. Professionally, he is a successful doctor, personally an ardent lover and parent to a doting dog. Duke loves Nalini [Kangna Ranaut] and they plan to marry soon. A sudden turn of fate ends Duke’s perfect world. He is paralyzed neck down, after an accident. Nalini leaves him. He becomes bitter and angry at himself. Duke hates his conditions so much that he wishes he had died instead of living in a condition which is worse. He loses hope. Roshan [Dwij Yadav], a young boy, enters his life. Duke hates Roshan in the first few meetings, but Roshan wins over his heart. Roshan boosts his morale and motivates him. In time, Duke gains sensation first in his hands and then in his legs. One fine day, the doctor tries to make him walk with the help of crutches. But a shock awaits him. Samir Karnik’s forte has been emotions and VAADA RAHA displays his prowess yet again, but the writing bogs him down. For instance, Kangna walks out of Bobby – in fact deserts him – soon after he meets with an accident. Forget standing by him, she decides against visiting him in the hospital, which appears very, very strange. That seems hard to believe! Another weird aspect is the culmination to the story, when Bobby is back on his toes and he’s shown married to Kangna. Ideally, Bobby should’ve dumped Kangna for discarding him when he needed her the most. 

Also, Dwij gives hope to Bobby all through, but the lines/dialogues he’s asked to deliver look weird when a kid mouths them. For, Dwij talks like a wise old man who has seen the world. Despite the faulty script, Samir Karnik’s handling of a few sequences is commendable. Binod Pradhan’s cinematography is top notch. Music is a letdown. VAADA RAHA belongs to Bobby Deol. He’s excellent. Kangna Ranaut is wasted. Dwij does very well. Mohnish Bahl is alright. Sharat Saxena and Vivek Shauq are wasted. Prateeksha Lonkar acts well.
 
On the whole, VAADA RAHA stands on a faulty script. Besides, the lack of hype will make the effort go unnoticed.