Ruslaan

Times have changed, but certain film-makers are still stuck up in the era gone by and that reflects in their cinema. That’s what you realise when you watch RUSLAAN. The film highlights a terrorist act that shook the nation a few years ago and how the life of an innocent goes topsy-turvy when he’s falsely framed as a terrorist [KHUDA KAY LIYE and more recently NEW YORK also depicted this]. But the gravity of the situation doesn’t come across on the screen because the writing is amateurish and the execution, childish. Ruslaan [Raajveer] lives with his parents and a younger sister. He’s in love with Samaira [Meghaa Chatterjee]. One day, a series of blasts occur at various railway stations of Mumbai and the cops arrest Ruslaan for this act of terror. Director Mohan C. Sharma looks at a serious issue [train blasts in Mumbai], but there’s nothing in the film that moves you or makes you think. In fact, the love story [between Raajveer and Meghaa] is also under-developed and the terrorist track is poorly written as well.

Why is Ruslaan picked up by cops, is never explained. Also, Ruslaan is thrown in a lock up, but the execution is such, it gives an impression that he’s a petty thief, not a terrorist. Seems like no detailing whatsoever has gone into the scripting [writers: Brahma-Dhruv]. Music [Raees Jamal Khan] is the sole saving grace. ‘Maula Maula’ is the pick of the lot. Raajveer tries hard to infuse life in his role, but, surprisingly, is relegated to the backseat in the second hour. Meghaa should’ve faced the camera after proper grooming. Asrani is as usual. Shahbaaz Khan and Ganesh Yadav are as usual. S.M. Zaheer and Smita Jaykar are okay.
 
On the whole, RUSLAAN is a weak fare.