Aditya Roy Kapur has been known for a bunch of his roles. From playing a heartbroken drunk singer in Aashiqui 2 to a revengeful person in Malang, the actor has donned a few interesting hats in the past. But it was Rashtra Kavach Om that gave him a chance to carve a new image (and six-packs). Aditya plays a soldier who has the body of Captain America — he cannot be harmed by a bullet so easily. However, a bullet to his head changes his life for good.
Directed by Kapil Verma, Rashtra Kavach Om sees Aditya play the role of Om. An ace soldier who has led some of the most successful missions for the Indian Army, Om is on a mission to also clear his dad off the traitor tag. Just as he reaches a step closer to his personal mission, he is shot in the head and he loses his memory.
Six months later, he wakes up from a coma with only one memory — his younger self watching his dad (Jackie Shroff) supposedly die in a burning house. With pieces of his memory, Kavya (Sanjana Sanghi) manages to help him find his house and the truth slowly starts to unfold. Om was not born with the identity. He was previously known as Rishi and he was eventually adopted by his uncle and aunt. His identity changes after the couple loses their own child named Om.
While he grapples with his lost memories, he realizes that there is a bigger controversy unfolding. A ‘Rashtra Kavach’ that his father was building has gotten into the wrong hands and it is his duty to retrieve the device. Does he manage to clear his father’s name? Does he manage to regain his memory? These questions are somewhat answered eventually in the movie. But it also leaves several questions up in the air.
Rashtra Kavach Om is a bad movie, period. The film’s writing is all over the place. There are logicless scenes penned. An example of this is a bullet has been lodged in Om’s brain and the doctor says that he is a walking miracle for, despite the bullet, he is able to remember at least one chapter of his life. When asked about his fighting ability, the doctor simply says that he continues to have his ‘muscle memory’ so he can still fight.
To make things worse, Om has recurring headaches that bring back the memories of his father’s death. Surprisingly, he wasn’t the only one dealing with a pain in the head. By the time the film ended, I grew one too.
Rashtra Kavach Om also feels like a new movie every half hour. Director Kapil also keeps reintroducing Om with a new entry scene in an attempt to show him as a massy star but it doesn’t land well. The dialogues are cringe with the audience constantly being spoon-fed information that is evident in the frame. The script has numerous plotholes, opening the floor for more questions with no answers in return.
Aditya tries to pull a Salman Khan with Rashtra Kavach Om with his body and action scenes. From building a toned body fit for a massive fight to performing mind-bending stunt scenes such as pulling down a helicopter using a massive hook and chain, Aditya tries every trick in the book to emerge as the massy star. While full marks for his efforts, the script and writing fail him. When everything fell short, Kapil gives viewers a shirtless Aditya firing a machine gun and fighting off the baddie. I would want to see Aditya play an action hero but in a better script.
Sanjana, on the other hand, surprises with her action scenes. Although she is given limited space to showcase her action moves, Sanjana held everyone’s attention with her action scenes. But Kapil takes that away from her soon, leaving her as just another supporting star who is secretly in love with Om. Ashutosh Rana manages to shoulder the film to an extent while Prakash Raj brought back memories of Singham and Wanted by the time the film ended.
Rashtra Kavach Om also needed better camera work. While some shots were meant to make Aditya shine, in a few places the camera angles were oddly placed. There is also an evident continuity error in the climax scene, leaving me wondering why Kapil was in such a hurry to wrap the film.
Rashtra Kavach Om feels like a hurriedly done video game that needed more time on the table. Aditya and Sanjana put in their best but the script doesn’t do them justice.
