Raja (1995) Review...
Raja (1995) Review...
Raja and Madhu are childhood lovers who are separated by her brothers. Years later, the two meet again. However, her brothers are against the alliance and devise a plan to drive the two apart.
REVIEW
These are the things I heard about the film before watching it. This film, though panned by critics to have many flaws did excellent business in Bollywood. This film was Sanjay Kapoor's second film after his debut Prem (which flopped at box office) with Tabu in Bollywood.
I however wanted to watch this movie just because two of the songs were popular and I like the song Akhiyaan Milaoon Kabhi. Hence I was intrigued to know what the story was. After watching it in it's entirety, I have to side with the critics here. This film has so many flaws but it's not the worst film I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of those. There are a few enjoyable scenes in the first half but they drag these scenes for more than necessary. The obstacles that they have to face in the first half seem forced and the comedy was so cheap even in 90s standards.
The first half was basically filler. Only a few scenes connected to the main story. Sanjay Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit are childhood friends. During their childhood, Paresh Rawal's factory gets burned down due to an accident and he becomes poor and this breaks up the alliance between Sanjay Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. While Sanjay Kapoor (child version) chases after her, Paresh Rawal chases Sanjay Kapoor, gets hit by a vehicle, goes flying into a building, gets electrocuted and basically becomes a mental patient. Fast forward to their adulthood and Paresh Rawal becomes sane-ish. Sanjay Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit meet by accident but don't know each other yet. Madhuri Dixit falls in love with him after kissing him to win a bet. He reflects the same. Then some forced complication to drag the run time. A few scenes later, both reunite and gets clarity about who is whom and decide to get married. Paresh Rawal and Sanjay Kapoor goes to her house to rekindle the alliance but Madhuri Dixit's brothers refuse still.
The problem with the first half is that comedy scenes are weak and cheap. Some of the scenes drag on too much and they make Sanjay Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit look like idiots going to school for the first time. To say something positive about it, the execution is done great, cinematography is also good, Madhuri Dixit looks hot, songs are not bad but not good either. Apart from this, the first half falls flat with does manage to get up and entertain us with whatever resource the film has.
The second half was unnecessarily complicated and cliched. It's basically just this. Sanjay Kapoor gets beaten up and thrown on the road, Paresh Rawal gets infuriated and challenges them that by October 25 they will get married, then it's all the routine stuff. Villains plot stuff, Hero tries to stop them, villain creates a complication which disrupts their love and will be resolved only in the climax. Hero defeats villain and/or reforms villain. Sanjay Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit gets married. A joke that didn't need to be there yet they kept it in the ending only to provide a comedic ending yet didn't provoke any laughter is done at the ending. The film ends.
The second half is where the dynamic changes. The best part in the second half is the songs and the character development. Sanjay Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit have gone from idiotic scenes in the first half to better developing scenes that gave them more of an identity. I know it was routine scenes and predictable ending and climax but the cinematography and scene execution is done so much better here that I wondered where was this in the first half. All of the cast get more character development here than in any of the first half scenes. Sanjay Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit are shown in a much better light compared to the first half. Even the songs are more energized compared to the first half songs.
In conclusion, I disliked the first half of the movie for the lame cheap comedy and scenes that took too long to make the point. However, I also liked the first half for the cinematography, scene execution, performance and the casting. I disliked the second half because of the routine cliched scenes and predictable climax and ending. I also liked it due to the improved cinematography, improved character development and the much better songs compared to first half. So, this is in noway a movie with a strong plot. This is average at best. There are things you will like in this movie and things you will dislike also. This film does manage to grip you yet only in the second half does the movie get interesting which makes sitting through first half look like a chore. Yet this movie is harmless. It's good for a one-time watch and if you liked this movie then all the power to you but for me this is one movie that I want to give a break to for a while.
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