Romeo Akbar Walter Film Review: John Abraham delivers a Category B Raazi with Mouni Roy

Romeo Akbar Walter – Three Identities One Person and zero expression. This is the best way to sum up RAW, the two and a half hour yawn festival run by Robbie Grewal. Established in 1971 when relations between India, Pakistan and East Pakistan were strained; Back home, R & AW (RAW Research and Analysis Squadron) was thinning his best spy for him to pbad behind enemy lines. His job: get as much information as possible.

Wait! But does not that look like Raazi, Meghna Gulzar's movie of 2018? This is the case, to a certain extent. Romeo Akbar Walter is however a paler cousin of Raazi.

Romeo Ali (John Abraham), a cashier in a day bank and night theater artist, draws the attention of RAW leader Srikant Rai (Jackie Shroff). of his performances. The finesse with which Romeo disguises himself every day on stage outweighs the leader of RAW, who decides to recruit him for an important mission.

After a spying course, Romeo is sent to Pakistan under the pseudonym of Akbar with a new haircut and a kohl. punctured eyes. This is how director Robbie Grewal turns an ordinary man into a spy tasked with carrying out one of the largest underground missions on the other side of the border.

30 minutes into the slowest spy thriller of all time, you decide to forgive the director become intense and nervous with the arrival of Akbar in Pakistan. But Grewal fails here either.

Most twists do not provoke excitement or nervousness. From hidden transmitters to polygraphic tests, to third-degree torture and poor disguises, the film plunges into all the tricky tricks of the magic box of Bollywood espionage thrillers. The story seems so extended, playing so much on clichés and conventions, that all you want to do is sink a little deeper into your chair and look for an ideal position to doze off.

If the slowness of the movie is played a spoiler, John Abraham's wooden expression adds to the 144-minute trauma. Despite many close-ups, it's hard to find a hint of expression on John's face in this film. Mouni Roy, who scored Akshay Kumar in gold last year, has absolutely nothing to do here. However, it is the actors who come to the rescue and try to buy the film. Sikander Kher, who plays the role of a threatening Pakistani police officer, is trying to deliver a commendable performance. Alka Amin as mother of John delivers a perfect act. But unfortunately. None of these can compensate for the fact that RAW loses plot in the first half-hour of its execution.

Romeo Akbar Walter strives to invoke a feeling of patriotism but fails miserably. This weekend, do yourself a favor, skip this movie and watch Sooryavansham on TV instead. It will soon be on one of these OTT platforms.

2 out of 5 stars for RAW.

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