Reincarnation has worked when it is made around emotional bonds. There have been some memorable films made on reincarnation and there have been some rejected as utter thrash. There are writers in English language like Brian Weiss and Dr Ian Stevenson among others who specialize on reincarnation cases. And, some recent filmmakers have even been inspired by their work weather it suits Indian beliefs or not.
While the reincarnation films that worked are Madhumati, Mahal, Milan, Neel Kamal, Karan Arjun, there are also those which did not, like Kudrat, Mehbooba, Karz (was okay in Bombay Circuit.).
Raabta is a reincarnation story which, in this case, is incidental. Because, as the film proceeds, you do think that the same story could have been told even without the reincarnation angle. But, then, the reincarnation theme only gives the luxury of stretching the story to look like a complete screenplay. Also, what is sad is that, instead of keeping the film simple, the makers try to make the film spectacular when they deal with the previous birth and take it to a medieval period. It would make more sense to keep it more identifiable with the audience.
The character of Sushant Singh Rajput is a compulsive flirt. He is a charmer and ethics or morals are not for him. He is in Belgium where he comes across with the character of Kriti Sanon.
A romance grows between Rajput and Kriti. Love stories are all same but, what usually works is the chemistry between the leads coupled with melodious music. Here, sadly, that chemistry is not given time to build.
Love stories need a hurdle in some sort of a villain. Here, the villain is from Sushant and Kirti’s previous birth, a thousand years ago. It was a love story that turned into a love triangle which ended with a tragedy.
Now, Sushant, Kriti are reincarnated and so is the villain from previous birth, played by Jim Sarbh.
Jim Sarbh is a liquor baron, who commutes in a personal helicopter and thinks he own all of Europe. There is a belief in filmmaking that to make your hero look like a hero, you need to make your villain strong. In this film, Sushant humiliates and makes fun of Jim soon as they come face to face so the villain’s character becomes a caricature.
The film passes its first half with only Sushant and Kriti on screen with the only relief being European locations. That makes the first half boring. And, if one thought the first half was boring, the second half when the film goes into flashback of a thousand years ago, it is sheer torture. The fact that the villain, Jim, enters the proceedings adds to the tedium.
Raabta is a poorly conceived film with equally poor execution. The music is poor and the one popular number, Mera tujhse....., filmed on Deepika and does not help either. The cinematography is competent making for pleasant viewing in the first half while the medieval era camouflaged in darkness is taxing. Editing is poor.
Counting on just three actors, Rajput, Sanon and Sarbh, is getting rather ambitious since none of the three commands a draw or are known for their histrionics. They fail to carry the film through.
Raabta is poor in all respects with box office prospects being poor.
Producers: Dinesh Vijan, Homi Adajania, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar.
Director: Dinesh Vijan.
Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Kriti Sanon, Jim Sarbh.
