Romantic movie review: Akash Puri comes of age as an actor in this partly satisfying action romance

2/5

Story:

Vasco da Gama is a 21-year-old youngster in Goa often locking horns with cops, committing petty crimes. His world revolves around his friend Annie, his grandmother Mary and her community of well-wishers. John is a cop who chides Vasco to lead a life of dignity and asks him to find a job for himself. Vasco, however, has other ideas and joins the gang of a notorious don Rodriguez. With his shrewd tactics in carrying out murky deals, he soon rises through the ranks in the world of gangsters. His life takes a drastic turn when he is smitten by a local singer Monica, who also reciprocates his love for her. 

Review:

Romantic is a film that works as a perfect advertisement to introduce someone to Puri Jagannadh's universe - i.e. a badass male lead who speaks sans filters, lusts after a woman, chases, stalks to win her approval, makes his mark as a gangster and stands up for his beloved when his contrasting worlds collide. Sensitivity and political correctness is not something you can expect in any of his works and Romantic isn't any different. In the film that Puri Jagannadh has scripted and written dialogues for, the key takeaway is the rise of his son Akash Puri as a performer. 

The first-time director Anil Paduri is largely helped by the slick screenplay in the case of Romantic though the story doesn't offer anything new. The sequences progress at a breathtaking pace, the dialogues are on your face and no time is wasted in establishing characters beyond necessity. From Akash to Sunaina to Uttej, Makarand Deshpande and Ramya Krishna, the actors are perfectly cast for their roles. There's no scope for subtleties at all. There's not much to complain about as long as the film sticks to the world of goons, gangsters, cops, chases and action sequences.

There are interesting dimensions to the lead character, particularly with Vasco's portrayal as a modern-day Robinhood who diverts his income to build a home for his community. Vasco's equation with his grandma, his respect for sincere cops and its connection to his father's backstory (Alexander, a sincere police officer who's killed by a group of henchmen) build curiosity. Had more effort been placed in elaborating on these threads, Romantic would've benefited with some emotional depth.

The problem arises when the makers pass off Romantic as a love story. It's hard to see anything beyond lust in the frames. Of course, physical desire could be an integral aspect of a relationship but there's nothing more to it here. The voyeuristic cinematography in the sequences featuring the lead pair is in poor taste, filmed with the sole intent to titillate. Any female lead apart from Ketika Sharma would've also worked fine for Romantic because the role's scope is reduced to a woman's thighs, skin show and a few intimate sequences. The tragic climax is a half-hearted attempt to lend an epic-ness to this romance.

Ramya Krishna, as Ramya Gowarkar (ACP), only enters halfway into the film and breathes a new lease of life into the proceedings. She's perfectly cast in what's one among her rare appearances in the khaki avatar. The role may have become a caricature in the hands of a less-capable actor but her intensity, body language, ability to pull off heavyweight drama effortlessly is a delight to watch. It'll be interesting if we could get a standalone film revolving around her character alone.

The perversion in the love track apart, Romantic is reasonably engaging. Akash lights up the screen with his fiery dialogue baazi; he's so comfortable in front of the camera as opposed to the gawkiness one noticed in his earlier appearances as a lead. The confrontation sequences between him and Ramya Krishna are filmed well. 

Sunaina does a fantastic job in providing the sole comic relief in a serious story, as a middle-aged singer who thinks highly of her abilities. Her on-screen chemistry with Uttej is a hoot. Sunil Kashyap's music and background score blend with the vibe of the film smoothly. Veteran actress Ramaprabha is a picture of warmth in whatever little she gets to do. The first-time director Anil Paduri is content in making a film that'll please his master.

Verdict:

Romantic is a slick action-romance with fine performances by Akash Puri and Ramya Krishna. Puri Jagannadh's racy screenplay and no-holds-barred dialogue are the USPs of the film. It works better as an actioner than as a romance though. The love story is the film's weakling, undone by the perversion and the voyeurism in the treatment. Watch it only if you have nothing better to do.