Sadly for all of us, Bollywood seems to have run out of original ideas and stories and this creative block has led us into the era of remakes. Over the past few years, we’ve seen remakes of several films of different languages. From Telugu to Spanish film remakes, we’ve seen it all. But the only thing keeping us going is the acting skills displayed by the actors. Our favourite actors add their own touch to these remakes with their nuanced acting and that’s what we go to watch as viewers. The next remake B-town has come up with is, Gumraah. This Aditya Roy Kapur starrer film was directed by Vardhan Ketkar and produced by T-Series and Murad Khetani’s Cine1 Studios. This remake of the 2019 Tamil Film Thadam also stars Mrunal Thakur and Ronit Roy.
I’ve never fangirled or simped over a star as much as I have for Aditya Roy Kapur, and I simp over the actor rather respectfully. So, despite my dislike for remakes, I didn’t need much convincing to watch this film. Now, I may be an ARK fan but that doesn’t mean that I’m not aware of his acting graph. He may be the cutest boy next door but over the years, he has repeatedly played the same roles of a cute but heartbroken drunkard. It wasn’t until The Night Manager that we witnessed his growth and saw his potential. And now, the actor has given us more (that is – Gumraah) in order to prove his mettle. So, without further ado, let’s dive into this review before we get lost in ARK.
The Story Of Gumraah
The film opens with the murder of a man and the perpetrator is someone dressed in a yellow raincoat. And it doesn’t take long for the police to find out who killed the man. Just days into the investigation, Inspector Shivani Mathur (aka Mrunal Thakur) finds a teen who unknowingly captured a picture of the murderer while taking a selfie. Case solved, right? Nope, wrong. ACP Dhiren Yadav (aka Ronit Roy) is quick to bring in the man from the picture, Arjun Sehgal (aka Aditya Roy Kapur) for questioning. But the case takes a turn when some Police officers bring in a man they detained for creating a nuisance after getting drunk. One look at this man, Sooraj Rana aka Ronnie, leaves ACP Dhiren and Inspector Shivani in shock. Upon finding Arjun’s lookalike Sooraj, the Police detain both of them as they investigate the case. And they begin by keeping them separate and unaware of each others existence.
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While Arjun and Sooraj look alike, they’re two very different people. Sooraj is a sadakchaap gunda, who wears printed shirts, has tattoos and is involved in petty crimes like gambling and fraud. And Arjun is a gentleman in formals, has his own business and is well off. Even though Sooraj comes off as nothing more than a petty criminal, there’s more to him. Minutes after being arrested, he ensures that the Police are aware of how well he knows the rules, regulations and laws as he lists case laws preventing them from beating him up during the questioning. On the other hand, Arjun might be a smart, well-educated man but he isn’t much aware of the law. Soon after it is revealed that Arjun and Sooraj are twins and they’re anything but brothers. As they share their dislike of each other with the authorities, the case gets more complicated as both have alibis. And while ACP Dhiren Yadav is keen on pinning the crime on Arjun Sehgal due to his personal grudge against the man, Inspector Shivani Mathur can’t help but let her dislike for Sooraj Rana known as she investigates further to prove Arjun’s innocence. But will they ever find the murderer? Who did this? The gentleman Arjun or his notorious brother Sooraj? That, my friends, is for you to watch and find out.
Cast And Characters
Aditya Roy Kapur As Sooraj Rana/Arjun Sehgal: Let’s begin with Arjun Sehgal. He’s a cliché seedha saadha ladka who works a corporate job (later his own startup), falls for the right girl who happens to be a film reviewer and her name is Janhvi (I mean, what are the chances?). And ARK plays this role well. He’s absolutely loveable, is easy on the eyes dressed in his formal and oozes innocence. On the other hand, there’s Sooraj Rana. As a viewer, I took a quick dislike to the character who is a total rouge and has no respect for the authorities. His misbehaviour will make you want to slap some sense into him. But I must add that he looks just as appealing in his printed shirts but damn, the man needs to smoke lesser!
Both Sooraj and Arjun are cliché characters and are poles apart. One is a classic good boy and the other is the classic bad boy with a cigarette in his mouth all the time. And Aditya Roy Kapur has portrayed both the character with perfection. The actor has anchored the film in this dual role. To switch between the two could not have been easy but the actor simply eased into the roles. ARK has proved his mettle once again with this film.
Mrunal Thakur As Inspector Shivani Mathur: Mrunal Thakur plays the role of a tough female cop dealing with casual sexism as she investigates the case and is repeatedly stonewalled by her peers. And while she is known to be a great actor, she simply couldn’t pull off this role. Sadly, the actress looks rather uncomfortable in her character as she attempts to come across as a tough and smart cop. We’ve seen her do better and the poor writing and character graph don’t help her case.
Ronit Roy As ACP Dhiren Yadav: Ronit Roy is a nuanced actor and I’ve never not loved his work but he was grossly underutilised in Gumraah. While Ronit did justice to the role of a biased cop, it’s difficult to ignore the fact that little effort was taken to write his character.
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Vedika Pinto As Janhvi: Despite her limited screen time, Vedika Pinto did well to play the role of Arjun Sehgal’s love interest. However, the chemistry between the actors was missing.
Deepak Kalra As Chaddi: Deepak Kalra managed to shine in his role as Sooraj Rana’s sidekick Chaddi! TBH, Chaddi was missed in the second half!
Verdict: Aditya Roy Kapur Is The Saving Grace Of This Remake
Let’s start with what worked for the film. Even though the songs are not hummable, they are memorable. I mean, ‘Soniye Je’ has been playing in my head for the past 2 days. What can I say? Aditya Roy Kapur’s boyish charms work in his favour as he delivers some witty dialogues and punchlines in the middle of the investigation. The boy did refuse to give safai because he’s not detergent! It’s an absolute delight to watch him. The film sure is mass-y. The whodunnit keeps you on your toes for the longest time and the interesting plotline keeps you guessing what is going on. However, it is tough to ignore the fact that the plot is rather cliché.
So, let’s talk about what did not work. To begin with, the pace was extremely uneven and the multiple flashbacks to the night of the murder don’t help the cause. The story seems extremely dragged. It begins with a murder, goes back to the night of the murder and then switches to the romantic subplot and then leaves the string hanging as it comes back to the investigation. The first half is rather slow and one would assume that it would pick up in the second half but the first half of the second half of the film is focused on the backstory of the twins which creates more chaos. The makers tried to tug at heartstrings with do bhaiyon ki kahaani but failed to stir emotions as they dragged the story further. By the time the film picks up pace, it’s too late to save the plot which just BTW lacks a climax. We all watch a crime thriller for the mystery and the whodunnit but the revelation is not very surprising and to add to it, it is too little, too late. If only, the film had focused more on the investigation with stronger cop characters, it would’ve made for a fun watch despite the banal plot. The low production value is evident with the lack of creativity in terms of cinematography and editing.
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So, I’m giving this film 2.5 stars out of 5. There are several things that don’t work for the film but as a reviewer, it is my job to critically analyse the film. However, it is essential to note that while it may not be a cinematic wonder, it is a massy film and Aditya Roy Kapur’s acting paired with witty dialogues, and light-hearted humour makes for a decent watch. The fact that the plot is different from the usual murder mysteries makes it stand out (but it continues to be yet another unoriginal plot. Fun fact, Gumraah is inspired by several real-life cases from across the globe.
FYI, Gumraah hits the theatres on April 7.