Ruslaan REVIEW: Aayush Sharma delivers a kadak performance; actioner impresses with unexpected twists till the end

Film:
Ruslaan

Director: Karan Lalit Butani

Cast: Aayush Sharma, Sushrii Shreya Mishraa, Jagapathi Babu, Vidya Malvade, Raashul Tandon, Nawab Shah, Suniel Shetty

Run Time: 2 hours 19 minutes 

Platform: In theatres 

Ruslaan Review

The Karan Lalit Butani directorial is the story of Ruslaan (Aayush Sharma) – an impatient, impulsive but courageous individual who is willing to lay down his life for his country. The nearly 2-and-a-half-hour-long film follows his life from being labelled the son of a terrorist to finally making the country proud.

The film – also starring Jagapathi Babu as Ruslaan’s adopted father, ATS Chief Raghavendra Sinha, Raashul Tandon as his childhood friend pet named Tabla and Sushrii Shreya Mishraa as Vaani – an undercover RAW agent and Ruslaan’s love interest, takes the audience across countries as the titular character chases down the country’s enemies and successfully eradicated them. 

What Works

Aayush Sharma’s impactful performance is one of the highlights of the film alongside Jagapathi Babu’s nuanced acting. The film’s hard-hitting dialogues will leave an impression and have you repeating them even after leaving the theatre. 

What Doesn’t Work

One thing that doesn’t work in favour of the Aayush Sharma starrer is its background music. It’s loud and distracts the audience from what’s happening on some occasions. The film’s editing is another aspect that could have been improved. 

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Technical Analysis

Direction

Karan Lalit Butani has done a commendable job wearing the director’s hat. He beautifully captures the raw emotions of the character – especially during the final sequence between Ruslaan and Raghavendra Sinha. Karan also deserves a round of applause for capturing the action-packed sequences be they in an elevator, at a powerplant or on the hill slopes of Azerbaijan.

Story

The story of Ruslaan may seem similar to something you have seen on the big screen earlier, but it adds flavour with its unexpected twists and turns. The story – provided by Shiva, touches on several topics. This includes the bond a child shares with his parents, childhood friendships, service to the country, and a never-give-up attitude even in the most hopeless of situations. 

Via its storyline, Ruslaan provided the audience a glimpse into the workings of the intelligence departments of the country like RAW and the sacrifices these assets have to make to keep the country safe. 

Aayush Sharma in a still from Ruslaan

Choose Filters

Normal

1977

Crema

Ludwig

Moon

Willow

Script & Dialogues

The film’s script could have been more crisp. The screenplay – written by Yunus Sajawal, Mohit Srivastava and Kavin Dave, does have a few loose ties that should have been tied before filming began. A couple of minutes dedicated to Ruslaan and Vaani’s love story would have added more romance to the narrative, however, the makers missed the opportunity. 

As much as the action in the film will catch your attention so will the dialogues. While there is one dialogue – I won’t spoil which one it is, that you may find repetitive, the film’s other hard-hitting one-liners between the characters will leave you impressed. 

Editing

As mentioned above, the film’s editing is one of the major drawbacks of the Aayush Sharma starrer. The audience would have really appreciated it if Rajendra Bhaat had cut off scenes and kept the film closer to the 2-hour mark. A few sequences seem more like a lecture being given to a naughty kid in school/college instead of an important debrief by a RAW official to an asset. 

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Music

While Ruslaan is an actioner that mainly focuses on Aayush’s character trying to save the country from a dreaded enemy, it also sees him play a music teacher. Given this musical aspect, the Karan Lalit Butani directorial has a couple of songs like Taade, Pehla Ishq, Dil Phisal Gaya, Roar Of Ruslaan, Dua-e-Khair. Vishal Mishra, Rajat Nagpal and Akashdeep Sengupta have done a good job providing music across genres. 

While these tracks – spaced out perfectly, help add some fun and lightness to the narrative, the background score fails. These are instances when the BG is too loud and unnecessary; it distracts from the intense scenes taking place. 

Star Performances

Aayush Sharma impresses as Ruslaan – be it as the music teacher who is concerned for his students or as a RAW asset wanting to go above and beyond for his country. Jagapathi Babu as ATS Chief Raghavendra Sinha is convincing, and unfortunately, we can’t say anything more about it as it may be considered a spoiler. 

Sushrii Shreya Mishraa is not just a beautiful face in the film. She has a pivotal role that has her showing off her talents as an actress and dancer who can pull off action-packed sequences. Vidya Malvade, Raashul Tandon, Nawab Shah and Suniel Shetty all have limited screen time.  Suniel’s performance will put a smile on your face even for those 30 seconds he’s onscreen. 

Conclusion 

Ruslaan is an engaging watch that keeps you hooked with its action-packed sequences as well as its impactful dialogues. The film is a must-watch in theatres especially for fans who love high-octane action dramas. We hope our detailed Ruslaan review will help you make a choice.

Watch Ruslaan trailer here:

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