STORY: Suspended cop Radhe (Salman Khan) is recalled for a clean-up campaign as Mumbai’s youth succumb to rampant substance trafficking. But Radhe is up against Rana (Randeep Hooda), a deadly new outlaw who will stop at nothing to rule the city.
REVIEW: ‘Radhe Your Most Wanted Bhai,’ set entirely in Mumbai, is a Salman Khan actioner that never tries to be something else. Radhe is an encounter professional who has completed 97 encounters and 23 transitions in the last ten years. Now that the city is under the control of a dreaded cocaine cartel, Radhe must make a comeback and kick some ass. Radhe finds time to flirt with his boss’s sister Diya in between beating up bad guys and saving lives (Disha Patani).
The majority of Radhe follows the predicted lines for a traditional big-budget Bollywood potboiler. The challenge for such films is to strike a balance between falling prey to clichés and providing some novelty while maintaining a high level of entertainment. Of course, director Prabhudheva succumbs to numerous such temptations that threaten to ruin the plot, but the film remains watchable in parts thanks to the relentless action and a formidable villain.
Though the film starts with a high-octane scene in which the bad guy is thrashing another crook, the following fight scenes between Salman and Randeep are a real treat. Myeonghaeng and Anbariv’s combat is raw, violent, and cool, with a lot of bloodsheds.
There are, however, far too many distractions along the way. Disha Patani, the film’s star, is one of them. Her track is practically counter-productive to the plot. She is the perfect eye-candy and adds plenty of glamour to the scenes, yet she is the perfect eye-candy and adds plenty of glamour to the scenes. Her character’s naivety limits her ability to succeed and dilutes the seriousness of the matter at hand. When it’s song and dance time, everything comes to a stop as she grooves to those upbeat beats in songs that are inconveniently put. Sajid-title Wajid’s track and Himesh Reshammiya’s Dil De Diya featuring Jacqueline Fernandez stand out among them. The background score (by Sanchit and Ankit Balhara) is loud but adds to the impact where needed.
When our leading man is packing a punch, Prabhudheva relies heavily on Salman’s star strength, elegance, and swag to push the plot. However, we are left with filmy dialogues, his dull chemistry with Disha Patani, and humorless conversations with Jackie Shroff, who plays Salman’s superior as a senior cop, outside the action. Randeep Hooda’s performance is sleek and savage, and he lets every second on-screen count. There is a slew of other villains in this gang that is simply loud and over-the-top.
There is a slew of other villains in this gang that is simply loud and over-the-top. In this hardcore action film, there is an effort to inject humor – by dialogue and scenarios – but it doesn’t always succeed. Because of its size, ‘Radhe…’ deserves to be seen on a large screen, but given India’s current COVID crisis, all Bhai fans will have to make do with watching this EID release on a small screen.
We’re not sure if this is the most anticipated Bhai film, but if you like action movies, there’s plenty to keep you entertained. Apart from that, ‘Radhe…’ has some seeti maar (good vs. evil) moments as well as some dances and grooves that will make Salman Khan fans cheer him on once more.
