Romeo Akbar Walter
Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW; alluding to the Research and Analysis Wing) is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film[5][6][7] written and directed by Robbie Grewal. It stars John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher.[8][9] The narrative centers on a banker who is recruited as a spy for the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW or RAW) for an undercover operation in Pakistan, where he faces both physical and emotional challenges. The film was inspired by the life of Indian spy Ravindra Kaushik and theatrically released on 5 April 2019.
| Romeo Akbar Walter | |
|---|---|
Poster | |
| Directed by | Robbie Grewal |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Tapan Tushar Basu |
| Edited by | Hemal Kothari |
| Music by | Score: Amar Mohile Hitesh Sonik Rochak Kohli Clinton Cerejo Songs: Ankit Tiwari Sohail Sen Shabbir Ahmed Raaj Aashoo |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 139 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | ₹35 crore[2][3] |
| Box office | est. ₹53.48 crore[4] |
Plot edit
In November 1971, at ISI detention cell, Karachi, a man is being given the 3rd degree of torture. The movie then goes 9 months back.
In 1971, Shrikant Rai, the Chief of the RAW recruits Rehamatullah Ali a.k.a. Romeo, a banker, after he manages to foil a bank robbery staged by the RAW agents to test his skills for espionage in Pakistan. After training in combat and covert communication techniques, he departs to Pakistan.
In Pakistan, he becomes Akbar Malik, and in his operations is helped by Joker and Mudassar, Pakistani locals helping RAW. Planned circumstances bring him closer to the target Isaq Afridi (Anil George), whose trust in him strengthens when Akbar not only assures him of his hatred towards India but also saves him from an attack conducted by the henchmen of Nawab Afridi. Akbar informs RAW about a planned attack on Badlipur that would claim innocent lives, both in India and East Pakistan. However, relations between Afridi and Akbar also intensify, due to which he refuses to betray him when Nawab approaches him with an offer to work for him. However, while leaving the rendezvous, Nawab forgets an envelope and asks Akbar to deliver it to the described room number. He is surprised to find his girlfriend Shraddha Sharma there and exclaims "You?" in disbelief. She gestures him to keep quiet and opens up a telephone receiver to show a spy transmitter inside it, proving that her room was bugged. She reveals that she, too was working for the RAW and was sent there because Akbar wanted someone close to be sent for him.
In the meanwhile, Colonel Khan's suspicion grows on Akbar, whom he arrests, interrogates, and tortures when he isn't able to extract any information. He is forced to free due to Akbar being Afridi's right hand. However, Akbar's cover soon gets blown, resulting in a chase between him and the colonel. Akbar manages to escape and arrives at home to find Mudassar telling him to escape. Akbar explains that there's no way to escape, due to which Mudassar agrees and goes to prepare tea for him. While waiting, Akbar suspects someone's presence. Hearing a gun click, he takes out the gun given to him by Mudassar for emergencies, and shoots the person, only to realise it was no one else but Mudassar. Weeping but also remembering the latter's words warning him not to get entangled in relations, he escapes from the scene and the next day, disguised as an army captain, contacts Shrikant for help. The latter declines, telling him that he's not acting like an Indian any more. In the meanwhile, Shraddha and some other RAW agents are arrested while Joker commits suicide. Akbar then meets the army officer who interrogated him and his senior, revealing the truth. He decides to conduct the attacks on Badlipur himself as a form of revenge on the RAW. Accompanied by colonel Khan to avoid any sort of double-crossing, Akbar shocks him by bombing the entire village in a series of explosions, thus confirming his loyalty to Pakistan.
As a result, the Indo-Pakistani War breaks out. Akbar, now a Pakistani officer called Walter Khan, meets Shrikant and Awasthi in Nepal after 10 years. He departs after exchanging a few words and congratulating Awasthi for his impending promotion, leaving the latter surprised. Shrikant then reveals that Walter's still working undercover for India and how the latter's siding with Pakistan was all part of the plan. The bombing didn't cause any deaths as the villagers, as under the pretext of warning about bad weather conditions, they were moved out 24 hours before it took place. Shrikant also reveals Walter's loyalty towards work was the only reason he couldn't turn up even at his mother's funeral. The film ends with a shot of Walter saluting the Indian flag with tears in his eyes.
Cast edit
- John Abraham as Rehmuthallah "Romeo" Ali aka Akbar Malik aka Walter Khan
- Mouni Roy as Parul/Shraddha Sharma
- Jackie Shroff as Shrikant Rai, R&AW chief
- Rajesh Shringarpure as Prasoon Awasthi, R&AW deputy chief and promoted as its chief at the end of the movie
- Raghubir Yadav as Mudassar
- Mushtaq Kak as Joker
- Anil George as Isaq Afridi
- Sikandar Kher as Colonel Khan
- Suchitra Krishnamoorthi as Rehana Kazmi
- Purnendu Bhattacharya as General Jahangir Alam, Chief of Army Staff
- Gyanendra Tripathi as Captain Adil
- Sharat Sonu as Robber 1
- Alka Amin as Waheeda, Rehamatullah's mother
- Vikram Dahiya as Krav Maga Trainer
- Sanjeev Jaiswal as Deewan
- Shivraj Walvekar as Mishra Ji
- Shadaab Khan as Nawab Afridi
- Aashit Chatterjee as Lt. Gen. Ghazi Ali Hayat, Director-General of the ISI
- Tareeq Ahmed Khan as Army Man
- Pawan Kumar Jagoli as Ratan
Production edit
Initially, Sushant Singh Rajput was to star in the film as the protagonist, but he had to step down due to date issues and was later replaced by John Abraham.[10][11]
Release edit
The film was shot on location in Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat and Nepal;[12] it was initially scheduled to release on 15 March 2019 but then it was pushed back.[13][14] It was scheduled to release worldwide on 12 April 2019 but later released on 5 April 2019. Eros International was being distributed in Overseas.[15][16][17]
Home media edit
The film became available as VOD on Netflix on 30 June 2019.[18]
Reception edit
Critical response edit
the film received mixed reviews from critics Going by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has scored 15% based on 13 reviews with an average rating of 4.4/10.[19] Renuka Vyavahare of Times Of India finds the climax of the film audacious and gives one and half stars out of five. She concludes, "RAW has its moments but is rough around the edges. The climax is audacious and you need to suspend your belief, if you plan to watch it."[20] "Overall, Romeo Akbar Walter is another interesting film from John Abraham. The movie has enough twists and turns to keep you intrigued and engaged. Go for it." says Gaurang Chauhan of Times Now and gives three stars out of five.[21] Sanyukta Thakare writing for The Free Press Journal rates the film with one and a half stars out of five and says, "You would expect RAW to be an action-packed film as much as the trailer suggested, but the film is more of a drama web series that documents events one after the other, throwing in unnecessary emotional, romantic and climax more than it is required."[22] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare giving 3 stars out of 5 says, "Watching the film is like akin to reading a John le Carré novel. You have one set of mandarins squaring off against the other with pawns being sacrificed for future advantage."[23] Taran Adarsh gives 1.5 stars out of 5 says "Dull. Interesting stories don't necessarily translate into interesting films. Half baked writing + slow pacing play spoilsport. John, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher excel. This thriller lacks thrill and grip."[24]
Box office edit
Romeo Akbar Walter collected ₹5 crore on its opening day pan India. Its opening weekend collection from the domestic market was ₹20.85 crore. Its domestic gross was ₹45.84 crore and overseas gross ₹7.64 crore. It grossed ₹53.48 crore worldwide.[4][25]
Soundtrack edit
| Romeo Akbar Walter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 5 March 2019[26] | |||
| Recorded | 2018 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 27:12 | |||
| Language | Hindi | |||
| Label | Junglee Music | |||
| Ankit Tiwari chronology | ||||
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| Sohail Sen chronology | ||||
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| Raaj Aashoo chronology | ||||
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The music of the film is composed by Ankit Tiwari, Sohail Sen, Shabbir Ahmed and Raaj Aashoo while the lyrics are penned by Shabbir Ahmed, Murli Agarwal, Prince Dubey and Ashok Punjabi. Song "Jee Len De" Atif Aslam Version is Released in 26 May 2021 On YouTube Times Music Official Channel.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vande Mataram" | Shabbir Ahmed | Shabbir Ahmed | Sonu Nigam, Ekta Ajay Kapoor | 4:57 |
| 2. | "Bulleya" | Ashok Punjabi | Sohail Sen | Rabbi Shergill, Shahid Mallya | 4:25 |
| 3. | "Jee Len De" | Murli Agarwal | Raaj Aashoo | Mohit Chauhan | 4:37 |
| 4. | "Allah Hoo Allah" | Shabbir Ahmed | Shabbir Ahmed | Sameer Khan, Maneesh Singh, Shreyas Puranik, Jay Mehta, Mayur Sakhare, Tejas Mahure | 6:37 |
| 5. | "Maa" | Prince Dubey | Ankit Tiwari | Ankit Tiwari | 3:19 |
| 6. | "Jee Len De (Atif Version)" | Murli Agarwal | Raaj Aashoo | Atif Aslam | 4:37 |
| Total length: | 27:12 | ||||
References edit
- ^ "Romeo Akbar Walter (2019)". British Board of Film Classification. from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
- ^ "Romeo Akbar Walter box office collection day 1: John Abraham starrer gets moderate opening, May earn Rs 5 crore". Zeebiz. 5 April 2019. from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ "Romeo Akbar Walter". Box Office India. from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Romeo Akbar Walter". Bollywood Hungama. 5 April 2019. from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ "John Abraham's next film to be action thriller RAW: Romeo Akbar Walter". Mid-Day. 3 March 2019. from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
- ^ "Original stories attract audience". India Today. from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ "John Abraham on Romeo Akbar Walter: I'd like to do patriotic movies but won't make jingoistic films". Firstpost. 4 March 2019. from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ "RAW-Romeo Akbar Walter: John Abraham takes RAW to Kashmir along with Jackie Shroff". Bollywood Hungama. 14 August 2018. from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ "RAW-Romeo Akbar Walter". BookMyShow. from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ "Here's Why Sushant Singh Rajput Quits Romeo Akbar Walter". NDTV. Indo-Asian News Service. 29 August 2017. from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
- ^ "Sushant Singh Rajput quits RAW, here's what the makers have to say!". Times Now. IANS. 31 August 2017. from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
- ^ "John Abraham starrer Romeo Akbar Walter to be shot in Kashmir". Bollywood Hungama. 30 April 2018. from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ "John Abraham starrer Romeo Akbar Walter is all set to release on this day next year". Deccan Chronicle. 18 September 2018. from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "John Abraham's Romeo Akbar Walter finally gets a release date". Mid-Day. 18 September 2018. from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "Romeo Akbar Walter teaser: On Republic Day eve, John Abraham offers another patriotic treat. Watch video". Hindustan Times. 25 January 2019. from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "Romeo Akbar Walter teaser out: John Abraham has a Republic Day treat for fans". India Today. from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "Romeo Akbar Walter teaser: John Abraham's different 'faces' make the film look like a promising one". Times Now. from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- ^ "Romeo Akbar Walter". Netflix. June 2019. from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
- ^ "Romeo Akbar Walter". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ Vyavahare, Renuka. "RAW Movie Review". Times of India. from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ Chauhan, Gaurang. "RAW Movie Review: John Abraham starrer is an effective espionage thriller that'll stay with you". Times Now. Zoom Entertainment. from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ Thakare, Sanyukta. "Romeo Akbar Walter Movie Review: John Abraham starrer can put you to sleep; needs more than just changing length of his beard". The Free Press Journal. from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ Sharma, Devesh (4 April 2019). "Movie Review: Romeo Akbar Walter". Filmfare. from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
- ^ "taran adarsh "@taran_adarsh"". Twitter. 5 April 2019. from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
- ^ "Bollywood Top Grossers Worldwide Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
- ^ "Romeo Akbar Walter – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Gaana. from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
External links edit
- Romeo Akbar Walter at IMDb
- Romeo Akbar Walter at Box Office Mojo
- Romeo Akbar Walter at Bollywood Hungama
- Romeo Akbar Walter at Rotten Tomatoes