Raghav, a taxi driver by profession, is a complex and tragic figure. He is a man who loves and cares deeply for his mother and younger brother, even though they hate him for reasons unknown to him. Despite their rejection, Raghav never fails to provide for them, sacrificing everything he has for their well-being. His unwavering devotion to his family, despite their hatred, keeps him committed rarely pursuing the answers he craves for. But, in moments of grief, he breaks down; questioning his dead father about the mistreatment he endures within his own household.
Jatin Bora’s new directorial, Raghav, where he plays the titular character, is a search for answers. It is Raghav’s search for truth and love from the people that he cares for. It is about familial love and sacrifice through the lens of a morality play, wherein the virtuous hero is pitted against a united front of adversaries who seek to prove his moral superiority.
Released on October 27, 2023, amidst many public controversies, Raghav is a melodramatic mess of parental love, family bonds, betrayal, and redemption. The film’s adherence to the formulaic conventions of its genre is evident from the banality of its premise, which renders it predictable to even the most casual observer. And readers of this review who have not yet watched the film can already deduce the reason for Jatin Bora‘s estrangement from his mother and brother.
The film features actions, emotions, romance, and picturesque locations, along with the performances of Jatin Bora, Mridula Baruah, Nishita Goswami and Hiranya Deka and Bibhuti Bhushan Hazarika. And then that’s it. There’s nothing else to separately point out or write about. The execution of the story is seated in the nineties, and may therefore seem overly dramatic to modern audiences. The film, while not definitively bad, is also not particularly good either. It is a lightweight and temporarily energetic confection, which ultimately lacks substance.
While much could have been built upon the film’s basic premise, the present execution leaves a lot to be desired. The plot was predictable, the comedy was unnecessary, and the love story of the lead pair was forcefully constructed. Bora’s character, despite his inferiority complex stemming from his lack of educational attainment as a mere matriculate driver, secretly carries admiration for Rima (Nishita Goswami), a neighbourhood girl with a master’s degree, apparently. However, on the day of her wedding to her lover, the groom abandons her, leaving her heartbroken and also ‘unconscious’. And to save her family from the societal embarrassment of a cancelled wedding, Raghav agrees to take the groom’s place, and the marriage rites are completed while Rima remains completely out of her consciousness.
The storyline of Raghav vacillates between silly and boring, and the humour is so outdated that it is surprising that filmmakers still attempt to elicit laughter from audiences with such tired tropes as faces blackened by vehicular exhaust. Jatin Bora, while looks good, but is not as convincing as to pull off the not-so-satisfyingly choreographed fight scenes. The impact of the action sequences comes from the sound design rather than the screen presence of the hero. In that sense, Bora’s attempt to recapture the youthful vigor of his mid-thirties films was somewhat unconvincing. And it is often evident that he is executing his flying kicks with the assistance of multiple harnesses.
A prevailing deficiency of the script lies in the character development, as most of the characters shows minimal growth or emotional complexity. Notably, the character of Diganta, portrayed by Jivitesh Mazumdar, is conveniently designed according to the stereotypical trope of the evil sibling due to the exigencies of the plot. While his resentment towards Raghav can potentially be rationalized, the narrative provides insufficient motivation and rationale for his disownment of his own mother. Similarly, the character of Raghav’s mother, portrayed by Mridula Baruah, is burdened with withholding the answers that Raghav seek, only to push in a dramatic reveal on her deathbed.
So, to cut it short, despite the occasional enjoyment derived from a commercial action-entertainer, Raghav ultimately fails to deliver any truly memorable or thrilling moment. The film’s overall entertainment quotient was underwhelming and the musical accompaniment is also easily forgettable. In other words, Raghav is predictably undercooked and an uninspiring recycle of tried and tasted formulas of yesteryear films. Or maybe perhaps that’s the only way these films can be made. But thank God, at least it didn’t have an item song!