Suraj

STORY: As Mumbai’s youth are falling prey to rampant drug abuse, suspended cop Radhe (Salman Khan) is recalled for a clean-up mission. But Radhe is up against a dangerous new outlaw Rana (Randeep Hooda), who will stop at nothing to rule the city. REVIEW: Set entirely in Mumbai, ‘Radhe Your Most Wanted Bhai’ is a Salman Khan actioner that doesn’t try to be anything else, ever. Radhe is an encounter specialist with 97 encounters and 23 transfers to his credit, in the last 10 years. Now, as the city is in the grip of a dreaded drug mafia, it’s time for Radhe to make a comeback and kick some butt. But between beating up the bad guys and saving lives, Radhe also finds time to flirt with his boss’ sister Diya (Disha Patani). For such a typical big-ticket Bollywood potboiler, most of what Radhe features, is on expected lines. For such films, the battle is always about striking a balance between falling for the clichés and offering some novelty, whilst keeping the entertainment quotient high. Director Prabhudheva, of course, gives into many such temptations that potentially derail the narrative, but thanks to the relentless action and a formidable villain, the film remains watchable, in parts. While it begins with a high-impact scene where the bad guy is bashing up another crook, a series of confrontation scenes between Salman and Randeep that follow, are an absolute treat. The action (by Myeonghaeng and Anbariv) is raw, brutal and stylish with quite a lot of bloodshed. However, there are way too many distractions along the way. Leading among them is the film’s heroine Disha Patani. She is the perfect eye-candy and adds plenty of glamour to the scenes, but her track is literally counter-productive to the story. The naivety of her character gives her little scope to perform and also dilutes the gravity of the subject at hand. All urgency comes to a grinding halt when its song and dance time with her grooving to some peppy beats in songs that are very inopportunely placed. Among them, the title track (by Sajid-Wajid) and Dil De Diya featuring Jacqueline Fernandez (by Himesh Reshammiya) stand out. The background score (by Sanchit and Ankit Balhara) is loud but adds to the impact where needed. Prabhudheva relies heavily on Salman’s star-power, style and swag to drive the narrative and it works when our leading man is packing a punch. But beyond the action, we are left with filmy dialogues, his lackluster chemistry with Disha Patani and humourless exchanges with Jackie Shroff, who plays Salman’s superior as a senior cop. Randeep Hooda is slick and savage in his act and makes every minute on screen, count. There are many other villains in this pack of baddies, who just end up being loud and over-the-top. There is an attempt to infuse comedy – through dialogues and situations -- in this hardcore action film, but it doesn’t always work. For its scale, ‘Radhe…’ has the elements that merit a big-screen experience but given the current COVID crisis in India, all Bhai fans most would have to make do with watching this EID release on a small screen. We’re not sure if this is the most wanted Bhai film, but if you’re an action fan, there is enough ammo to keep you invested. That apart, ‘Radhe…’ has some seeti maar moments (the face-off between the good and the evil) and some moves and grooves that will make Salman Khan fans cheer him on, yet again. RADHE is WANTED II Salman Khan at 55 trolling age like a boss 👍