JOIN USRoy
Hindi (U/A) ¬¬¬
Director: Vikramjit Singh
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Jacqueline Fernandez
Filmmakers and their works seem to be the latest rage in Hindi cinema, but so are stories from the “badlands” of northern India. However, while the latter can sometimes get stereotypical, the former is almost always a special case, because the makers are telling their own story: their dreams, their struggles, their triumphs, their journey.
That is exactly how “Roy” is meant to be viewed. Womanising Bollywood potboiler-maker Kabir Grewal (Arjun Rampal) falls for London-based auteur filmmaker Ayesha Aamir (Jacqueline Fernandez) while working on separate projects in Malaysia. Kabir, who till then had not even written the script of what was the third of a successful film series, but had already brought the crew to Malaysia, uses Ayesha as a muse in a story he develops around anti-hero Roy (Ranbir Kapoor).
Of course, Ayesha falls for Kabir too, then finds she is being used as a muse. Things go downhill, but finally all is set straight by pronunciations of love. However, this journey is plodding enough to make the film nearly unbearable, especially when the hall is packed with teens and 20-somethings who have come to see what they have been led to believe is a Ranbir-starrer heist film.
Incidentally, that is exactly the film Kabir is making, but “Roy” itself is Kabir's love story, embellished with beautiful music, scenic locales, and some restrained acting. Kapoor leaves a mark in the places he is given a chance; Rampal uses his lean, brooding looks to the hilt; and Jacqueline shows promise as both the real-life director and the muse for whom Roy falls while to steal an artwork from her.
The credits finally roll on a nicely crafted romantic film that might just do well through the V-Day weekend. However, one wonders if the audience will forgive the film's marketing department's bait-and-switch so easily.