Shamshera Review : Ranbir Kapoor's First Double Role Falls Prey To Grossly Outdated Story & Terrible Execution

Ranbir Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt have united for the first time in YRF's swashbuckling period action drama called Shamshera. Ranbir Kapoor previously appeared on the big screen in Sanjay Dutt's biopic, Sanju, directed by the best director of his time, Mr. Rajkumar Hirani. Well, Shamshera makes sure that making a film on someone may be more useful than making a film with that person. Ranbir and Sanjay's union was announced on the day when Sanju hit the theatres and created an astounding buzz all over. Karan Malhotra just used two big names that would help him to create buzz, but the result would have been a little more pleasant if he had used the big story instead. Shamshera is damn too outdated even to review in today's SEO-friendly language, and that's an even tougher job for me right now than watching the film for two and a half hours.Set in the 19th century, Shamshera is a tale of Shamshera (Ranbir Kapoor), a free-spirited dacoit who gets killed by a merciless Indian police officer, Shuddh Singh (Sanjay Dutt), who happens to work for the British army. Shamshera's son, Balli (Ranbir Kapoor), learns the truth about his father's death and decides to finish his father's incomplete assignment – free his imprisoned tribe. Balli's lover Sona (Vaani Kapoor) helps him in the mission, but will these two be able to stand in front of Shuddh Singh's merciless killing spree and the British army? That's all you get to see in Shamshera. That's too less I mean.Frankly speaking, Shamshera should have been made in the 19th century only when Indian cinema was yet to invent movies so that no one would get to see this pathetic story and even worse storytelling. The entire storyline is grossly outdated with mixed references from multiple masala flicks. Amitabh Bachchan aka Iqbal, had a small eagle in Coolie (1983), while Ranbir aka Balli, has one big eagle in 2022, which also forms a sort of gathering. If you remember Christian Bale's classic superhero flick, Batman Begins (2005), then you will see Balli crowding crows exactly the same way Bruce Wayne crowded Bats to protect him. Neelesh Misra and Khila Bisht's writing has spared no formulas, just to make sure that the mix creates a huge mess. Balli would get shot 3 times from a meter's distance and will stand to fight back again, while Shuddh Singh faints just after a few belt pelts. Shamshera's script and screenplay both have everything to turn your cinematic experience into a horrible nightmare.It would be good if we didn't talk about how good the actors are in the film, because they are not. Instead, we should discuss how bad every single actor is. Starting with Ranbir Kapoor, who would believe that this man is coming after an outstanding performance in Sanju to deliver this forceful, mediocre act? Vaani Kapoor's dance moves have more variations than her expressions, and from what angle did she look like a girl of the 19th century? I mean, her glam appeal and avatars are too modern. The antagonist, played by Sanjay Dutt, is purely Ashuddh. What the heck was Sanju Baba doing out there? Is he the same man who delivered iconic negative roles in Khalnayak, Vaastav and Agneepath? Even a theatre giant like Saurabh Shukla has been wasted, and so is Ronit Roy. The rest of the cast doesn't even seem to be acting.There are very few positives about Shamshera, and one of them is the background score. The songs are a little dandy considering the period, but you can't expect modern hit numbers in a period drama, right? Mithoon has done a decent job there, with a couple of numbers really suiting their themes. The cinematography of Anay Goswamy will take you back to pre-independence era Bollywood films. Remember those close-up shots? a little shaky and curved? Shamshera displays all of them one after another to make your IMAX screen look like an ONIDA TV. Karan Malhotra debuted with a super hit, Agneepath, and then went down with a flop, Brothers. He keeps the flow going as he goes further down with Shamshera. His consistency is commendable. Karan plays a better villain in destroying the film than what Sanjay Dutt played in Shamshera's world. All said and done, Shamshera is a total waste of a huge cast, big budget, and valuable time. Ranbir Kapoor's first double role gives you a double dose of headache, and I hope he quickly brings the antidote for his fans with further projects.