Anubhav Sinha’s Ra. One links a video game-inspired storyline and liberal dollops of CGI to Bollywood storytelling staples such as high melodrama, raucous musical numbers and an ass-numbingly long running time. Game designer Shekhar (Shah Rukh Khan) impresses his son (Aman Verma) by creating an invincible virtual villain, but things get messy when the bad guy busts out into the real world and hunting down father, son and mother (Kareena Kapoor). Their only hope is the video game’s hero character, who’s also been let loose on terra firma. The jokes, song-and-dance routines and effects-driven action come at a relentless pace, but the abrupt shifts between broad farce and violent drama are a little too jarring. It’s a marathon of a movie, never dull but kind of exhausting.
This article appears in Oct 27 – Nov 2, 2011.