Main Raj Kapoor Ho Gaya

Story: Raj and Suman had a happy marriage until an unfortunate incident took Suman’s life, forcing Raj to become an alcoholic. The story hinges on whether Raj can overcome his past.

Review: Theirs was a whirlwind romance, and the much-in-love couple takes the relationship ahead and gets married in no time. All that Raj (Manav Sohal) and Suman (Arshin Mehta) desired was unconditional love and time together. But Suman died in an unfortunate incident, and Raj became an alcoholic. One fateful night, his mundane life turns upside down when he shelters and protects a woman (Nazia Hussain) from goons. Will the fact that he wants to forget his past and she has no recall of hers make them the ideal match?

Writer-director Manav Sohal has put in a lot of effort to make this film a feel-good drama, but the story’s predictability makes it yet another run-of-the-mill take on romance. Also, the lengthy plotline leaves the director with no choice but to repeat some scenes and sequences, making it a tedious watch. The story is heavily influenced by Raj Kapoor’s philosophy of stories centred on the common man and relationships. However, the execution falls short.

Manav, as an actor, goes overboard in his portrayal of an alcoholic who feels guilty about losing the love of his life. Even his dialogues are unclear, which irritates the viewers after the point. But one thing remains constant: he always dresses like actor Raj Kapoor, even though they have nothing else in common. Shravani Goswami as Laxmi, on the other hand, loves Raj unconditionally but cannot replace Suman or confess her feelings to him. Arshin Mehta and Nazia Hussain perform well as Suman and Madam Ji, respectively.

The film is loaded with numerous songs, which only add to the film’s length. A taut edit would have made it a better watch.

Needless to say, ‘Main Raj Kapoor Ho Gaya’ will remind you of yesteryear actor-director Raj Kapoor’s famous dialogues and songs that are the movie’s inspiration. But, sans that, there isn’t much for the viewers. This act of Raj Kapoor is passable!