- Release Date: 27/10/2023
- Cast: Jatin Bora, Nishita Goswami, Mridula Baruah, Jivittesh Majumdaar, Sumi Borah, Bibhuti Bhushan Hazarika, Chinmoy Kataki
- Director: Jatin Bora
‘Raghav‘ stands as one of the most significant Assamese releases of the year, following the success of ‘Dr. Bezbaruah 2’ and ‘Sri Raghupati.’ With the immense triumph of these two preceding films, ‘Raghav’ was anticipated to make a grand opening and a bigger splash at the ticket window. The film narrates the story of Raghav (Jatin Bora), a taxi driver by profession who has devoted his life to providing and caring for his ungrateful brother and uncaring mother. He endures all their insults and misbehaviour without ever questioning why they treat him so poorly.
Raghav falls in love with Reema (Nishita Goswami) and plans to propose to her. Unfortunately, she is already committed to someone else and decides to marry that man. Raghav is left with no other option but to gracefully offer a helping hand during her wedding. Raghav’s life takes a peculiar turn when he encounters a series of personal tragedies in rapid succession, transforming him into a vengeful and uncompromising soul. Almost immediately, the daughter of a powerful businessman in the city is kidnapped, an event that becomes intertwined with Raghav’s life, placing him in a confrontation with two of the most influential men in the city.
Abhijit Bhattacharjya’s screenplay and dialogue needed to be better:
To be honest, I was intrigued by the prospect of watching this film primarily because it was written by Abhijit Bhattacharjya, a writer renowned for consistently delivering entertaining scripts for Assam’s mobile theatres. Over the years, he has successfully transitioned into writing for Assamese cinema. His screenplays have a distinctive quality, containing the essential elements that captivate audiences within the confines of a crowded, sometimes sweltering tent, with few properly functioning fans during Assam’s mobile theatre season, for periods that can extend for over two hours. I had hoped that this year, once again, he would work his magic and present a film that would be entertaining from start to finish, incorporating those key elements that make this type of cinema so popular.
Regrettably, Abhijit Bhattacharjya hasn’t fully met the expectations this time around. The story of ‘Raghav’ crosses multiple genres and incorporates a myriad of issues and emotions. However, the treatment of these elements is rushed to a feverish pitch, and the narrative glosses over them so swiftly that the writer never fully realizes the potential of all the elements introduced through the story’s numerous twists and turns. The resolution of many of these issues is so fast and abrupt that they are unable to deliver the kind of impact that was necessary for the story to work.
There are a few instances where the emotions do work, largely due to the impactful performances of veteran actors like Jatin Bora, Mridula Baruah, and Nishita Goswami. On the other hand, I had a concern with the writing in many sequences, as they became unnecessarily and overly dramatic and caricaturish. Notably, the two villains and the character of the mother are poorly developed, with the mother’s character lacking a satisfying conclusion. Even the character of Reema is abruptly removed from the equation when it seemed unnecessary. Furthermore, some of the significant plot revelations can be anticipated from a mile away, which detracts from the film’s impact. The comedic elements should have been entirely omitted. Surprisingly, there are parts in the narrative where the film unintentionally becomes comical. There were awkward exchanges between characters that unexpectedly tickled my funny bone. These moments occurred when the film was trying to convey seriousness and hence worked to the detriment of the film.
The film’s pacing and editing is relentless, jarring, and almost tiring:
The film’s pace (editing) was dialed up to an extreme level, and it felt entirely unnecessary. Transitions from one scene to another appeared abrupt and sometimes even jarring. Such qualities are not expected in a production of this calibre and work to the film’s detriment.
The film adopts a non-linear approach to storytelling. As is customary, something crucial happens in the very first scene of the film. The protagonist is then introduced, and then, through various flashbacks, the story unfolds up to a point, leading to the climax in the current timeline. While this can be an interesting way to sustain the audience’s interest and engagement throughout the film, when not executed properly, it can create confusion and narrative gaps, which I unfortunately noticed in a few portions of this film.
Moreover, the rapid pace at which most of the sequences unfolded prevented the audience from forming any meaningful emotional connections with the characters and feeling empathy for their situations and predicaments. It also presented the challenge of the hero experiencing extreme tragedy in one scene and then quickly transitioning into a happy mood in the next, leading to noticeable inconsistencies throughout the narrative. This issue is as much related to the editing as it is to how the story was conceived and the screenplay was structured.
Jatin Bora makes the most of the opportunity as an actor:
Jatin Bora is a talented actor, and he plays to his strengths, especially in some of the more emotional scenes of the film. However, the predicament he is shown to be in, particularly concerning his relationship with his mother, is spoiled from the very beginning as we are smart enough to understand which way the portion was headed owing to the clues that are left for everyone to see. Also, this portion is portrayed with so little attention to realism and authenticity that it doesn’t resonate effectively in the end. The character of the mother is left without a solid resolution when the writer and director had the opportunity to create a powerful scene where, after mistreating her son for so long, the mother finally understands his true value and expresses her love for him one last time. This crucial element is overlooked, leaving the audience somewhat unsatisfied. Nevertheless, in the scenes where Jatin Bora shares the screen with Mridula Baruah, he does his best to inject life into them, and he succeeds partially in doing so.
Jatin Bora and Nishita Goswami’s chemistry works:
Jatin Bora’s portions with Nishita Goswami are sweet and heartwarming. The turbulent nature of their relationship and the unique way it evolves into a brief period of peace and serenity in Raghav’s life is exceptionally warm and heartfelt. It leaves a very positive impression and elevates the film in certain portions. I would have appreciated an extension of this portion of the film, but that was not to be. It’s worth noting that the songs that capture the romance and the passage of time between the two characters were melodious. While they may not have become huge hits, they served their purpose effectively in the film.
The action of the film is well done even though it has nothing new to offer:
Jatin Bora impresses in the action sequences with his expressions. The clever choreography and editing enhance the physicality and impact of these scenes. This leads to the action sequences becoming one of the film’s strong selling points. The fights are also driven by heightened emotions, although one of them felt somewhat forced. With well-executed choreography and Jatin Bora’s committed performance in the physical exchanges, the action in ‘Raghav’ quickly becomes one of its standout strengths.
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Jatin Bora as the director of the film leaves a lot to be desired:
The overall direction of the film by Jatin Bora was lackluster. It appears that he should have requested several rewrites to address significant issues related to believability and realism in the script. It’s puzzling how he didn’t notice the numerous gaps in the narrative and the unbelievable behavior of many characters that hindered the audience’s ability to suspend disbelief and fully engage with the film’s story. It’s also unclear why he didn’t recognize that certain parts of the film added nothing but unnecessary runtime, and removing them to dedicate more time to character development and their predicaments would have served the film better. The dramatic shifts in character dynamics, from one extreme to another, should have been addressed to bridge the considerable gap in the storyline. Additionally, it’s perplexing that he didn’t see the introduction of unnecessary theatrics for certain characters when they ultimately served no purpose was unmercenary and detrimental to the film’s cause. Furthermore, he should have addressed the poor performances of some actors and ensured that they delivered their roles effectively. All in all, Jatin Bora needed to do a significantly better job with his direction of the film.
Final words:
‘Raghav’s story draws inspiration from some of the most basic and well-known emotions that we encounter in our day-to-day lives. It taps into our fantasies through its protagonist, impressing us in certain segments. However, its breakneck speed and failure to slow down to allow audiences to savor poignant moments and build connections with the characters pose a problem.
Dear Reader,
Over the past four years, EastMojo revolutionised the coverage of Northeast India through our sharp, impactful, and unbiased coverage. And we are not saying this: you, our readers, say so about us. Thanks to you, we have become Northeast India’s largest, independent, multimedia digital news platform.
Now, we need your help to sustain what you started.
We are fiercely protective of our ‘independent’ status and would like to remain so: it helps us provide quality journalism free from biases and agendas. From travelling to the remotest regions to cover various issues to paying local reporters honest wages to encourage them, we spend our money on where it matters.
Now, we seek your support in remaining truly independent, unbiased, and objective. We want to show the world that it is possible to cover issues that matter to the people without asking for corporate and/or government support. We can do it without them; we cannot do it without you.
Support independent journalism, subscribe to EastMojo.
Thank you,
Karma Paljor
Editor-in-Chief, eastmojo.com
The subpar writing in many key sections and the inclusion of some frivolous characters don’t make it any easier to appreciate the film. While Jatin Bora performs admirably as the film’s protagonist, he falls short as its director. The film manages to deliver sweetness and satisfaction in some instances, but unfortunately, these moments are too infrequent and too far apart. It also lacks sufficient action to qualify as a full-fledged action film.
Overall, ‘Raghav’ was a moderately entertaining experience that didn’t bore me but failed to leave a lasting impression.
Rating: 2.5/5 (2.5 out of 5 Stars)
The views expressed in this article are that of the reviewer and do not reflect EastMojo’s position.
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