Shamshera Movie Review: Bad screenplay, weak storyline betray Ranbir Kapoor's efforts

The first appearance deceives many. The story of Ranbir Kapoor starrer, 'Shamshera', is set in the fictional city of Kaza, where a warrior tribe is imprisoned, enslaved, and tortured by a ruthless authoritarian general Shudh Singh (Sanjay Dutt). 'Shamshera', who was one of the slaves rises to become a leader and then a legend for his tribe. He relentlessly fights for his tribe's freedom and dignity. His fight continues even after 25 years as Shamshera's son Balli (Ranbir Kapoor) fights for freedom.

Ranbir Kapoor is coming to the big screen after four years and in Shamshera he plays a larger-than-life, quintessential Hindi film hero. Kudos to the actor for making an earnest attempt to get into the skin of the character. However, a poor screenplay, weak storyline, and rough-edged dialogues steal the sheen out of his efforts. Shamshera betrays Ranbir Kapoor on many levels.

Sanjay Dutt has delivered some of the most epic villains on-screen. With Shamshera, he is back in his antagonist avatar. He is evil, ruthless, and cold-hearted. Yet the brute force of Shuddh Singh quickly fizzles down in the waves of repetitions. It has nothing new to offer. His on-screen showdown with Ranbir and the ferocious fights with no mercy too takes a toll after a while and fails to engage the audience. Vani Kapoor executes what's offered and looks stunning in most scenes.

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Director Karan Malhotra had the best ingredients consisting of canvas, talent, and scale; still the film kills one's appetite. 159 minutes feel like an era! The film gets dragged and the lacklustre storyline further drags the movie's pace.

The film's big promise of a 'never seen before' Ranbir Kapoor fails to do justice to his calibre. It's vital to be talented, hardworking and dedicated but also to make the right script choices. Shamshera doesn't enhance Ranbir Kapoor's talent or hard work or add to his brand equity. And yes, for the Ranbir die-hard fans, this is the first time they will see him playing a double role in the same film. Provided they muster the courage to sit through the movie with the same enthusiasm!