Bond Ravi review: Pramod Panju & Kaajal Kunder shine in this aimless pursuit

2.5/5

Story:

Ravi, a hardboiled jailbird, is put behind bars after he agrees to serve as a major political figure's proxy in a murder case. Turns out this is business as usual for Ravi who, despite never having committed a crime, has frequented the same prison a bunch of times and has grown infamous in the crime circles as Bond Ravi. But this time around, things take an interesting turn when he ends up falling in love with Shwetha, a call centre employee, over the phone - with someone to dote on for the first time in his loveless life, can Ravi shed the 'Bond' in him and start afresh with Shwetha? Or do his "sins" of the past catch up to him regardless? 

Review:

It's hard to nail what works and what doesn't in the case of Bond Ravi. On one hand, the film's assertive title suggests that it's a bona fide "mass" hero-serving exercise wherein every beat and stroke is meant to hail the male protagonist. On the other, Bond Ravi is also the poignant love story of a redeemed criminal who has left his shady past well and truly behind. It isn't unheard of in cinema to bring these two aspects together and one has seen many hit films falling in this bracket (Sudeep's breakthrough film Huchcha comes to mind) but where Prajwal S.P., the writer & director of Bond Ravi, goes wrong is by being terribly indecisive. In an attempt to both appease the masses and also satiate his own creative urges, the debutant concocts his film with strange, inexplicable elements that not only derail him in his efforts but also end up making the whole thing feel pointless.

In Bond Ravi, the climax portion can be seen as a separate entity altogether which, despite boasting a lot of drama, has no association whatsoever with the rest of the film. If it wasn't enough that the film is already riddled with excessive writing and execution issues, the director's idea of a fitting climax comes as one of those completely unnecessary shockers that leaves you, the viewer, completely baffled and confused but not in a good way. What's worse is that when you try to trace your steps back from the "twist", it doesn't add up at all.

Prajwal S.P. is well-intentioned, no doubt, but his vision for the story at hand lacks the vigour and the ambition, while his approach as a director remains devoid of deftness. Instead, he goes after the task using the age-old, beaten-to-death conventions and the film never fully utilizes the opportunities presented by the story. 

And yet, Bond Ravi is saved from being a colossal mess because of its protagonists. Pramod, popularly known as Pramod Panju, is among the more enterprising talents in the business today and as the titular character, he brings charisma and gravitas onto the screen. He boasts a great physical presence and a booming voice that compliments his personality and the narrative of Bond Ravi, to its credit, allows him to flex his muscles as an actor. Kaajal Kunder, in the same vein, holds her own as the seemingly demure Shwetha and in the crunch moments of the film, she too evolves into a credible performer. The duo's on-screen camaraderie too is an asset to an otherwise feeble attempt at a film.

The rest of the cast, comprising noted names like Shobaraj, Ravi Kale, Telugu actor Ravi Prakash, and Vijay Chendoor, is adequate but the writing does not allow any of them to become important players in the story. Mano Murthy, who was once hailed as the man with the 'Golden' tunes, renders a couple of memorable songs but the soundtrack, including the background score, feels a little too outdated and underwhelming.

Verdict:

Bond Ravi, more than anything else, is undone by a title that, by no means, justifies what the writer-director is trying to say. On top of that, the execution too lacks the tenderness or the nuances that one looks for in an evoking love story of this kind - there are unfunny comedy scenes, bland-looking song sequences, and way too many redundant contrivances that test your patience. Regardless, the story still has enough substance to keep us interested until the very last moment but just as we begin to grow assured that it was all worthwhile, the climax steers the film in a completely new direction. While some may enjoy the curveball thrown at them, the rest are likely to be left appalled by how things pan out - watch Bond Ravi to find out which of the two sides you belong to.