Ram Setu Movie Review: Not every quest blurring the line between mythology and history turns out to be as fantastical as the promise it holds. Given the interesting subject at hand, questioning and therefore attempting to decode the myth behind the reality, or vice versa, of the bridge called Ram Setu, as many believed built by Lord Rama with his abled vanarsena. Director Abhishek Sharma has a concrete plot at hand to probe into the formation of Ram Setu. Is the controversial link man-made or is it the culmination of some mysterious natural events leading to the organic build-up of the said structure? The makers also have a superstar in Akshay Kumar, absolutely capable of pulling this supposed adventure thriller off with the subject that seems to fall up his alley. Unfortunately, the director focuses solely on the VFX and the thrills to be evoked. So much so that he forgets to put the superstar as indeed a solid plot into galvanizing action, and in the end, wastes an opportunity of producing a rather engaging story in this promising-looking genre. Akshay Kumar Has Been Confirmed For Dhoom 4?

The film tells the tale of an atheist archaeologist turned believer Aryan Kulshretha played by Akshay Kumar who races against time to prove the existence of the controversial Ram Setu before evil forces attempt to destroy the pillar of India's heritage. Aryan has been promoted to the post of Joint Director thanks to his prodigious talent. A project titled Sethusamudran is announced to wipe the Ram Setu off the map in order to shut some political voices down and for some short-sighted economic gain. History must be twisted under the garb of studying and executing 'Modern Science' and Aryan is given the task of ascertaining whether Ram Setu was naturally constructed or was the structure manmade as the scriptures dictate. The mission kicks off a thrilling ride where evil forces collide with the keepers of sacred secrets, and mythology takes on history, only to witness the mighty stakes that start playing themselves out!

The first half of this promising-looking tale gets exhausted on the account of character development. We also expected Kumar to have an entry that befits his character and the genius who cracks the whip. All we get is a lukewarm start and insipid characters with zero emotional arcs. The events unfold in a sluggish manner where you expect them to be pacy and nail-biting. Looks like the painstaking research and detailing that has gone into this work gets highlighted more than the pacy narrative it should have resulted into. And then there are glorious moments of the 'big reveal', but they are crafted just to pique your interest further but they never turn out to be engaging or thrilling really. Many subplots are peppered throughout this adventure, but they don't connect the dots coherently to heighten the drama as indeed the screenplay is conveniently created just to make way for that below-average VFX that fail to hold back giggles. Akshay Kumar Calls Out Rumours About Him Owning a Rs 260- Crore Priced Private Jet; Tweets ‘Liar, Liar…Pants on Fire!’

Make no mistake, Ram Setu is mounted beautifully and Akshay does justice to his character who is adamant about getting his scientific theories right, only to turn into a stoic believer in order to protect the truth he discovers as he races through the puzzles. Jacqueline Fernandez and Nushrratt Barruchha stick to what they have been asked to do-look pretty where required and smart enough to know when to shine (when our superhero or the script goes low on substance). Some sequences needed sharp editing to showcase Kumar's anguish as he battles his own prejudices and dilemmas to arrive at some convincing conclusions. Director Abhishek Sharma takes us through his studies to create a world where fantasy, fiction, and skepticism pave the path for science and what comes across as the truth ultimately, but the hurried writing and patchy screenplay sort of blunt the sharpness this film truly deserved.

Final Thoughts: Barring a few smartly placed sequences Akshay Kumar's action thriller doesn't quite hold your attention. A tight and gripping screenplay was the demand of this seemingly engaging tale where only Kumar shines as the ultimate savior!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 25, 2022 05:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).