RASCALS movie review: Bollywood hits a new low with mindless entertainment
Though David Dhawan films are beyond reviews and criticism of any kind, Rascals is mind-numbing torture from opening scene to end credits
The film begins with an animation sequence where both the main characters – the rascals – - played by Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgn are explained. That is where the film should have ended, because once it starts it just doesn’t seem to stop. Rascals is about two conmen, Chetan Chauhan (Dutt) and Bhagat Bhosle (Devgn). They begin by conning each other and then fall in love with the same girl, who cons them in return. That’s exactly what the film is about, sort of like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Bollywood-ishtyle, but it goes on and on till you doze off in sheer self-defence or decide to walk out in protest. The biggest downslide comes courtesy music director-duo Vishal-Shekhar, who try too hard to fit into the David Dhawan zone but fail miserably. Both Sanjay and Ajay ham all the way through and are joined by Kangna Ranaut, who re-defines ‘hamming’. Lisa Haydon shows off as much skin as the Censor Board would allow in a film without giving it an ‘A’ certificate. Kangna is felt up by the rascals almost every time she appears in a frame with either or both of them; there are scenes where you can see her getting annoyed about the sexual harassment. And then there are rhyming punchlines, sexual innuendos, forced action sequences, off colour jokes on the visually challenged, racist comments, naked yoga, art of giving, cloaked abuses, drunken tomfoolery – in short, Rascals is exactly the kind of film that the masses save their hard-earned money for. As a producer, Sanjay Dutt will roll in gold, with additional thanks to the festive season. Be prepared for the announcement of a sequel soon.