Ruslaan Movie Review: Aayush Sharma Indulges in Dull Spy Games Riddled With Cliches and Frivolities (LatestLY Exclusive)

Ruslaan Movie Review: When Salman Khan began to show signs of weariness in his portrayal of spy escapades, as evident in Tiger 3, his brother-in-law Aayush Sharma, steps in to further dampen the genre's vitality with Ruslaan. Directed by Karan Lalit Butani, Ruslaan encompasses every cliché found in the playbook of a Bollywood spy thriller: the India-Pakistan (now involving China) dynamic, perfunctory Good Muslim vs Bad Muslim dialogues, the hero being accused of treachery and going rogue, globe-trotting missions, and treacherous characters. What the movie doesn't have is the capability to keep you enthralled in its lead hero's admirably persistent efforts to frontline yet another forgettable film in his career. Ruslaan: The Song ‘Roar Of Ruslaan’ Is an Empowering Anthem From Aayush Sharma’s Upcoming Action Thriller.

Ruslaan begins with a scene that straight away rips off Mission Kashmir. An ATS team led by Sameer Singh (Jagapathi Babu) storms into a house where a terrorist conspiracy is underway. In the ensuing shootout, all alleged terrorists are eliminated except for a young boy named Ruslaan, who is later taken in by the childless Sameer.

In contrast to Hrithik Roshan's character in the Vidhu Vinod Chopra film, Ruslaan (Aayush Sharma) harbours no resentment towards his adoptive father and aspires to serve his country, aiming to rid himself of the stigma of being associated with his terrorist father. He clandestinely assists RAW officer Mamta (Vidya Malvade), albeit in what appears to be an internship role, yet finds himself entrusted with significant missions despite his novice status. However, his father urges him to abandon his patriotic aspirations in favour of pursuing music studies abroad.

Watch the Trailer of Ruslaan:

Ruslaan The Screw Up

I firmly believe Ruslaan should have heeded his father's advice. This guy's just not cut out for spying. He can't seem to stick to orders, often ending up jeopardising missions. Take, for instance, his attempt to eavesdrop on a private conversation in a raucous pub from a bar several feet away from that conversation, only to expose an Indian spy's cover in the process. Then there's the time he tries to hack a terrorist's phone, unknowingly putting his unsuspecting friend's life in danger (the poor guy later gets roughed up by the police for no fault of his own). Even when explicitly instructed to stay clear, Ruslaan still meddles in an assassination attempt, resulting in a dead target and him being branded a terrorist. And even while on the lam, hunted by all agencies as a public enemy, Ruslaan has a loud exchange with his mother in a temple, proclaiming his innocence.

Forget why RAW persists with him, I can't fathom why even the terrorists bother to take Ruslaan seriously, given what a monumental screw-up he is.

Especially baffling is a mysterious, unidentified terrorist mastermind called Qasim, who inexplicably takes an interest in this bumbling rookie, raising immediate red flags about their true identity. Ruslaan makes it easier to single out the person - the casting also doesn't help - even if it makes little sense when the 'gotcha' reveal is made in the end.

Mission Too Plausible

Until then, the movie merely goes through the motions, putting the eponymous hero in one foiled-up mini-mission after another, which would make Ethan Hunt bang his head in frustration. What saves our hero are some conveniently written escape routes, where he manages to slip away with ease due to easy loopholes. Villains either end up monologuing and revealing their dastardly plans to him or are too dim-witted to recognise an obvious honey-trap.

There is a superficial love track with a fellow RAW agent, Vaani (Sushrii Shreya Mishraa), which lacks both heat and spice. In fact, I was more curious as to why Vaani wasn't annoyed with this dude, as his mistakes ended up costing her job. Apart from the usual Islamophobic propaganda, the film also attempts to discredit social media movements, suggesting that our youth are being brainwashed by external forces to revolt against the system, while simultaneously claiming that our economy is thriving so much that our enemies are jealous. Well, I hope Ruslaan makes some people happy, even if those people don't include the producers or distributors involved in this this film.

The action sequences are quite ordinary, relying too heavily on jerky camera shots, fast editing cuts, and excessive slow-motion to make any impact whatsoever.

Not So 'Aayush' Maan Bhava!

As for Aayush Sharma, he is at a stage in his acting career where he is trapped in that sweet zone between being a discount Salman Khan (sans the swag) and a discount Tiger Shroff (sans the martial skills). In fact, there is a dialogue in the film where Vidya Malvade's character tells Ruslaan that in order to be a good spy, you need to be a good actor. I swear she wanted to wink at the camera afterwards. Antim Movie Review: Salman Khan’s Attempt To Take a Backseat for Aayush Sharma Proves Futile in This Tiring Vaastav Revisit.

His entry scene has so much slo-mo that I thought the film would reach the interval point by the time he completes 10 steps. Unlike Salman, who at least waits for the climax to tear off his shirt, Aayush is not so patient and shows off his abs in every third scene. If Salman is 'Tiger', then Aayush smugly declares in the end that his onscreen moniker means 'Lion'. Only that we don't hear a roar, just a whimper.

Final Thoughts on Ruslaan

The worst thing a spy thriller can do is be boring and listless, and that is exactly what Ruslaan feels like. Not only is the film yet another failed attempt to reignite its leading man's career (after Bhai failed to do it twice), Ruslaan simply gives up, burdened with a listless script, ordinary action scenes and sub-par performances, instead relying on populist sentiments to save the day. This spy game is not just dull; it drops dead on arrival.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 26, 2024 02:45 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).