ROCKY HANDSOME

The film's director Nishikant Kamat, who has made wide-ranging movies in the past like DRISHYAM, FORCE, MUMBAI MERI JAAN, brings an action packed entertainer in the form of ROCKY HANDSOME, which happens to be an official remake of the South Korean movie THE MAN FROM NOWHERE). He has smoothly blended style and content and has maintained a fine balance between high-octane action and tear-jerking emotions. One has to give it to the action directors for raising the bar for action movies, with ROCKY HANDSOME. Full credits go to Nishikant Kamat, John Abraham and the film's stunt directors (Suniel Rodrigues, Kecha Kammpakdee). 

 

Set in Goa, Rocky Handsome stars John Abraham as Kabir Ahlawat, a secretive man with a violent past, who runs a pawn shop and leads a solitary life in the Sunshine State. When a little girl named Naomi (staying in the same building as him, with whom he has forged a reluctant bond), gets kidnapped by members of the drug mafia, they soon realize that they have messed with the wrong man.

 

For Kabir is not an ordinary pawn-shop owner, but a former government covert operative, who is as lethal as a heart attack. Soon, Kevin Fereira (Nishikant Kamat), the drug lord and officers of the Anti-Narcotics Department find themselves hopelessly outmatched when trying to deal with a killing machine on their turf.

 

How Rocky (Kabir's code-name) manages to save the day forms the rest of the plot.

 

The Korean film The Man From Nowhere was a good action film, but its Indian version doesn't even come close.

 

The little girl who plays Naomi (Diya Chalwad) is pretty enough, though her dialogue delivery is way off and her chemistry with Kabir is not something that can bring a lump to your throat. Sharad Kelkar as a cop trying to do the right thing is good enough while Shruti Haasan has a very little role.

 

Nishikant Kamat makes his acting debut in this movie and his character will remind you of the villains you saw in action movies of the 80s era.

 

ROCKY HANDSOME has a story (Ritesh Shah) that is extremely average, which could have been much better. The same holds for the film's screenplay (Ritesh Shah) that definitely could have been tighter at many places.

 

The film's adrenaline rushing action provides reasons enough to keep the audiences engrossed till the end of the film. The film's first half takes some time to firmly establish the plot; the real story starts post the kidnapping of the girl and her mother. One has to give it to the director Nishikant Kamath for having wonderfully combined nail-biting action in the song 'Teri Toh Yaad Sataye'. One word to describe the unusual combo of fight and song is 'outstanding'. The USP of the film, however, has to be its climax, wherein John Abraham enters the villain's den and the action that follows after that. One really has to clap Nishikant Kamath for the way he has presented the movie - tremendously stylish. 

 

Even though the film's music (Sunny Bawra, Inder Bawra, Ankit Tiwari) is normal, it's the film's exceptional background score (Sunny Bawra, Inder Bawra) that makes the movie feel very international. While the film's editing (Aarif Shaikh) is watertight, the film's cinematography (Shankar Raman) is excellently mesmerizing. 

 

Overall, Rocky Handsome is worthy to watch once for high-octane action sequences and John Abraham’s superb act.