Ruslaan (2024) Review!!

Synopsis – The unstoppable force Ruslaan, is coming to break free of the chains of conformity. With his gun and guitar, he’s about to create a symphony of rebellion like no other.

My Take – Though Aayush Sharma, also known as Salman Khan‘s brother-in-law, faced commercial failures both with his rom com debut, Loveyatri (2018), and the gangster drama, Antim: The Final Truth (2021), he proved himself to have quite the charming presence with a decent display for flair in the action and dance department.

For his third venture, keeping in mind the massive success of the YRF Spy Universe and the flurry of propaganda films that Hindi cinema has been producing of late to advocate the turbo-charged nationalistic fervor, Aayush Sharma has also gone the ‘spy’ way.

Focusing heavily on pandering to the masses with a relentless dose of action and thrill minus any intricacies, the resulting film is a formulaic action adventure with hits and misses that is entertaining enough to keep one engaged till the end.

Without resorting to any form of any form of jingoism and preachiness, here, director Karan Lalit Butani and his team of writers Yunus Sajawal, Mohit Srivastava and Kavin Dave are interested in only in selling the bronzed hero and his heroics, mostly in slo-mo, to deliver hoot moments and guilty pleasures for fans of the genre. They pull out the stops and craft a film that lets the still relatively fresh actor have a completely free run, particularly in the action scenes.

While the film keeps picking up and falling apart in each relative segments, after a point, one can only sit back and enjoy the action paired with a swelling BGM and forget what it was about in the first place.

The story follows Ruslaan (Aayush Sharma), who at a young age saw his parents die before his eyes and his father accused of conspiring a terror attack at a school in Mumbai. Adopted by ATS Chief Sameer Singh (Jagapathi Babu) and his doting wife, Ruslaan with a determination to prove his loyalty to his nation and remove the dark stain on his name, begins working as an unofficial spy for Mantra (Vidya Malvade), a senior RAW operative and his handler.

Despite his adoptive father’s resoluteness that he doesn’t join any service and instead focus on harnessing his music talent. However, his latest mission which sees him go undercover as a music teacher at a Mumbai college and stumble across a deadly conspiracy involving a Pakistan’s ISI and a retired general from China, Ruslaan finds himself in a tide that has turned dangerously against him.

Sending him on a mission, aided by fellow agent Vaani (Sushrii Shreya Mishraa), to stop these dangerous terrorists and clear his name at the same time.

What follows is action, music, emotions and a whole lot of rhetoric and bravado, all crammed into 139 minutes of relentless overdrive. The film’s screenplay is dedicated to idolize Ruslaan as a man who can defy all odds. Like most of the cinematic war heroes, he is impulsive and impatient, defies protocols, and yet displays remarkable courage and love for his motherland.

The film leans heavily into patriotic overtones, which, while adding a certain level of emotional resonance, sometimes comes across as contrived or overly simplistic. Apart from the turbulent storytelling, director Karan Butani has done a fair job of helming a sleek and stylish film.

He was also ably supported by his action director and cinematographer. Even though the slo-mo does do end up prolonging after a while. The suspense is built up right from the start and carried on tightly till the climax but the big reveal in the end doesn’t quite add up.

Agreed, the reveal is starting, however, the twist makes you question the logic, considering the prominence of the individual in the story. Making the whole thing feel kind of preposterous. Ironically, given that the lead character is portrayed as a gifted musician, the music is forgettable.

Performance wise, Aayush Sharma does well and seems to have spared no effort to pull off the action sequences. He shows clear signs of his evolution as a performer, managing to convince us of his internal conflict, while impressing with his well-sculpted appearance, agility, and attitude. Sushrii Shreya Mishraa shows immense promise and delivers in her moments to shine, particularly in the action sequences.

In supporting roles, Jagapathi Babu and Vidya Malavade make the most of their screen time in the film. Zaheer Iqbal and Sunil Shetty shine in their cameos. On the whole, ‘Ruslaan’ is an average action affair starring an impressive Aayush Sharma.