User reviews

I was not expecting much from this movie. May be that is why it surpassed my expectation. Their are some cons in this movie, but it has got some pretty good twists in it and will make you watch till the end. Love story part is not up to the mark. It is just a cliché. It even will make you laugh at several occasions. But that was obvious. The songs are really good. 'Tere Hoke Rahenge' is quite brilliant. The entire movie is visually very pleasing. You wont feel any lag at any point of time. This is definitely not a movie for the critics. I recommend this movie for everyone who intend to have just some fun time...!!!

Raja Natwarlal is unmitigatedly acceptable. The film serves as one of the better con films compared to other bollywood projects belonging to the same genre in recent times. The story expounds the life of a small-time con artist who after confronting unexpected circumstances sets out on a mission to avenge the death of his closest ally.

The first half of the film is quotidian, just like any other heist film. It is the second half where the plot actually gets intriguing and engaging. The film doesn't seem to tire its viewers as it possesses a tolerable run time of 140 minutes. Besides this, an amazingly drawn out conclusion similar to that of Christopher Nolan's 'The Prestige' fills you with absolute contentment.

The casting department is worthy of admiration for gathering such a group of commendable performers. Emraan Hashmi, once again in a similar lead role, is rapturous. Humaima Malik's enticing good looks poised with conventional acting skills unquestionably make an impression. Paresh Rawal is brilliant while playing Emraan's mentor in the film. Kay Kay Menon, while playing the major negative role is elegant. Deepak Tijori in a short but crucial supporting role is garden-variety.

Film's direction is laudable indeed. Kunal Deshmukh has definitely managed to be conspicuous especially towards the end. Screenplay by Parveez Sheikh is neat. Dialogues by Sanjay Masoom are witty. Cinematography and Editing departments have undeniably managed to make a hit. Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja is fresh and alluring.

Summing everything up, the movie is decent. Neither the best nor the worst. However, it is way better than all those masala flicks which get undeserving responses from the audiences. Emraan Hashmi buffs will definitely embrace this one.

Con movies are rare in bollywood,good con movies are even rarer.It is a genre that is not attempted much in bollywood.The ones we had were disastrous ones like Cash,Tees Maar Khan etc.The only good ones I remember are Badmaash Company and Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl. So Raja Natwarlal comes as a pleasant surprise.

It goes without saying that there are plot holes and the songs could have been avoided but the director has kept the pace of the movie interesting and the climax is well directed and something you wouldn't expect. Emraan Hashmi and Paresh Rawal are superb and look every bit convincing as the endearing con-men. Kay Kay Menon's character is caricaturish but he makes good use of it. Watch out for him in the final scene. Humaima Malick needs to look good and she does that. Mohd. Zeeshan Ayub is good in his cameo.

Well I wouldn't call Raja Natwarlal the best film of the year,but it is certainly amongst the most entertaining ones.It is way better the trashy south remakes we get every week in the name of entertainment.

Raja Natwarlal - the name didn't ride on any big hopes prior to its release. It marks the fourth collaboration of director Kunal Deshmukh and Emraan Hashmi and that too outside the Vishesh Films camp. A con- caper at its heart, Natwarlal entwines all the possible elements of a typical Hashmi potboiler - drama, revenge, twists and the customary lip locks.

The Plot. A street-smart thug named Raja(Hashmi) inadvertently crosses paths with a deadly Cape Town-based don, Vardha(Kay Kay Menon, deliciously menacing)when he, along with mentor Raghav(Deepak Tijori), steal away a hefty sum from his men. Raghav is killed by Vardha's men and Raja swears revenge.He takes the help of a rather cynical ex-con guru Yogi(Paresh Rawal)in devising a royal scam to rob the don off all his ill-acquired wealth. With an agenda that they would auction a fake cricket team to Vardha as the sport is ostensibly his only weakness, the stage is all set for the battle of wits!

Reportedly inspired from the 1973 Hollywood flick, Sting, Raja Natwarlal manages to keep you hooked with all its twists and turns. With an undercurrent of humor and crisply written dialogues, the narrative springs out good sequences , particularly when Raja and his motley of con-men stage a fake meeting of Vardha with the cricket board Chairman with a pest-control-in-progress tag outside the room. What doesn't work here is the love track between Raja and his girlfriend, Ziya(Humaima Mallik) and the monotonously choreographed dance-bar numbers. And every time, the action ticks off , it is soon ruptured by stupidly placed songs .Even the beautiful picturizations amidst the scenic locales of Cape Town and the music by new-find Yuvan Shankar seldom do the damage control. It would also require a suspension of disbelief for the discerning viewer to see how an overtly incredulous tycoon gets tricked in the name of a fake cricket league.

With a mediocre intensity this time, Emraan Hashmi pulls off the act efficiently. He imbues Raja with a steely resolve and manages to give an emotional depth to the character. The movie redeems much of its lost strength from accomplished stars like Paresh Rawal who is superb as the satirical con-coach and mouths hilarious two-liners and Kay Kay whose performance is near immaculate. It was rather disappointing to see the talented Mohd Zeesan Ayub(Raanjhana) wasted in a sliver of a role as the mute hit-man .Humaima, who proved her potential in Pakistani films, hardly impresses here and is reduced to an average glam queen.Sumeet Nijhawan(Maazii,Diskhiyaoon) is adequate as the wicked policeman.

Raja..isn't a great film, but at the same time doesn't disappoint you with its mischievous shades.

Raja Natwarlal is third film of director and actor's pair.This movie is about a con man Raja(Emaraan Hashmi) who wants to take revenge from Varda Yadav(Kay Kay Menon) with the help of Yogi(Paresh Rawal).

Movie starts with Raja(Emraan Hashmi) who con people on the station bridge with his brother Raghav(Deepak Tijori).Raja planned to rob one man with rupees 80 lacks.Raghav told him to stop being insatiable.But Raja forced him to do this.After robbery they came to know that those money belonged to Varda Yadav(Kay Kay Menon).So,he told his men to kill them but they only found Raghav and killed him.When Raja came to know this and he decided to take revenge with Varda Yadav.He went to Yogi(Paresh Rawal) for the help.Yogi took test of Raja to check whether he is ready for the big con or not.Raja passed and so they put a trap for Varda Yadav.Will they succeed?

Positive : + Paresh Rawal

+ Music

+ Climax

Negative : - Humaima Malik

• Screenplay

• Cinematography

Overall : If you're a big fan of Emraan Hashmi then surely you'll love

this movie.A good choice for this weekend.

I watched the trailer and knew that the movie will have something new to offer. The main Lead "Emraan Hashmi" has given another good performance after 'shanghai' beyond his portrayed and perceived image by Mahesh Bhatt's movie. The name itself is catchy and makes audience curious to watch the movie. The plot has its ups and down, Deepak Tojori was seen on the big screen after a long time and then you get to see KK Menon and Paresh Rawal. The Actress 'Humaima' fits the need of the character and do justice to her debut film. This is one movie with no misfits. Everything gels well in the script from starting playful, fun times to the feeling of revenge, simple strategy and execution. The movie also leaves a scope of a sequel , that would be tricky business. The sequel, if comes would be expected to deliver high hopes of the audience. Appreciation for all the directors, as the simple concept was taken to extra-ordinary level. Kudos !

Director and writer have the story in mind only and coned the audience smartly by not involving them into film. Every character does whatever making team felt to do without thinking that audience should be also integral part of this game. They had only motive to surprise you but instead they shock you due to illogical stuff. All person in con team are just taking care their daily needs any how but suddenly they got huge fund to go South Africa, live in lavish hotels, In India they established a fraud bank like switching a button, How!!!? Love track was required for the sake of few lip locks. There are lots of good actors but all been misused because they didn't have a single scene to show their performance. Story and screenplay is very linear even being a thriller. Due to not well cooked scene every actor is just OK except Paresh Rawal, he is so brilliant that churns out something from nowhere. Music always slows down the already slow pace of film but if think about a separate album few tracks are good, credit goes to music director Yuvan Shankar Raja. Even climax gives hint that they are over confident about its sequel.

Nice and Entertaining Film. This time Eemran Hashmi Fans wont be disappointed. After the Average movie "GHANCHAKKAR" . Eemran Hashmi will be seen on screen after a gap of more than a year.

Story Starts with Raja a Small Co artist Dupe's people with his friend Raghav(Deepak Tijori). They hit the jackpot when they dupe goon-turned- businessman Vardha Yadav (Kay Kay Menon)The cat-and-mouse game and how the duo shake them off their back makes the film interesting. Then how they plan to sell the cricket team to KK MENON. Yogi(Paresh Rawal)Prepares Raja for the big thing. Why does paresh rawal helps him? For that u need to watch the movie.The Songs can be ignored coz they come whenever they want actually spoiling the mood of the film. I think the director only needed to patch them up :P . There are several loopholes in Raja Natwarlal when it comes to logic and the conning could have certainly been more cunning and conniving. One of the film's biggest confusions is how the scene shifts between Mumbai and Cape Town. Emraan is in a business deal with Kay Kay and the next moment he meets his girlfriend who had fled to Mumbai after fighting with him! And after their adventurous ride in the rainy streets of Mumbai, they are back in the lift of a hotel in Cape Town. Lets ignore that and just sit back enjoy the movie. How they con KAY KAY and how did they loot crores of money.

Total PAISA VASOOL . SURE SHOT BLOCKBUSTER

RAJA NATWARLAL: "A movie that had good potential fails to make a solid impression!" [2.5/5]

Emraan Hashmi returns to the BIG screen after last year's GHANCHAKKAR. Before I begin reviewing I must say that he likes signing in for the movies that are promising and has potential to deliver something new and different.This one too is & it's worth appreciating. But the problem lies in how the movie is handled.

Anyways, the story is about Raja, who is a small time conman who gets his partner killed in an attempt to break into the big league. Then to avenge this death he seeks out a bigger retired conman to help him. Together they hatch a plan to steal the rich guy's money so that Raja can marry his bar dancer sweetheart and avenge the death in one swoop.

The story at its core is OK and the little clever touches of con games are funny and entertaining at times. However, neither the characters nor their motivations are strong enough for us to root for either the conman or the rich cricket crazy dude getting conned. You are indifferent to their fates and that is totally dangerous in a movie which depends on your liking the con guy to make the story work. To make matters worse there is the romantic angle which just doesn't work and which pulls the narrative down in its best parts with some soppy songs and unnecessary kisses.

The star cast is great- Emraan as Raja, Paresh Rawal as the master con and Kay Kay Menon as the rich guy are all great actors and their chemistry makes the movie extremely watchable in parts. They manage to create a good feeling of tension in a few crucial scenes. New actress , Pakistani import Humaima Malik is too thin to register on screen and the only way you can tell she is there is when there is some spangly costume floating about on the screen. I was nice to see Deepak Tijori again on screen looking older and better without his old funny hairstyle.

Raja Natwarlal could have been infinitely smarter, funnier and way more taut given the story it was working with and the star cast. Instead what we get is patchy pieces of good action, silly songs and a storytelling session as we are tucked into bed(meant for some excessive runtime) Anyhow, watchable it is. [2.5/5]

Emraan Hashmi came back to commercial 'MASAALA' film after almost one and half year, And yes he's back with his charming on screen presence.

Now come to the REVIEW...

Yes this is a nice film with a new kind of story line (At least it's not a remake of south movie] Emraan did a great job as usual (Actually he really improved his acting skills). Deepak Tijori was in a small but effective role. Not many scenes given to Humaima to show her talent but yeah she is good. But apart from Emraan I did really like Paresh Rawal's character he was extremely good as a con master.

The film was not as great as I expected. The Jodi of Paresh & Emraan as 'Guru & Chela' was worth a watch. Story was not that great a little bit less engaging some times (1st half was really not that engaging but the 2nd half where it catches the suspense) The climax was the highlight of the film. The ending twist was superb.

Overall It's a nice film with enjoyable moments (Songs were really nice especially 'Tere Hoke Rehenge' 'Namak Paare' 'Kabhi Ruhani Kabhi Rumani'). And if you are a Emraan Hashmi fan then you must watch it.

You will not be disappointed at all.

Being a fan of con-movies I enjoyed the first few minutes of the film where both Emraan and Deepak Tijori fool the innocent people watching them playing the game of 'guessing the right card' with a clever trick. Perhaps I loved the sequence more because that was my personal experience too when I first visited Mumbai a few decades back (then Bombay) and lost a good amount of money guessing the 'Begum' with the marked card very smartly placed in the deck targeting me alone as the only stranger standing in that group of all con-friends posing to be some passing spectators.

Secondly, I started expecting a real good movie coming next hearing the catchy title song 'Dukki Tikki' which again took me back in time remembering a similar enjoyable song written on the playing cards in Dharmender-Jeetender starrer SAMRAT released in 1982. The next 30-40 minutes were all fine with a good con played by Emraan-Deepak on some other goons and the film actually began in the right sense with Paresh Rawal making a fine entry as the Guru giving few enjoyable moments along with Emraan. So till interval, I found RAJA NATWARLAL to be above average with some good peaks along with the lows, progressing at a less energetic pace.

But post intermission, I got hugely disappointed with the director Kunal simply playing all weird, unbelievable and silly tricks in the name of con, involving the cricket board and its big game of professional cricket (on the lines of T-20), making me lose all the interest generated by its first hour.

In fact such is the way in which both Emraan and Paresh go on playing their schemes fooling the shrewd Kay Kay in the second half that one begins thinking that have they really made this film for all grown up viewers sitting in the theaters or just kids below the age group of 12 without any reasoning or questioning ability as such.

For example, the laughable con played in the initial auction involving the real ball used in the World Cup final, the official premises of the board being rigged so easily, a big five star hotel being booked for Cricket team auctions fearlessly without any verification or media hassles faced, a whole new bank opened overnight in a posh road of Mumbai as if it's a piece of cake for them all being the typical Bollywood heroes and on top of all more than 1500 crores transferred into (ordinary) bank accounts in just minutes as if they have been doing such kind of transactions from years.

Along with the absurdity mentioned above, mediocre songs keep interrupting the narration as always turning the lead couple into two funny characters romancing on the screen in such a tense situation. The pace keeps dropping constantly due to the lazy writing and then the finale con sequence which looks completely unconvincing right from the word go, ruins the whole favorable build up witnessed before the intermission.

In short, a con-movie has to be fast, thrilling and exciting all together with some enjoyable twists & turns in its narration, which successfully is able to con the viewers too sitting in their seats all of a sudden. But since RAJA NATWARLAL fails to do so with some bad editing and everything happening on a childishly unbelievable scale towards the end, it falls flat and is not able to deliver the expected quite sadly. Further its average cinematography and background score too do not add any extra edge to the movie displaying a fine start.

However, despite having a weak screenplay & story progression the film still has few enjoyable performances to offer coming from the always reliable Paresh Rawal and Kay Kay Menon. Their sequences are a treat to watch along with the noteworthy supporting cast. Plus some good support is also provided by Deepak Tijori and Humaima Malik, who apart from showing the confidence in kisses, also displays her talent in the emotions scenes too quite boldly. Yet, I expected a lot more from her, post her simply brilliant and unforgettable performance in the shocking gem BOL. Talking about the lead hero Emraan Hashmi, I frankly found him the same as seen in his previous films without putting in some extra effort to match up the performances of both Paresh and Kay Kay.

Summing up, RAJA NATWARLAL had all the ingredients of making a fine, entertaining con movie for the interested audience. But its writing, editing and direction doesn't let the film move ahead than the level of below average. Moreover if any con film tends to treat its viewers as all early teenage kids without any logical thinking ability (and that too in the country worshiping cricket) then its bound to fail miserably in all probabilities. Still you can watch it for Paresh and Kay Kay alone and not for anything else.

'Raja Natwarlal' despite minuses, pulls off A Decent Con! A well-paced second-hour & commendable performances, sort of make up for its flaws.

'Raja Natwarlal' Synopsis: A small-time con man seeks assistance from his mentor with an intention of setting scores with a gangster.

'Raja Natwarlal' begins well, but the romantic-track involving the protagonist & his lady-love, is bland. Also, why do they break into a song, almost every time they meet up? Seriously, what were the writers thinking, especially while penning this part?

But, 'Raja Natwarlal' redeems itself in its second-hour. The con is consistently engaging & the series of events are cleverly executed. In short, a mostly lifeless first-hour, is saved by a nicely done second.

The Screenplay has some true merit, a but a dead-on-arrival romantic-track, plays a spoilsport. Kunal Deshmukh's Direction is pretty good. Cinematography is fine. Editing is, also, is just about fair. Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja is melodious.

Performance-Wise: Emraan Hashmi is perfect. He enacts the revenge driven con-artist with admirable ease. Humaima Malick is strictly okay. Kay Kay Menon is convincing as the villain. But its Paresh Rawal who steals the show. He's brilliant. Deepak Tijori is excellent in a brief role.

On the whole, 'Raja Natwarlal' is a watchable fare.

Acting of Paresh Rawal, Kay Kay, Emraan, Zeeshan, everyone's amazing. A new and fresh story. You will like this movie. Thanks Netflix for showing us this movie.

Raja Natwarlal review:

Emraan Hashmi's impressive act (and I don't mean his natural kissing abilities) in the titular role makes you forgive the loophole laden plot (a mix of Hashmi's own "Jannat' and Akshay Kumars "Special 26"). Paresh Rawal and Kay Kay Menon lend good support. On the flipside, Humaima Malicks lack of acting skills raises the question of the need to import such talent from Pakistan when far better actors exist in this country. The music too is unsatisfactory. Overall, a treat for Hashmi fans only.

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

Kunal Deshmukh and Emraan Hashmi combo is back after their successful association in Jannat & Jannat 2.

This time Kunal chooses a subject of a con man Raja (Emraan Hashmi) who after doing small con jobs with the help of his mentor Raghav (Deepak Tijori) wants to do a big con job so that he can fulfill his dream of marrying the bar dancer Ziya (Humaima Malik). The con job goes wrong and Raghav is killed by businessman cum mafia don Vardha Yadav's (Kay Kay Menon) men. Raja sets out to take revenge from Vardha Yadav by coning him with the help of famous con artist Yogi (Paresh Rawal) and sell him a fake cricket team worth One Fifty crores. The rest of the movie covers how Raja and Yogi execute their con act… Story by Parvez Sheikh is promising but where the movie loses its grip is with Parvez's screenplay with too many sub plots of hit man, corrupt police and the love angle which actually poses a hindrance in the narration and slows down the pace with its songs which look out of place especially the first half. The screenplay also has too many loopholes; some con acts look too convenient to be true. It is the climax which is impressive and brings the sub plots together. But it could have been better paced. The script had all the makings of a good con movie but falls short as most part of the movie the screenplay looks scattered and lacks cohesiveness.

Dialogues by Sanjay Masoom complement the genre and narration well with subtle humor and are realistic.

Emraan Hashmi has improved tremendously especially after "Shanghai" he does complete justice to his character Raja. It is Paresh Rawal who steals the limelight with his fantastic portrayal of Yogi; it is always a delight to watch such a brilliant actor perform. Kay Kay Menon is back with his impressive portrayal of the cunning and shrewd Vardha Yadav, he gives face to a true villain of Bollywood who is menacing as well as unpredictable, a true delight. Humaima Mallik's debut act is nothing to write home about but she somehow does a decent job. Deepak Tijori makes a comeback with Raghav and he creates an impact with his brief role. Rest of the cast also does a good job.

Music by Yuvaan Shankar Raja is average and does not create too much of an impact. Cinematography by Raaj Chakravarti is good but nothing out of the world.

Kunal Deshmukh tries to balance between being realistic and fictional, but fails a bit on the realistic front and goes a bit overboard with cinematic liberties becoming too fictional. Nevertheless Kunal's attempt is good and better than many movies which released in the recent past. Do not expect a "Special 26" and you won't be disappointed. I will go with Two & A Half Star….

It's a cheap copy of the classic and evergreen movie named The Sting (1973). They modernised it a bit, and frankly the lady in the movie can't act she's so plastic on the screen totally detached from the plot.

I watched this movie without any expectation so I think if you will too, you might actually enjoy it.

Good things: 2 stars for Actors - Emraan Hashmi, Paresh Rawal and KK Menon are top notch in their acting. 3 stars for Story - Although it could have been written more tightly, still it wasn't bad, at least its different from usual Bollywood movies. 1 star for the climax alone. :)

Bad things: -1 for Romantic story part. -2 for length of the movie due to too many songs. -1 for the editing, it could have been easily made short by 20 minutes.

Overall a good time pass, worth one watch.