Title: Badass Ravi Kumar

Cast: Himesh Reshammiya, Prabhu Deva, Kirti Kulhari, Saurabh Sachdeva, Johnny Lever, Sanjay Mishra, Prashant Narayanan and others

Director: Keith Gomes

Where to watch: In theatres

Rating: 3 stars

Walking into the dark hall, fairly early-morning to catch a glimpse of Himesh Reshammiya is the rarest of rare occasion. Call it an event if you like! But then again, who claimed that being a movie critic is all fun all the time! But hey, this time around it really was! Expectedly over-the-top, but unexpectedly fun, Himesh's 'Badass Ravi Kumar' is a massy entertainer with the 'paisa vasool' promise.

'Logic is optional' the disclaimer stares squarely in-your-face, right at the beginning, from the big screen, and you truly acknowledge what you have signed up for as an audience. Himesh makes his 'phata poster nikla hero' kinda presence felt and how! He is dashing, raw and unabashedly-exaggerated in his no-nonsense cop avatar Ravi Kumar. His body language, replete with filmy gestures, is as impressive as the mounting of this badass endeavour! Add to this lethal endeavour the 'khatarnak dialogue-baazi' that draws loud cheers.

There are genuine fans in the dark hall who seem as hysterical as the film's unapologetic protagonist. Popcorns and drinks be damned, as Himesss bhai is good enough for entertainment and for having a jolly good time. You have also got Carlos Pedro (Prabhu Deva) who has been underutilised but makes an impact at places. The makers also give a generous dose of India-Pakistan rivalry. Patriotism is served in a quirky, chest-thumping way as the characters navigate through the bylanes of Delhi and move to the expansive landscapes of Oman.

Himesh's Ravi must ensure that a specific camera reel must not fall in the wrong hands, for it contains classified information revolving around agents and double agents. And because the story is set in the 1980s, the makers use the lack of advanced technology of that era, to mask certain identities and even to establish them at convenience. Add to this hysteria a serious performer like Kriti Kulhari who leaves an impact. She has a sister too who at one point was romantically involved with our dashing cop.

The soul of the film is its song and dance routines, placed and peppered haphazardly to evoke the charm of the 80s. The sheer regularity with which the narrative breaks in order to accomodate a song is intentionally funny. Watch out for a certain Sunny Leone torching the silver screen with her scorching presence.

Clearly, the makers are not taking themselves seriously here which is such a relief. But you as an audience can seriously consider watching this mad-mad film positioned as 'so-bad-that-it's-actually-good' endeavour.