Dhulia’s signature touch, established through his exemplary work in the past was invisible in Bullett Raja.

There are no surprises at any stage, it is all so very predictable. And its all the more disappointing because with the ordinary story Dhulia doesn’t elevate it much either. There is the odd scene that you let out a chuckle (like the scene where a dacoit wants to surrender) but by and large it is not very engaging.

To sum up, Bullett Raja is Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Dabangg.

Bullett Raja has flashes of fire but mostly it seems to be hobbled by a misguided sense of machismo. Everyone struts — including Vidyut Jamwal who makes an appearance as a dynamic cop — but no one goes anywhere. Which is a shame because these UP cowboys could have been fun.

Dhulia’s biggest mass entertainer venture yet, ‘Bullett Raja’ is not your usual gravity defying stunt filled motion picture that asks you to leave your brains behind. The twists and turns in the plot keep you rooted to the seats for the entire movie. They might be somewhat predictable but are not stretched and don’t underestimate the intelligence of the viewer.

Up until the halfway mark, Bullett Raja is rollicking entertainment. Our gangster protagonists kill, maim, kidnap, and intimidate their rivals, all the while bickering and joking, in Dhulia’s direct nod to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Sadly the film’s screenplay comes undone post intermission, its second half disintegrating into a bloody revenge saga.

…not completely unwatchable but we have come to expect a certain class from Tigmanshu Dhulia and it is sad to see him sacrifice that in a bid to make a commercially viable film.

For ‘Bullett Raja’, the extra ‘t’ for emphasis, is a potboiler with little pretensions to realism but much too close a connection with Dhulia to entirely jettison it too.

…is full-on TASHAN. High on style with no thought given to scripting. Even the introduction of Sonakshi Sinha’s character lacks vision. She just comes in and warms up to the dudes and is willing to stay with them. Even if she was not in the film, it would have made no difference.

…if action is your forte, then bite this Bullett!

…had the scope to bring about some content in the current crop of massy entertainers and could cater to the intelligentsia but Tigmanshu Dhulia’s inept attempt ruins all such chances. Quite a downer!

Tigmanshu Dhulia is best when he opts for content drawn for reality instead of flying off into an absurd land where everyone detests one another with a vengeance. Thodasa control kijiye, brother! Make cinema, not bullets.

Watch if a dumbed-down film about senseless revenge and violence fills your heart. Otherwise, strictly avoid.

Dhulia’s new film Bullet Raja strays far from the work he has built so far. It is a wishy-washy mix of two brazen hinterland heroes’ misadventures, a revenge drama, and a soap-opera style, hackneyed depiction of Uttar Pradesh politics. Dhulia’s dialogues are insipid, and the humour, perhaps intended to be madcap, borders on the imbecile. The lead characters, Raja (Saif Ali Khan) and Rudra (Jimmy Shergill) are mere vehicles to keep a muddled narrative afloat. They have no signature quirk, as pulp heroes would demand.

None of the rhythm or panache or any trace of the naughtiness of Dhulia’s earlier films can be glimpsed here. There’s a flimsy plot about Raja trying to find a job and being forced into goondagardi, but it exists only as a coat hanger on which to hang a random and disjointed series of skits. Toss in a horrendous score by Sajid-Wajid and you’re looking at one hot mess of a movie.

…a routine revenge drama which will not find favour with the audience. Its performance in the single-screen cinemas of mass centres may be just about okay but it will fail to cut ice with the multiplex audience.

The biggest plus point of Bullet Raja is that the audience gets to see a fresh new pair- Saif and Sonakshi and their amazing chemistry. Bullet Raja is a treat to the action lovers, and yes, Saif rocks in his raw avatar.

Guns, girls, grime and glory come together in a layered tale of corruption, politics and kinetic camaraderie.

The story is unconvincing and at many points you might feel that the movie is going haywire. In fact, uncanny behaviour of the characters might irritate you in the first half. The film has a strong UP connect. From dialogues to accent, Tigmanshu Dhulia has focused on minute details.

With its emphasis on machismo and male bonding, Bullett Raja is clearly targeted at the manly men puffing up the country’s male population as Khan does his chest and biceps. What does it say about that audience that Bullett Raja is Dhulia at his silliest and most inept?

Bullett Raja is rife with predictable scenes, bad editing and a lack of control over the script, which spirals into an unending loop of absurdity. The pseudo-patriotism blends into personal enmity with the corrupt without much warning, leaving the viewers confused.

with its grave minuses and fewer plusses is an underwhelming film much to my disbelief. The last few films of Dhulia had made me believe that he ranks amongst the top notch filmmakers of this generation. Unfortunately the man goes wrong with his favorite recipe of showcasing the ills of political nexus, as he hands out a story that barely has any moments and remains flat for most part. Saif Ali Khan and Jimmy Shergill chemistry is the only best part from the acting section. But in all its triteness, Bullett Raja is Dhulia’s most uninspired work till date.

…is zany and funny, an Uttar Pradesh take on Sholay’s Jai and Veeru, ‘twice-born’ in Lucknow as Raja Mishra (Khan) and Rudra Pratap (Shergill). BR is a racy ride, cynical, yet sweet, dark, yet bright. Go watch – you’ll enjoy those bangs in the dark.

To Bullett Raja’s credit, it does provide entertainment sporadically, and Dhulia ensures the film isn’t as slapdash as most Devgn-Kumar films in the same space seen recently. Yet, in his effort to make a “big budget commercial film”, Dhulia seems to have lost some of his bite as a filmmaker, which is a letdown, given how good a job he was doing with entertaining audiences anyway.

…Saif does justice to his role, bringing to it a vital spark and zest that flows so effortlessly. Sonakshi Sinha in a brief role does what is required for the part. Bullet Raja’s slogan claims “aayenge toh garmi badyaenge.” To the film’s credit it delivers what it promises.

While Dhulia deserves applause for attempting to create a quirky action thriller, he doesn’t nail it.

Even though the last-part turns out into an incoherent mess, the first-half is immensely entertaining. We only wish that tone was maintained till the very end. Unfortunately, it doesn’t.

…Tigmanshu Dhulia’s most ‘commercial’, mass appealing film thus far. One more superior endeavor after the immeasurably acknowledged PAAN SINGH TOMAR and the vastly admired SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER franchise, all of which belong to completely diverse genres of cinema. Enjoyable, engaging and extremely distinctive, BULLETT RAJA is not to be missed!