• Neither as entertaining as your average Emraan Hashmi thriller, nor clever enough to engage anyone seeking a deliciously complex caper, Raja Natwarlal is the kind of film that leaves you bored out of your mind. It won’t give you a migraine, but it’s so banal, you would probably have more fun doing your laundry instead.

  • Shubhra Gupta
    Shubhra Gupta
    Indian Express

    3

    You go in hoping for a fun ride. What you get is a limp con job.

  • Raja Sen
    Raja Sen
    Rediff

    5

    Raja Natwarlal has some smarts but tragically lacks the skill or the sleight-of-hand. When we sit down to a con movie, we shouldn’t be able to see what will happen next — we want to be finessed into the con. We’re already watching closely, you see.

  • Anupama Chopra
    Anupama Chopra
    Hindustan Times

    5

    Raja Natwarlal isn’t one of those actively awful films. But neither does it sparkle.

  • Sweta Kaushal
    Sweta Kaushal
    Hindustan Times

    4

    Raja Natwarlal may not be the most brilliant con film around, but you can watch it once for the performances and the fun it offers.

  • Kusumita Das
    Kusumita Das
    Deccan Chronicle

    5

    …given that Emraan is back as the roadside Romeo hero, and that Bollywood has well trained us to go easy on the logic bit, ‘Raja Natwarlal’ could just be a watchable fare.

  • What Raja Natwarlal lacks is authentic humour and genuine sparks of inspiration. As a result, despite the consistently retrained acting all around, it fails to be anything more than desultory.

  • Srijana Mitra Das
    Srijana Mitra Das
    Times Of India

    7

    The story packs in paisa, pyaar, confidence, over-confidence, chummas, chases, corrupt cops, cricket associations, surprises and some rather nice songs – but keeps its weight under control. Despite flaws – like how a don like Vardha doesn’t know the face of a man he’s seeking, who’s now persuading him to buy a non-existent team – Raja Natwarlal wins you over by the sassy swagger of its tricks, its hit-men and ‘HDMC Bank’, its tongue lodged firmly in its cheek. Go watch – this one is, ahem, definitely worth a kiss.

  • Sarita Tanwar
    Sarita Tanwar
    DNA India

    5

    When you are making a con film, it has to be clever. You have to keep the audiences guessing. Unfortunately here, you guess what the next scene will be. You can predict it. The cons need to come at the viewer fast and furiously but that doesn’t happen here….Watch the old Natwarlal, starring Amitabh Bachchan.

  • Rohit Khilnani
    Rohit Khilnani
    India Today

    4

    Raja Natwarlal is a below average product.

    The filmmaker made sure he does almost everything that Hashmi’s fans love. Serial kisser is kissing his leading lady so you see him doing what he does best. He is given some funny punch lines for the frontbenchers. He fights and even takes revenge for his friend’s murder.

  • Raja Natwarlal dropped way below what was expected of it. Besides Paresh Rawal, no one even attempts to revive the failed film. In a film when Emraan’s smooches too fail to light up the screen, there isn’t much matter to draw audiences. This con show is one bore show and you wouldn’t miss much if you don’t catch this film. Not everything can be called cinema.

  • Faheem Ruhani
    Faheem Ruhani
    India Today

    2

    Even Emraan Hashmi’s smooching scenes cannot save this film because they are outright thanda. The sad truth is Raja Natwarlal is not the kind of film that can rule your heart.

  • …is essentially an Emraan Hashmi film, which attracts its major audiences from the single screen theaters. The film is bound to face some ‘elephantine’ competition as its release coincides with the Ganesh Chaturti festival weekend. In addition to that, the next week will also see the release of a hard hitting MARY KOM, which could possibly apply the brakes on RAJA NATWARLAL.

  • Sachin Chatte
    Sachin Chatte
    The Navhind Times

    4

    …with the right tweaking Raja Natwarlal could have been a nice little caper but ends up being a forgettable flick.

  • The plot seems plausible and draws you in, whereas Raja Natwarlal’s plotlines are too clever for their own good. You stop believing in the con and the magic evaporates.

  • This one is a con story alright, but the con is on the viewer!

  • This film had huge potential but sadly one walks out of the theatre unimpressed by Raja Natwarlal’s antics and this film.

  • Subhash K Jha
    Subhash K Jha
    SKJBollywoodNews

    6

    Sassy and slick, Raja Natwarwal is a con caper done up in playful shades and mischievous flavour. It’s enjoyable while it lasts. But you don’t come away with anything besides the feeling that the material should have carried for heft. If only everyone was not busy being someone they are not.

  • Kunal Deshmukh’s tribute to the legendary conman Natwarlal is muddled with Bollywood staples of song and dance, and a pretty heroine, reducing it into an unlikely romance…

  • Raja Natwarlal fails because its basic premise is a mess. It presents the challenge of conning a man who is supposed to be one of the world’s smartest men, except he behaves like one of the dumbest creatures to have walked this planet. Make that the second dumbest; the number one position is occupied by the audience that fell for Raja Natwarlal and bought tickets.

  • Komal Nahta
    Komal Nahta
    Komal Nahta's Blog

    -

    …an entertaining thriller in parts but it lacks in two departments – the love story (which is very weak) and the music (which, in spite of being good, is not at all popular). Also, the con becomes too much to digest after a point of time. The film will, therefore, not be able to make its mark at the box-office.

  • Raja Natwarlal could have been a shorter film had it not wasted as much time of the non-happening romance. Probably focusing more on adding finesse to the heist could have taken this film notches higher. This one is just not cool enough a con-film, after you have watched films like Special 26 in the recent past. An attempt to create a ‘naya India ka naya Natwarlal’ had to be smarter, else it is just demeaning the original icon!

  • Daily Bhaskar
    Daily Bhaskar
    Daily Bhaskar

    4

    The film is better to be watched on TV. Wait for small screen premiere and do not spend your hard earned money on this con film.

  • If you disengage yourself from logic of any kind, it still sort of works, although some will buy it, many others won’t. Some of the twists and set-ups are quite clever, even if done in by the rest of the film.

  • Filmmaker Kunal Deshmukh’s ‘Raja Natwarlal’ starts with a small con game and towards the climax, the movie ends with a huge con, making the audience applaud seeing our ‘hero’ Emraan Hashmi. We can safely say that the con is on, beware!

  • Juhi Matta
    Juhi Matta
    BookMyShow

    5

    A Bollywood masala flick that just isn’t masaledaar enough. Watch Raja Natwarlal for the performances. Though the film is nothing to write home about, the actors’ wonderful portrayals make it worth watching. Additionally, this movie is a nice break from all the heavy-duty action films that have been ruling the box office lately. If you’re looking for something different, watch Raja Natwarlal. However, don’t go in expecting too much, unless you want to be disappointed.

  • IndiaGlitz
    IndiaGlitz
    India Glitz

    4

    ‘Raja Natwarlal’ is serially kissing for die hard Emraan Hashmi’s lovers otherwise it can be easily exchanged for fresh doughnuts.

  • Raja Natwarlal is unimaginative pulp; it begins and ends on a lukewarm note.

  • The film will seem monotonous for the most part, save the finale where you are at the edge of your seat for a few moments. In short, if you’re looking for Jannat rehashed with the crime-romance-drama combo, catch this one!

  • Raja Natwarlal can be a casual TV watch which you won’t regret. Especially, since you can forward/switch channels when the run-time lengthening, otherwise irrelevant songs show up.

  • Rahul Desai
    Rahul Desai
    Mumbai Mirror

    5

    This film is far from perfect, but makes for an acceptable non-Italian version of ‘The Indian Job’-by entertaining solely within the confines of a revenge drama. The laughs are best left to Danny and gang.

  • Anuj Kumar
    Anuj Kumar
    The Hindu

    -

    The conman’s conviction is captivating but his tricks fail to deceive.

  • JPN
    JPN
    Jagran

    -

    Serial Kisser Emraan Hashmi’s films may not do well at the Box Office every time but the songs of his films are always super hit. However, the songs of Raja Natwarlal have fared averagely amongst the audiences but dialogues are strong and funny. So here we can conclude that the film is entertaining and can be seen atleast once.

  • Pratim D Gupta
    Pratim D Gupta
    TheTelegraph

    4

    Despite the party pooper of an ending and that nauseating love story, Raja Natwarlal, for much of its running time is very watchable. Just that in its effort to reach out to the lowest common denominator, Bollywood stoops a little too low and stops well short.