Romeo Akbar Walter

Last updated

Romeo Akbar Walter
Romeo Akbar Walter poster.jpg
Poster
Directed byRobbie Grewal
Written by
  • Robbie Grewal
  • Ishraq Eba
  • Shreyansh Pandey
Produced by
  • Dheeraj Wadhawan
  • Ajay Kapoor
  • Vanessa Walia
  • Gary Grewal
  • Ajit Andhare
Starring
CinematographyTapan Tushar Basu
Edited byHemal Kothari
Music byScore:
Amar Mohile
Hitesh Sonik
Rochak Kohli
Clinton Cerejo
Songs:
Ankit Tiwari
Sohail Sen
Shabbir Ahmed
Raaj Aashoo
Production
companies
Release date
  • 5 April 2019 (2019-04-05)
Running time
139 minutes [1]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budget₹35 crore [2] [3]
Box officeest.₹53.48 crore [4]

Romeo Akbar Walter (RAW; alluding to the Research and Analysis Wing) is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film [5] [6] [7] written and directed by Robbie Grewal. It stars John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher. [8] [9] The narrative centers on a banker who is recruited as a spy for the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW or RAW) for an undercover operation in Pakistan, where he faces both physical and emotional challenges. The film was inspired by the life of Indian spy Ravindra Kaushik and theatrically released on 5 April 2019.

Contents

Plot

In November 1971, at ISI detention cell, Karachi, a man is being given the 3rd degree of torture. The movie then goes 9 months back.

In 1971, Shrikant Rai, the Chief of the RAW recruits Rehamatullah Ali a.k.a. Romeo, a banker, after he manages to foil a bank robbery staged by the RAW agents to test his skills for espionage in Pakistan. After training in combat and covert communication techniques, he departs to Pakistan.

In Pakistan, he becomes Akbar Malik, and in his operations is helped by Joker and Mudassar, Pakistani locals helping RAW. Planned circumstances bring him closer to the target Isaq Afridi (Anil George), whose trust in him strengthens when Akbar not only assures him of his hatred towards India but also saves him from an attack conducted by the henchmen of Nawab Afridi. Akbar informs RAW about a planned attack on Badlipur that would claim innocent lives, both in India and East Pakistan. However, relations between Afridi and Akbar also intensify, due to which he refuses to betray him when Nawab approaches him with an offer to work for him. However, while leaving the rendezvous, Nawab forgets an envelope and asks Akbar to deliver it to the described room number. He is surprised to find his girlfriend Shraddha Sharma there and exclaims "You?" in disbelief. She gestures him to keep quiet and opens up a telephone receiver to show a spy transmitter inside it, proving that her room was bugged. She reveals that she, too was working for the RAW and was sent there because Akbar wanted someone close to be sent for him.

In the meanwhile, Colonel Khan's suspicion grows on Akbar, whom he arrests, interrogates, and tortures when he isn't able to extract any information. He is forced to free due to Akbar being Afridi's right hand. However, Akbar's cover soon gets blown, resulting in a chase between him and the colonel. Akbar manages to escape and arrives at home to find Mudassar telling him to escape. Akbar explains that there's no way to escape, due to which Mudassar agrees and goes to prepare tea for him. While waiting, Akbar suspects someone's presence. Hearing a gun click, he takes out the gun given to him by Mudassar for emergencies, and shoots the person, only to realise it was no one else but Mudassar. Weeping but also remembering the latter's words warning him not to get entangled in relations, he escapes from the scene and the next day, disguised as an army captain, contacts Shrikant for help. The latter declines, telling him that he's not acting like an Indian any more. In the meanwhile, Shraddha and some other RAW agents are arrested while Joker commits suicide. Akbar then meets the army officer who interrogated him and his senior, revealing the truth. He decides to conduct the attacks on Badlipur himself as a form of revenge on the RAW. Accompanied by colonel Khan to avoid any sort of double-crossing, Akbar shocks him by bombing the entire village in a series of explosions, thus confirming his loyalty to Pakistan.

As a result, the Indo-Pakistani War breaks out. Akbar, now a Pakistani officer called Walter Khan, meets Shrikant and Awasthi in Nepal after 10 years. He departs after exchanging a few words and congratulating Awasthi for his impending promotion, leaving the latter surprised. Shrikant then reveals that Walter's still working undercover for India and how the latter's siding with Pakistan was all part of the plan. The bombing didn't cause any deaths as the villagers, as under the pretext of warning about bad weather conditions, they were moved out 24 hours before it took place. Shrikant also reveals Walter's loyalty towards work was the only reason he couldn't turn up even at his mother's funeral. The film ends with a shot of Walter saluting the Indian flag with tears in his eyes.

Cast

Production

Initially, Sushant Singh Rajput was to star in the film as the protagonist, but he had to step down due to date issues and was later replaced by John Abraham. [10] [11]

Release

The film was shot on location in Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat and Nepal; [12] it was initially scheduled to release on 15 March 2019 but then it was pushed back. [13] [14] It was scheduled to release worldwide on 12 April 2019 but later released on 5 April 2019. Eros International was being distributed in Overseas. [15] [16] [17]

Home media

The film became available as VOD on Netflix on 30 June 2019. [18]

Reception

Critical response

the film received mixed reviews from critics Going by Rotten Tomatoes, the film has scored 15% based on 13 reviews with an average rating of 4.4/10. [19] Renuka Vyavahare of Times Of India finds the climax of the film audacious and gives one and half stars out of five. She concludes, "RAW has its moments but is rough around the edges. The climax is audacious and you need to suspend your belief, if you plan to watch it." [20] "Overall, Romeo Akbar Walter is another interesting film from John Abraham. The movie has enough twists and turns to keep you intrigued and engaged. Go for it." says Gaurang Chauhan of Times Now and gives three stars out of five. [21] Sanyukta Thakare writing for The Free Press Journal rates the film with one and a half stars out of five and says, "You would expect RAW to be an action-packed film as much as the trailer suggested, but the film is more of a drama web series that documents events one after the other, throwing in unnecessary emotional, romantic and climax more than it is required." [22] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare giving 3 stars out of 5 says, "Watching the film is like akin to reading a John le Carré novel. You have one set of mandarins squaring off against the other with pawns being sacrificed for future advantage." [23] Taran Adarsh gives 1.5 stars out of 5 says "Dull. Interesting stories don't necessarily translate into interesting films. Half baked writing + slow pacing play spoilsport. John, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher excel. This thriller lacks thrill and grip." [24]

Box office

Romeo Akbar Walter collected ₹5 crore on its opening day pan India. Its opening weekend collection from the domestic market was ₹20.85 crore. Its domestic gross was ₹45.84 crore and overseas gross ₹7.64 crore. It grossed ₹53.48 crore worldwide. [4] [25]

Soundtrack

Romeo Akbar Walter
Soundtrack album by
Ankit Tiwari, Sohail Sen, Shabbir Ahmed and Raaj Aashoo
Released5 March 2019 [26]
Recorded2018
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length27:12
Language Hindi
Label Junglee Music
Ankit Tiwari chronology
Amavas
(2019)		Romeo Akbar Walter
(2019)		 Batla House
(2019)
Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Vande Mataram"Shabbir Ahmed Shabbir Ahmed Sonu Nigam, Ekta Ajay Kapoor 4:57
2."Bulleya"Ashok Punjabi Sohail Sen Rabbi Shergill, Shahid Mallya 4:25
3."Jee Len De"Murli Agarwal Raaj Aashoo Mohit Chauhan 4:37
4."Allah Hoo Allah"Shabbir AhmedShabbir AhmedSameer Khan, Maneesh Singh, Shreyas Puranik, Jay Mehta, Mayur Sakhare, Tejas Mahure6:37
5."Maa" Prince Dubey Ankit Tiwari Ankit Tiwari 3:19
6."Jee Len De (Atif Version)"Murli AgarwalRaaj Aashoo Atif Aslam 4:37
Total length:27:12

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Abraham</span> Indian actor and producer (born 1972)

John Abraham is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Known for his stoic action hero persona, he is a recipient of a National Film Award along with nominations for four Filmfare Awards. Abraham has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2017 based on his income and popularity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siddharth Anand</span> Indian film director, screenwriter, producer

Siddharth Raj Anand is an Indian filmmaker. A grandson of screenwriter Inder Raj Anand, he is primarily known for his work with Yash Raj Films. He first became known for directing the successful romantic comedies Salaam Namaste (2005), Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007), Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) and Anjaana Anjaani (2010). He established himself as a leading action filmmaker with Bang Bang! (2014), Fighter (2024) and the YRF Spy Universe films War (2019) and Pathaan (2023) – all of these rank among the highest-grossing Hindi films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sajid Nadiadwala</span> Indian film producer (born 1966)

Sajid Nadiadwala is an Indian film producer, writer, and director who works in Hindi cinema. He is the owner of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. Grandson of filmmaker A.K. Nadiadwala, Sajid has written and produced films including Housefull (2010), Baaghi (2016) to directing Kick (2014) that brought him various debutant director awards, and wrote the Marathi film Lai Bhaari that was produced by Riteish Deshmukh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mouni Roy</span> Indian actress (born 1985)

Mouni Roy is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films and television. She made her acting debut in 2006, with the TV show Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. Roy became one of the highest-paid Hindi television actresses after portraying a shape-shifting serpent in the supernatural thriller Naagin and its sequel Naagin 2. She has received several awards including an IIFA Award and two ITA Awards with nominations for two Filmfare Awards.

<i>Dhoom 3</i> 2013 Indian Hindi film by Vijay Krishna Acharya

Dhoom 3, stylised as Dhoom: 3, is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film written and directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya and produced by Aditya Chopra, who co-wrote the story. The film stars Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Katrina Kaif, Uday Chopra and Jackie Shroff. It is the third instalment of the Dhoom series and sequel to Dhoom (2004) and Dhoom 2 (2006).

<i>Ek Tha Tiger</i> 2012 film by Kabir Khan

Ek Tha Tiger is a 2012 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Kabir Khan and co-written by Khan and Neelesh Misra. Produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films, it is the first installment in the YRF Spy Universe. It stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ranvir Shorey, Roshan Seth, Girish Karnad, and Gavie Chahal. In the film, RAW agent Tiger (Khan) is tasked with recovering information before it is gained by Pakistan, but is sidetracked after falling in love with Zoya Humaimi (Kaif).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tara Sutaria</span> Indian actress and singer (born 1995)

Tara Sutaria is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She began her career as a singer in Disney India's Big Bada Boom and transitioned to acting with the channel's sitcoms The Suite Life of Karan & Kabir (2012) and Oye Jassie (2013). Sutaria made her film debut in 2019 with Student of the Year 2, for which she won Zee Cine Award for Best Female Debut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiger Shroff</span> Indian actor (born 1990)

Jai Hemant Shroff, known professionally as Tiger Shroff, is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. Born to actors Jackie Shroff and Ayesha Dutt, he made his acting debut with the action romance Heropanti (2014), for which he won the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Male. Shroff went on to star in the commercially successful films Baaghi (2016), Baaghi 2 (2018), and War (2019), which established him as an action star.

<i>Bajrangi Bhaijaan</i> 2015 Indian adventure comedy-drama film

Bajrangi Bhaijaan is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Kabir Khan, based on an original story by screenwriter V. Vijayendra Prasad, and produced by Salman Khan, Rockline Venkatesh and Kabir Khan. The film stars Salman with debutante Harshaali Malhotra, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and tells the story of Pawan Kumar Chaturvedi, a devotee of the Hindu deity Hanuman, who embarks on a journey to take a mute six-year-old Pakistani Muslim girl Shahida, separated in India from her mother, back to her hometown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disha Patani</span> Indian actress (born 1992)

Disha Patani is an Indian actress who primarily work in Hindi films. Patani began her acting career with the Telugu film Loafer (2015), and had her first Hindi film release with the biopic M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), for which she won the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Female. After appearing in the Chinese action comedy Kung Fu Yoga (2017), Patani has played the leading lady in the films Baaghi 2 (2018), Malang (2020), and Ek Villain Returns (2022). She has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list of 2019.

<i>Baaghi 2</i> 2018 film by Ahmed Khan

Baaghi 2 is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Ahmed Khan. Produced by Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, it is the second installment in Baaghi film series, a spiritual sequel to the 2016 film Baaghi and a remake of the 2016 Telugu film Kshanam. It stars Tiger Shroff, Disha Patani, Manoj Bajpayee, Darshan Kumar, Prateik Babbar, Randeep Hooda, Deepak Dobriyal and Arravya Sharma and tells the story of Ranveer "Ronnie" Pratap Singh, an Indian Army officer who sets out to find and rescue his ex-girlfriend's three-year-old daughter from the clutches of her kidnappers in Goa. Principal photography commenced for the film in August 2017, and it was shot in Mumbai, Pune, Shanghai, Goa, China, Manali and Thailand. The film was finished with a budget of ₹59 crore (US$7.4 million), including print and promotion costs.

<i>Tiger Zinda Hai</i> 2017 Indian film by Ali Abbas Zafar

Tiger Zinda Hai is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film written and directed by Ali Abbas Zafar based on a story by Zafar and Neelesh Misra. It is produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The film is a sequel to Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and is the second instalment in the YRF Spy Universe. The film stars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif reprising their roles from the predecessor. The film takes place after the events of Ek Tha Tiger in which Tiger and Zoya come out of hiding to save nurses held hostage by a terrorist organisation called ISC in Iraq.

<i>Baaghi 3</i> 2020 film directed by Ahmed Khan

Baaghi 3 is a 2020 Indian action thriller film directed by Ahmed Khan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film is the third installment in Baaghi series and stars Tiger Shroff, Riteish Deshmukh and Shraddha Kapoor. It also features Ankita Lokhande, Jaideep Ahlawat, Vijay Varma, Jameel Khoury, Jackie Shroff, Satish Kaushik, Virendra Saxena and Manav Gohil in pivotal roles. The first half and climax are based on Tamil film Vettai (2012).

<i>Sooryavanshi</i> 2021 Indian Hindi-language action film

Sooryavanshi is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language action film written and directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Reliance Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Picturez, Dharma Productions and Cape of Good Films. The fourth instalment of the Cop Universe, it stars Akshay Kumar in the title role, opposite Katrina Kaif. Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh also return as Singham and Simmba. Jackie Shroff, Gulshan Grover, Nikitin Dheer, Sikandar Kher, Abhimanyu Singh and Kumud Mishra play the antagonists, while Jaaved Jaaferi, Vivan Bhatena and Niharica Raizada appear in supporting roles. Kumar's character was announced towards the end of Simmba (2018) that served as a character introduction.

<i>War</i> (2019 film) 2019 film by Siddharth Anand

War is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film co-written and directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The third installment in the YRF Spy Universe, the film stars Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff and Vaani Kapoor in lead roles. The film follows Khalid Rahmani, an Indian RAW agent and soldier, who is assigned to eliminate his former mentor Kabir Dhaliwal, who has gone rogue.

<i>Heropanti 2</i> 2022 Indian Hindi-language action film

Heropanti 2 is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Ahmed Khan, written by Rajat Arora and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala under the banner of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. The film serves as a sequel to the 2014 film Heropanti. It stars Tiger Shroff, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Tara Sutaria. It was released on 29 April 2022.

Baaghi is a series of Indian Hindi-language action thriller films. All films are produced by Sajid Nadiadwala under the banner of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment while the first film is distributed by UTV Motion Pictures and the second and third are by Fox Star Studios. The first film Baaghi was released in 2016 and directed by Sabbir Khan and the second and third and fourth films Baaghi 2 (2018) and Baaghi 3 (2020) are directed by Ahmed Khan. Baaghi 4 has also been announced and is in the production stage and the director for Baaghi 4 is yet to be announced. Baaghi 2 till date is the most successful film till date in the franchise grossing over ₹258.05 crores worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YRF Spy Universe</span> Shared fictional universe

YRF Spy Universe is an Indian media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of spy action films, which feature various fictional RAW agents. The films are produced and distributed by Yash Raj Films.

<i>Pathaan</i> (film) 2023 Indian Hindi action thriller film

Pathaan is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film co-written and directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Aditya Chopra under Yash Raj Films. The fourth installment in the YRF Spy Universe, it stars Shah Rukh Khan in the title role, alongside Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, with Dimple Kapadia and Ashutosh Rana in supporting roles. Pathaan, an exiled RAW agent, works with ISI agent Rubina Mohsin to take down Jim, a former RAW agent, who plans to attack India with a deadly virus.

References

  1. ↑ "Romeo Akbar Walter (2019)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "Romeo Akbar Walter box office collection day 1: John Abraham starrer gets moderate opening, May earn Rs 5 crore". Zeebiz. 5 April 2019. Archived from the original on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  3. ↑ "Romeo Akbar Walter". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Romeo Akbar Walter". Bollywood Hungama . 5 April 2019. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  5. ↑ "John Abraham's next film to be action thriller RAW: Romeo Akbar Walter". Mid-Day. 3 March 2019. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  6. ↑ "Original stories attract audience". India Today. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  7. ↑ "John Abraham on Romeo Akbar Walter: I'd like to do patriotic movies but won't make jingoistic films". Firstpost. 4 March 2019. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  8. ↑ "RAW-Romeo Akbar Walter: John Abraham takes RAW to Kashmir along with Jackie Shroff". Bollywood Hungama . 14 August 2018. Archived from the original on 26 April 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "RAW-Romeo Akbar Walter". BookMyShow. Archived from the original on 21 May 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  10. ↑ "Here's Why Sushant Singh Rajput Quits Romeo Akbar Walter". NDTV. Indo-Asian News Service. 29 August 2017. Archived from the original on 21 April 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  11. ↑ "Sushant Singh Rajput quits RAW, here's what the makers have to say!". Times Now. IANS. 31 August 2017. Archived from the original on 29 January 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  12. ↑ "John Abraham starrer Romeo Akbar Walter to be shot in Kashmir". Bollywood Hungama . 30 April 2018. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  13. ↑ "John Abraham starrer Romeo Akbar Walter is all set to release on this day next year". Deccan Chronicle. 18 September 2018. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  14. ↑ "John Abraham's Romeo Akbar Walter finally gets a release date". Mid-Day. 18 September 2018. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  15. ↑ "Romeo Akbar Walter teaser: On Republic Day eve, John Abraham offers another patriotic treat. Watch video". Hindustan Times. 25 January 2019. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  16. ↑ "Romeo Akbar Walter teaser out: John Abraham has a Republic Day treat for fans". India Today. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  17. ↑ "Romeo Akbar Walter teaser: John Abraham's different 'faces' make the film look like a promising one". Times Now. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  18. ↑ "Romeo Akbar Walter". Netflix. June 2019. Archived from the original on 22 April 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  19. ↑ "Romeo Akbar Walter". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  20. ↑ Vyavahare, Renuka. "RAW Movie Review". Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  21. ↑ Chauhan, Gaurang. "RAW Movie Review: John Abraham starrer is an effective espionage thriller that'll stay with you". Times Now. Zoom Entertainment. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  22. ↑ Thakare, Sanyukta. "Romeo Akbar Walter Movie Review: John Abraham starrer can put you to sleep; needs more than just changing length of his beard". The Free Press Journal. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  23. ↑ Sharma, Devesh (4 April 2019). "Movie Review: Romeo Akbar Walter". Filmfare. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  24. ↑ "taran adarsh "@taran_adarsh"". Twitter. 5 April 2019. Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  25. ↑ "Bollywood Top Grossers Worldwide Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  26. ↑ "Romeo Akbar Walter – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Gaana. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.