MovieChat Forums > Ra.One (2011) Discussion > RA.One And Its Importance in Indian Cine...

RA.One And Its Importance in Indian Cinema

posted 12 years ago by rojagegeo
63 replies | jump to latest

the hype surrounding this movie was enormous....for the last 7months ra.one has been promoting itself across india...then suddenly Shahrukh began his marketing in the previous month...Never before has an actor/producer done such marketing in the history of indian cinema [i cant remember anyone in hollywood doing such a feat alone either]......He was everywhere..What was it all for? Was it to earn his money back?yes,that too...but theres one more reason...It was SRK's dream project..for years,he has been bollywoods romantic hero,he rarely got to do a character out of the romantic genre [ex:chak de india]...What exactly was his dream? to bring indian cinema to international quality..sure we have our dramas and crime thrillers,but most indians will have trouble watching an out of the world movie..the present generation filled this void with hollywood movies..Hollywood has the power,money,and imagination to make you believe an impending disaster in 2012,sit through 2hrs of battling robots,watch a guy climb walls and squirt webs/strings...

So very few movies took the risk to mine this vast genre in bollywood...Because u cant make one by being a miser,u have to open that tight purse of yours and beg producers to invest...Krish took the first step..it was desi and surely for the kids [10 and below] and the effects just ok....inspired by krish ,more jumped in but all were poorly done and couldnt absorb the meaning or the other-worldly personality a superhero should have...And of course Endhiran came...A movie that was well made with Rajini doing an excellant role..the prominence of visual effects showed how visual effects were to be conducted on screen...

Then we have Ra.One..

Shahrukh wasnt stingy,he did everything under his power to make this movie,and THIS u can see on the screen..The effects i must say,i was very impressed with...There was something in them that made u sit and enjoy what unravels in front of u...One scene i must standup and congratulate is the scene where G-one appears and has a standoff with Ra-one [blasting cars into the air]...As a hollywood junkie i was shocked to see this...i couldn believe this was bollywood..SRK wasnt joking when he said it was state of the art effects...It built upon Endhiran's visuals and introduced to us a superhero...Totally unbelievable in real life but made believable in those 2.30 hrs...

I was annoyed to hear many smart-asses constantly comparing RA.One to Hollywood movies during the movie,in the theater ...We Indians are late to enter this new genre and on top of that we ourselves dont want to see it happen...

If a guy wears a black cooling glass and a long flowing leather jacket...guess who it is??? Neo,Terminator,Blade etc...but it cannot be a character from Ra.One

A guy rides a futuristic bike---guess who?? Tron,Batman etc...but it cant be anyone from Ra.one

Facial skin peels off to reveal a mechanical face underneath...Any Guesses? Terminator,Dr.Doom,Agent Smith,etc etc...but RA.One or G.One ?NOOOOO...

Shapeshifting...any guesses? mystique,terminator,matrix,.but if ra.one does it ,it becomes some big trademark infringement.

Characters from video related devices come to real life...----lets see Tron,Videodrome,even Ring...but Ra.One?? NOOO...

Oh yeah best one----guy inserts a mechanical stuff into his chest guess who?? ironman...its trademarked u cant use it,right? but robocop was literally a cop in an iron suit...so why cant ra.one have a conical electrical heart?and it doesnt have any functions similar to ironman's heart..

Batman=zorro [thats a fact,batman was inspired from zorro]

ironman=batman [rich guy,fights crime with advanced gadgets]

hollywood itself has run out of ideas and is making copies of foreign movies...but indians cant do it because people feel they'll end up ruining it...but flash news to u all,Ra.One has done it [not a ripoff of any movie] but i felt a gaming superhero was an original idea..its not a copy of any movie[as far as i know],its effects are brilliant and SRK has pulled off an amazing visual treat.and nit-picking it is a very bad idea...

if youre so confident,try making up a superhero with an origin...and ull find that every idea has been used in hollywood...[x-men is one large universe of heroes]...

So all in all Ra.One has delivered on what it boasted about for the past 7months...Special Effects with hollywood standards and a Superhero with A Hart....This movie has already delivered shockwaves across the industry...just like wat avatar did for 3d,i believe Ra.one has opened the gates for other big producers to invest and make movies with quality visuals and larger than life characters...

SRK needs to be recognized for his efforts..Hats-off to you...

SRK didnt compete with salman or aamir this time...he took the initiative to bring something new on screen...

[–] rohonnag 12 years ago

I completely agree,

now only if the guy who directed the action scenes had directed the REST of the movie,

this is one movie with actions scenes cooler than iron man or even captain america (one on one hero villain fihgt in that sucked, this had a awesome fights)
, but the rest kinda dragged, funny at times, at times contrived!

An Idea is the most resilient parasite - Inception

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

true...its the first time an indian movie had effects and action scenes that are at par with hollywood levels...
but i only thought that 2-3 scenes dragged [bhara naina,and the scene where g.one and sonia talk in the night about ra.one's hart] and just a couple jokes that were a bit, you know,kind of disturbing [referring to that airport checking scene]

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] all_says_iam_different 12 years ago

u ppl sound stupid . sorry to say that . how u can say that its at par with hollywood level .. hollywood ppl thmslvs did the vfx in movie like ra-one n robot .. realy i wonder how u ppl write without thinking ..

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

the hollywood ppl only supervised or helped....the entire post production was done BY INDIANS,IN INDIA....THATS why Ra.One is so special...Its indias first step that matches to hollywood standards...

[–] all_says_iam_different 12 years ago

some facts

* Anubhav and Shah Rukh watched as many as 200 superhero films in multiple languages from all over the world before making "RA.One".

* Shah Rukh has roped in Oscar winner Resul Pookutty for the special sound effects. The team went to Los Angeles get the sound effects done for the film.

* Jeff Kleiser of 1994 Hollywood film "Stargate" was hired as the supervisor of visual effects.

* Nicola Pecorini of "Loathing in Las Vegas" fame is the director of photography, while the film is edited by Academy-award winner Martin Walsh.

* The task of adding special effects was outsourced to multiple specialty studios including in London, Paris and Bangkok, as also in the US.

WHO SAYS INDIA DID IT ... he should realy read this ... we indians should leave the habit of being proud in every small stuff instead we should see where we are lacking and accept it ...

stop following srk blindly and praise him for no reason ...

the movie was pathetic .... the imagination was totally dumb .... the scene where i should laugh i dint where i shouldnt i did .... same old vulgar srk with same old not funny jokes ....

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@Creazone

so if one movie does a certain pose,no movie can ever copy that ?

would u look at an ironman poster/movie say,"sheesh,iron man ripped off the movie robo cop.." [or vice-versa]
district 9 copied ET,Close-encounters,independence day,or any alien movie?[just because the subject is aliens]
there are many posters that could resemble another one,but everone caught on ra.one because,it couldnt be compared to any bollywood movie[because only few were released] so it was immediately compared to the KINGDOM of heroes-Hollywood..

true it does resemble batman begins...but why should bollywood be restricted from using them? hollywood has more than 30 years of a head start in the field of visual-effects and out-of-the world stories.,bollywoods entry began in the late 2000's ,so similarities is 100% guaranteed...
and the poster looks very good...

hollywood has copied and ruined many...the originals always tend to be better than their hollywood counter-parts...REC- Quarantine....My Sassy Girl (korean) was made into a sappy hollywood movie acting elisha cuthbert..
Bollywood does even a worse job in copying stuff...but Ra.One isnt a copy of any movie..

i love hollywood more than bollywood,but wen some indian movies do try to improve the indian standard it should be supported..

[–] ravram10 12 years ago

VEER ZARA HAD THAT POSTER FIRST

[–] ven_042000 12 years ago

Hollywood don't copy or make illegal movies from foreign countries, but they get legal permission and do give credit to the original creator. But Indian talentless film makers doesn't do that, they shameless ripoff from Hollywood movies and claim it as their own work. Shameless retards.

However, SRK have many times accepted that he has inspired from various Hollywood superheroes movies, especially from "X - Men" Series. I appreciate that guts. But rest.... nothing to say.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@batman begins1

It is a stepping stone for indian cinema..no doubt...
once ra1 becomes a hit,more producers will dive in to make more movies of the superhero/sci-fiction genre..visual-effects will be given more prominence...
Ra.1 is the beginning and its not perfect ,but later on people will make more perfect movies since Ra1 gave them the confidence to do so...

do u wish to see indian cinema lagging behind with the same romantic stories,govt corruption and slapstick comedy?

by referring videodrome and ring...i meant characters coming or entering from a digital world into reality...

and please dont just call my writings *beep* sure i have made my point...just because u thought u found one line vague from the entire article doesnt mean the rest are *beep* baseless sentences

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@ven042000

True many HIndi movies shamelessly rip off Foreign movies,but my point is that ra.one didnt and that baseless points such as "ripped ironman,tron etc" are just demeaning to the effort behind making this movie...

he was inspired by x-men,didnt rip it...since marvel,DC have almost drained the entire hero formulation stories....

But i felt Ra.One's and G.one's origins are new and original [as far as i know]...

and Srk had some guts to make this cause unlike other movies like Krish,and Endhiran/Robot this was 90% sci-fiction...romance was completely sidelined [g.One didnt have a romantic interest to Kareena ,and vice versa]

[–] The_Mighty_Warrior 12 years ago

I agree, RA-ONE is a very important film. The VFX and action was indeed on the same level as Hollywood. Many Hollywood critics themselves have noted this, some even say they are better. Even in my estimation, the London action scene when RA-ONE and G-ONE first meet, the train sequence and the final combat scenes were easily on par with many similar scenes in Hollywood films. They certainly give Hollywood a run for their money.

However, Indian people find it sacreligious when Indians like me dare to make the comparison between Hollywood and Bollywood, because they suffer from a constant inferiority complex re the West. No matter how good a film Bollywood produces, they will also add the rejoinder, 'Good by Bollywood standards' They did it for Lagaan too, 'Good by Bollywood standards' This is quite unique to Indians, as other cinegoers of the world do not have this complex about their countries films.

I have been quite prophetic about the future of Bollywood. I had long said in 2001 that by 2010 100crore+ films will become more common in Bollywood, and that Hollywood level VFX and Action will become a reality. At the time Indians on these boards laughed at me. Whose laughing now? :D It is only a question of a few years now that we will see some truly brilliant sci fi and fantasy films being made in India. Hollywood hegemony will end.

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@mighty warrior

phew,atleast some support me....and yes,we will soon see some brilliant sci-fiction from our writers..

[–] colour-me-kubrick 12 years ago

but humanity at large.

http://justgyaan.blogspot.com/

[–] interstaller00007 12 years ago

Well said...everyone know this fact that script was loose and very faulty but in the end of the movie i felt proud because it was still hard to believe that i just watched a Bollywood movie...action sequences were truly fantastic and no doubt it'll be a game changer for Indian film industry...everyone knows very well that he(SRK) used Hollywood technicians but here's the another thing, all Indian technicians were also assisted under those Hollywood people...Indians learned with them and without them it was almost impossible to develop these effects...and this learning process will be helping Bollywood to put there step forward with VFX and within 4-5years India will make a visual masterpiece for sure.

I KNOW ONLY TWO LANGUAGES:
1ST-ENGLISH
2ND-BAD ENGLISH :D

[–] rohonnag 12 years ago

the west will never take us seriously,

lagaan was as good as any hollywood or european movie, it is one of the best movies EVER made, it deserves a place in the top 250

but they go ahead a give an oscar to slumdog millionaire, and mediocre movie... WHY? coz it has a famous british director,

if the SAME movie had been made by a indian, they would have laughed at it...

I dont think we need to prove ourselves to the west, instead we need to improve and emerge from our romantic idiotic movies and do different things...

An Idea is the most resilient parasite - Inception

[–] all_says_iam_different 12 years ago

ur pointing out slumdog millionaire as a mediocre movie but did you ever thought why did the movie got so much response to music and the movie both because it was something NEW to them , the director was British but was meant in Desi style with which they are not very close .

people want something different but also which make sense . sense was purely lacking in Ra-One and as im a sci-fy action fan too there was just 1-2 moments which i thought wow i never seen this but that too i have to search for it , the rest of the time it was really frustrating .

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@rohonnag

i agree that we have nothing to prove to the west...slumdog was just an normal hindi movie..and rahman has done much much better music than jai ho etc...

but returning to the topic at hand, the success of ra1 will drive more people into this sci-fiction genre and encorage writers to come up with some tight sci-fic stories...

Ra1 was a very different movie,compared to all the other hindi movies released...

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@arpit

thanx for the support dude.....

yes,we need hollywoods supports to learn the new stuff but soon we will be self dependent...

[–] familiarrStrangerr 12 years ago

lol dude, what are u talking about? this movie would have been disaster if it wasn't festiv season in india, this movie will collect money only this week. already there is no need of housefull boards. imagine next 2 weeks

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@da departed

ra1 is the change bollywood needs

[–] familiarrStrangerr 12 years ago

and what's that change is? no inner material, just glossy looks of vfx
then LoveStory 2050 was a great movie

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@dadeparted

wat exactly do u mean by no inner material? are u saying the entire movie made no sense....werent u able to understand wat was going on? all this nonsense about the movie plot being weak is insane...the story is weak at parts but not as bad as you guys are all complaining about....

lovestory2050 could be said to have no inner material and its vfx was not at all good...

[–] musicbeeps 12 years ago

like u people have a just a small thinking can't think far

[–] shadyabhi 12 years ago

You think that Ra.One copied from Hollywood and did a great job..my ass.

There were special effects (and they were fine) in the movie. I agree to that but what the movie really needed was a solid story to complement this. Compare it with Iron Man. Iron Man had nice dialogues with good action which complemented a solid story. Iron Man was made in 2008 & its almost 2012 now. Don't you think there should be some improvements?

All I want to say is that its not the SPECIAL EFFECTS that make a great movie. Special effects were great as this was mostly outsourced as pointed out above but directors don't know a *beep* on how to complement it with a good story and dialogues.

I think I have made my point clear enough.

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@shadyabhi

i didn say it copied any hollywood movie....i was saying how people were comparing it to hollywood just because they found some props similar...

true the story could have been better,but this one was made from the guy who made cash,dus...what do u expect? but compared to his earlier movies i think ra.one was a decent effort...and compared to the usual bollywood storylines[rascals,bodyguard etc] this one atleast tried to have a decent story...

Ra1 will encourage the bollywood industry to try making more sci-fic ,superhero etc movies...Ra1's story will be soon forgotten but the initiative it took to get sci-fic more prominence in India will be remembered..

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@dipika

thanx for the support

Srk Rocks........ :)

[–] tom-sugnet 12 years ago

The movie looks like an over-stylized parody.

[–] all_says_iam_different 12 years ago

YES THE BOLLYWOOD SHOULD DEFINITELY LEARN NOT TO MAKE SUCH MOVIE LIKE RA-ONE , PEOPLE SHOULD LEARN A MOVIE CANNOT BE CARRIED ON JUST VFX OR CGI ... IT SHOULD HAVE "CONTENT" AND A MANERISM IN DIRECTION ...

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@ all_says_iam_different

Ra.One has content ,it dragged in maybe 2-3 scenes..but overall it was a decent effort...Ill happily go see a decently made movie like ra.one rather than watch the rest of the lot of vulgur hindi movies...if all could make a better movie than ra.one,the industry wont have 90%flops and 10%hits EVERY YEAR..and out of that 10% hits we have totally dumb movies [ex:bodyguard]....in such a way,Ra.One could and has set a standard for movie making..and that is its importance...

[–] smartymeet 12 years ago

Scientific movie??? WTF???

@OP What kinda stupid *beep* are you?
You are telling us that RA.ONE will be stepping stone in Bollywood by making stupid concept, weak story and funny dialogues. RA.ONE is nothing but a bad news for Bollywood, if you knew anything about cinema, you would have shut the *beep* up by now. Cinema is not just about spending money, visual effects, its far more about story, characters, dialogues, script, editing.

Look at your excuse for not making a good super hero movie - DC and Marvel comics used up all concepts.....What the *beep* man, you are telling us that there were only few superhero's permitted to be used and Hollywood got their chance first and had big money so they bought all of them? Dude, its all about imagination, it works with brains and grey cells, how would you know dimwit!! That is the lamest excuse i have seen my entire life.

If you love SRK unconditionally, keep it to your self, don't troll your ass around here and make stupid threads.

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@smartymeat

SCIENCE FICTION not scientific.....cant you read???

lets see,the challenge for bollywood is to grow up...try out more concepts rather than the usual romance and slapstick jokes...making a sci-fiction movie doesnt come cheap...its costly and u need to make a gamble...SRK did the gamble and his product,Ra.One is a great effort..The story line is not that weak..what do u want? do u think someone could pull off a dark knight in their first attempt?very few do...[if u like iron man,replace dark knight with ironman]

Ok lets say the movie is as weak as u say...weak story,dull visuals etc..made with a cost of 150 crores,got back in collections 60cr in 3-4 days...As a producer,u would want to mine this new genre..writers could make up some new plots[better plots], successfully sell this to producers and a better movie could be made...success is guaranteed if the movie is good..more will join,and within 5 years,bollywood could see the rise in sci-fic movies and maybe even great desi-superheroes...but who gave them the initial push?who volunteered to put his neck out for the benefit of the industry?Srk and his RA.One...

did any one else try to make a decent sci-fic?ok someone above said "what about love story2050" ,that was just plain crap...ra.one has a bright concept,and it didn just mess it up on screen like 2050..it utilized its resources and came up with something new...something new to the bollywood industry...

first the "concept" is not weak...the story maybe but not the concept....
how many movies in bollywood has achieved total perfection in the categories u posed----story, characters, dialogues, script, editing,..not many..if u r lucky 2-3 movies will have a good story at the end of each year....

"Look at your excuse for not making a good super hero movie"
many people after seeing the trailer compared ra.one to ironman...and if u had read my op ,i had listed more such similarities..to create a superhero is a big task...which "new" superhero have u heard off?? evrything is from past comics... ra.one atleast made the concept look new and possible...

"Dude, its all about imagination, it works with brains and grey cells, how would you know dimwit!! That is the lamest excuse i have seen my entire life"
and dude,pls do control ur insults...from the very beginning ive been trying to have a straight-forward discussion with all you people...most just jump in the swear wagon and just go off calling me dumb and stupid..
why dont u name one new superhero created....it should have an original concept and an original super power..im not asking u to write a story,just name one or create one,since u claim to have more "brain and grey cells"

"If you love SRK unconditionally, keep it to your self, don't troll your ass around here and make stupid threads."
are u some kind of troll cop?? or are u just new around here?
why dont u go around visit other movie boards,ull see some "real trolls",go give ur dialogues there mr.smartmeet...and if u dont like my thread,u r free to ignore it and move on with your smartass life...

have a good day mr.smartmeet

[–] gurvinder1801372 12 years ago

Well said @rojagegeo

Ra one is not just a bold effort, it's a fantastic movie as well.
It has a lot of original ideas
1) A character coming out of digital world.
2) Doesn't even pretend that he cares about saving the world. Both Raone and GOne came with no other purpose than to kill/save a kid.
3) Romance, emotions, and comedy is subtle, may be that is something new for Indian or wannabee NRIs to digest.
4) Expressions on GOne's face is absolutely spot on. He doesn't know if he is a real world or digital, he is just doing what he is programmed or conditioned to do. He is not spirited, not courageous, just working towards a goal planned for him.
5) First bollywood movie having both super hero and super villian, after a long time. Hatimtai was probably the first.

I loved this movie. Not that i like SRK unconditionally, but he is best actor as well as Indian cinema is concerned, and he proved it.

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@gurinder
you have made some excellent points...for an indian movie these are definitively original and innovative...thanx for the support

And the smallest seed of an idea can grow,to define..or destroy you

[–] GyanGuru 12 years ago

Gurvinder1801372

Your post makes me laugh :)

1) A character coming out of digital world - Wow it's so unbelievable it not just came out of the digital world but also travelled in a plane ;)

2) Doesn't even pretend that he cares about saving the world. Both Raone and GOne came with no other purpose than to kill/save a kid. - Oh g1 doesnt even care ?? But yet he dances and sings in chammak challo.

3) Romance, emotions, and comedy is subtle, may be that is something new for Indian or wannabee NRIs to digest. - Agreed there was no romance but there were so many stupid hammering and unethical jokes (like grabbing kareena's boobs and double meaning dilouges, and SRK claimed that he made this movie for Kids and i bet you want your kids to learn few bad words and how to hold boobs :) dont you ???

4) Expressions on GOne's face is absolutely spot on. He doesn't know if he is a real world or digital, he is just doing what he is programmed or conditioned to do. He is not spirited, not courageous, just working towards a goal planned for him. - Again was he programmed to dance and sing as chammak challo.

5) First bollywood movie having both super hero and super villian, after a long time. Hatimtai was probably the first. - BTW are they really super hero and super villan ?? can you please elobrate why they are super hero/Villan ??

and this movie's sub plot was heavily influnced by T2.

[–] gurvinder1801372 12 years ago

Glad that you laughed...now look at it seriously

<<Wow it's so unbelievable it not just came out of the digital world but also travelled in a plane ;) >>
So? what is your point?

<<Oh g1 doesnt even care ?? But yet he dances and sings in chammak challo.>>
It was a decision taken for him by someone else. He had to obey it. He is not just a robot, he is a character from a video game. Why do you think he shouldn't have danced?

<<Again was he programmed to dance and sing as chammak challo. >>
He did what he was asked to do. So, according to you he should have done that stereotypical robot moves in that dance?

<<BTW are they really super hero and super villan ?? can you please elobrate why they are super hero/Villan ?? >>
Ohh yes, now i understood where are you coming from. I guess you either haven't watched the movie, or you didn't bothered to pay attention. Also, it would be interesting to know how you define a super hero.

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@canunmebv

1-wats wrong with the character travelling inside the plane???? u can send images from usa to china or download videos from multiple parts of the world,cant you?the very first scene of the movie laid the ground rules of the technology that barron co. had come up with... "their technology allows you to see and feel these rays"

if u meant how come the airport security didnt catch g.one,i have an explanation for that too....g.one isnt made of metal..other than his HART...

2-certain time passes between the events after g.one comes to india and the song chammak challo....we saw how he learns stuff very fast..remember him seeing tv? he could have learnt the steps there...

3-todays kids are not as similar to wen u and i were kids...todays kids are introduced to all kinds of hidden jokes and stuff etc...thanks to tv and internet they know stuff more earlier then we did..so the jokes may either go over their head or they may just enjoy it..its wen adults make a big deal of a certain joke that the attention of the kid is actually drawn towards it...

4-same explanation as 2

5-super hero=yes,he does heroic acts and has extraordinary powers
supervillain=yes,he does evil stuff and also has powers

6-movies subplot heavily influenced from T2.....pls grow up...didn u read my OP..where i specifically said dont try to relate this movie to Hollywood movies.. u can have the same subplot to any movie if u really want to press it...
[heres one where the user tries to say Terminator & Matrix are similar/ripped off]
http://forum.blu-ray.com/hollywood-celebrities/135845-whole-matrix-terminator-series-were-really-one-story.html

and i hope u know Avatar and Pocahontas and Dances to the wolves are freakishly similar too...

anything else?

And the smallest seed of an idea can grow,to define..or destroy you

[–] love_horror 12 years ago

smartymeet, you have hit the nail on the head.
I Wish most indians were as sensible as you.

The absence of love is abject pain.

[–] rojagegeo 12 years ago

@love horror

i replied to smartymeet...did u read that? any objections to OP ,tell...

And the smallest seed of an idea can grow,to define..or destroy you