James
It wasn't until the very end of Ram-Janne that I realized I was watching an homage to the 1938 "Angels With Dirty Faces" with James Cagney. If you can hold out that long, the final 15-20 minutes of the film is worth the wait. Until then, this is pretty typical masala fare with Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla dancing their way off to exotic locales not remotely related to the movie. It's those musical interludes -- and a few comical moments during "Ramjanne's" childhood -- that make the majority of the first half of the movie bearable. As much as I love Juhi, her character was a cardboard cutout in most scenes, Vivek Mushran's "Murli" (the alter ego of Pat O'Brien's "Father Jerry Connely" in "Angels") was less saintly than saccharine, and Pankaj Kapur as "Pannu Technicolor" was just plain annoying. Even Shah Rukh's version of Cagney's "Rocky Sullivan" (the title character, "Ram-Janne") couldn't prop this film up most of the way through.But the film's final scenes vindicate the patient viewer. Yes, it's still Bollywood at its melodramatic best. But the same elements that made "Angels" the classic it is are all in place for the big finish. And perhaps Ram-Janne -- being a masala film -- lends itself even better to this denouement than did its predecessor.Because it's this kind of scene that Bollywood does better than anyone else. Seeing SRK begging for his life on the way to the gallows is somehow more believable than watching Cagney blubbering in fear on his way to the electric chair. And give credit to F.C. Mehra for at least choosing to remake a film that's not been (re)done to death.A remake -- by definition -- will never change the course of cinematic history. But if you have an evening to spare, there are far worse choices you could make.
Vishal Agrawal
I have watched this film may be more than 30 times in theater. There was a time when I used to watch this film everyday in the theater and the only reason was Shahrukh Khan. I can talk about story and other stuff but I really don't think thats important. Every single frame of the film is just Shahrukh Khan. 'Ram Jaane' was a very definite flop but for some people like me it was a mania. I remember I was traveling from Lucknow to Hapur and a rickshaw puller did a somersault and landed very badly on the ground. He just got up and started walking singing the title track. I really liked him because I was also in the same frame of mind for may be two months. I used to try somersaults, rectangular black glasses, jacket without shirts and above all drink directly from the bottle. I also used to get these exciting urges to slap a policeman but somehow I controlled. I wonder how I managed to control myself.There are lots of other interesting things i.e Background music, Shahrukh's dance, action sequences and of course Pankaj Kapoor. I and a friend of started smoking 'More' for good two months. Every time Shahrukh lit a cigarette we did. Every one in this world watch one film with total devotion for example my father who doesn't watch films watched 'Shree 420' fourteen times. For me it is 'Raam Jaane'. 'Khallas'. I really wish Shahrukh hadn't become so big. 10/10.
morgane_mc_scelt
I was quite excited when I saw that this movie was a gangster flick with my favorite Indian actor, Shahrukh Khan, nevertheless SRK's mere presence doesn't make the film any better, actually for once I think it makes it worse.The movie is a pathetic remake of WB's Angels with dirty faces starring James Cagney (in the part taken by SRK) and I think that SRK has mixed up a lot of Cagney with a bit of Amitabh Bachchan's simpleton in Don (the chewing thing). But this cocktail rather turned me off. Though I sincerely love him, his overacting is truly dreadful, one of the worse performances of his career, but the rest of the cast, though less excessive, is not this wonderful either. The film is replete with a series of nerve-raking songs that never end, when I saw SRK and Juhi on a boat near a sunny desert island, it was really too much!!Moreover it seems to last forever! The first half hour is tolerable, and has a very nice action scene in a bar. If you wondered where Farah Khan got the great idea of SRK sliding on his knees between the legs of a villain in Main Hoon Na, that's where she got it, and it works damn well. But apart from that there is not much to save.A pity to remake an overall good US film into a dreadful Bollywood flick, nevertheless they have been luckier with other remakes such as Nayakan (Mani Ratnam) which is a remake of the Godfather and really worth watching.Keep trying boys ! my grade: 4/10 (5 if U like the fact that SRK never wears a shirt under his jacket, which is pretty sexy but useless)
Arvind Vyas
I have seen Angels with Dirty Faces (James Cagney) before I saw Ram Jaane. In fact, I was so impressed by "Angels..." that I thought if I were to make a movie it would be a remake of "Angels...". Then I saw "Ram Jaane".Cagney certainly is the best in the original.Sharukh Khan has played the James Cagney's role and Vivek Mushran played the role Pat O'Brien played and Juhi Chawla revived role of Ann Sheridan. Personally I feel that they never came any where closer to the original. The ending, in the original is much better and underplayed compared to the loud ending in "Ram Jaane" that makes "Angels..." much better movie.If you have seen Ram Jaane you would find "Angels..." much better movie, however if you have already seen the original DO NOT WATCH RAM JAANE.Music of Ram Jaane is worth forgetting and watching "Angels..." make you wonder if the songs were needed for Ram Jaane!
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