This Raduaa doesn’t work, sadly

Jasmine Singh 

The genre sci-fi mostly means imaginative concepts, time travel, advanced science and technology, scientific innovations and of course, a lot of excitement. And when it’s a sci-fi Punjabi film, you know you wouldn’t miss this one for anything. Now that’s a different story that you regret your decision in the end. 

Director Nav Bajwa’s film Raduaa is an ideal chance for scientists and science students to learn some basic things about inventions, like you can travel back and forth in time; all you need is bijli (electricity), wiring and frequency. And, a green coloured unnamed solution. Also, you can travel with your friends and your love (if he or she is feeling left out). 

Raduaa and the ‘radio’ in it offer a one-stop solution to the security issue of our country.  Because, if you have a radio like the one in Raduaa, it can be used to intercept frequencies of the entire world. Imagine, catching the frequency of the White House! 

 Now, this is what Punjabi cinema’s first sci-fi film mostly offers. Director Nav Bajwa handles four different departments in the film, writing, direction, and acting and, he is also one of the producers of the film. Looking at how he has performed in the first three departments (leave out the last one), we’d advise, ‘man you need to focus on one thing at a time.’

Even though the film has an interesting storyline, weak direction and an equally weak screenplay make Raduaa not a fun or thrilling but an ‘unintelligent’ ride. The film starts with unnecessarily stretched dialogues and scenes. Going through the melodramatic lanes, the director of the film finally makes the audience meet the sci-fi invention, a ‘frequency modulator’, which looks like a sad version of crystal balls joined together with ‘cheapo coloured wires’. And you think, this might be the moment of the film, ah well, the director drops the most unexpected bomb. He uses this hi-end modern invention to solve a gharelu problem! Yes, ladies listen up, if you have any problem, Raduaa is what you need to watch! 

The film does no magic after the interval too, in fact to make matters worse, this ‘invention’ is again used and this time for a surgical strike, which by the way is a direct attack on our normally functioning minds! 

The songs in the film are good, and misplaced at the same time, they seem to have a mind of their own, so they drop in anytime anyplace. The film stars Nav Bajwa, Gurpreet Ghuggi, BN Sharma and Satinder Satti in the lead. As an actor, Nav bajwa has a good potential. Gurpreet Ghuggi is the only pleasant change in Raduaa. As for BN Sharma, he shows us a new kind of ‘constipated comedy and punches’. Satinder Satti, without the ‘whip’ could have done better. And as for the actress, Vaibhavi Joshi, she should have known that the film is titled Raduaa and not Rab Da Raduaa!

As much as he wanted, this Raduaa could not catch our frequency.  

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