Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)

Rating: 3.9/5 stars

Gone are the days when all you expect from an Emraan Hashmi flick are a strings of kisses followed by several passionate moments. Like many of his last films, "Raja Natwarlal" too is a clear departure from his stereotypical mold; matter of fact it's starkly different from most thrash dished out by Bollywood these days. Emraan Hashmi's avatar as a con man 'Mithilesh Kumar' will startle yet entice you at the same time. The actor has indeed evolved since his "Murder" days, and how! With a slew of potent performance in an assortment of memorable films over the last few years (barring "Ghanchakkar" and "Rush", which were let down by weak scripts),he has without doubt carved a niche as one of the country's brightest stars.

In this Kunal Deshmukh helmed film, Emraan plays 'Raja', a brilliant conman who dupes common men and makes merry out of the gains. His character paints a clear picture of one happy-go-lucky man, who has a heart of gold (evident when he gives out some Rs. 6000 bucks to a street kid selling cigarettes),and makes you wonder where the movie is going. However, there is a twist in the tale; Raja's closest friend and mentor – an elder brother like figure - Raghav, played by Deepak Tijori (endearing in a bit role),is shot dead in front of him one fateful night, after a huge con in which the duo pull off more than they bargained for.

The conman inside Emraan takes up a new kind of pace in order to eliminate the uber-stylish and sleek Vardha Yadav (played by Kay Kay Menon with sinister flair and malicious aplomb),seeking revenge for Raghav's death. For this, he seeks out Yogi (Paresh Rawal terrific as always),an expert at long cons. The film follows their attempt to avenge Raghav's death, with a little bit of help from a motley crew of small-time con-artists. The entire journey from India to Cape Town and back will keep you on tenterhooks, and is interspersed with spells of laughter to lighten the mood intermittently.

The film's strongest point is its casting. Each of the actors is perfectly-suited to the character they're portraying. Though some performances are stronger than others, there are none that feel forced or unconvincing. Hashmi plays the street-smart conman trying to pull off a long con smoothly with equal swagger and vulnerability, and together with Paresh Rawal, creates a sizzling rapport that successfully holds the film together in instances where it wobbles slightly. These two class actors make even some of the filler scenes watchable. The screenplay is linear till the time veteran actor Paresh Rawal makes an uncanny entry from Dharamshala. His get-up and dialogue delivery will certainly make you believe that the screen brightens up every time a senior actor like him makes his presence felt. Paresh as Yogi, is the mastermind whose help Raja takes to con the big man Vardha. Kay Kay Menon is fantastic as always with his Vardha, a savage in a suit, oil- slick and lean, desperately keen on acquiring a cricket team, ready to bludgeon his way towards this. Pakistani import Humaima Malick looks hot and that is how her character 'Ziya' is meant to be. Her acting talent is realistic, and she suits the role surprisingly well. Special reference needs to be given to Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, who's mighty impressive in his small bit as a hit-man. Wish he had a meatier role in the movie. Besides Zeeshan, the other side-kicks in the film too have played their parts very well.

Parveez Sheikh's script is strewn with crackling scenes that are matched in equal measure by Sanjay Masoom's witty dialogues, which infuse the narrative with verve and chutzpah. The story is packed with money, cons, romance, friendship, greed, confidence, over-confidence, kisses, chases, corrupt cops, cricket associations, twists – all of which are astutely handled by director Kunal Deshmukh. The plot travels from Mumbai to Dharamshala to Cape Town, but Deshmukh retains firm control over proceedings. He also shrewdly ensures that Emraan's signature style kissing is inherently embedded in the script. The serial-kisser can give Hollywood a cutthroat competition in that department, hands down. Cinematographer, Raaj A. Chakravati's work is also worth a mention.

"Raja Natwarlal" wins you over by the sassy swagger of its tricks, its conmen, and scenes like the climax at the 'HDMC Bank', all with its tongue lodged firmly in cheek. The film begins with a small con game and towards the climax, ends with a huge, elaborately planned con, making the audience applaud with our hero, Emraan Hashmi. We can safely say that this time, the con is well and truly on.

'Raja Natwarlal' despite minuses, pulls off A Decent Con! A well-paced second-hour & commendable performances, sort of make up for its flaws.

'Raja Natwarlal' Synopsis: A small-time con man seeks assistance from his mentor with an intention of setting scores with a gangster.

'Raja Natwarlal' begins well, but the romantic-track involving the protagonist & his lady-love, is bland. Also, why do they break into a song, almost every time they meet up? Seriously, what were the writers thinking, especially while penning this part?

But, 'Raja Natwarlal' redeems itself in its second-hour. The con is consistently engaging & the series of events are cleverly executed. In short, a mostly lifeless first-hour, is saved by a nicely done second.

The Screenplay has some true merit, a but a dead-on-arrival romantic-track, plays a spoilsport. Kunal Deshmukh's Direction is pretty good. Cinematography is fine. Editing is, also, is just about fair. Music by Yuvan Shankar Raja is melodious.

Performance-Wise: Emraan Hashmi is perfect. He enacts the revenge driven con-artist with admirable ease. Humaima Malick is strictly okay. Kay Kay Menon is convincing as the villain. But its Paresh Rawal who steals the show. He's brilliant. Deepak Tijori is excellent in a brief role.

On the whole, 'Raja Natwarlal' is a watchable fare.

I saw this on some TV channel. Yeah i know that its a copy of The Sting. Having enjoyed The Sting i thot lets check how much Raja Natwarlal is copied frm The Sting. Believe me apart from the main plot (a young con man seeking revenge for his murdered partner teams up with a master of the big con to win a fortune from a criminal who murdered his partner),there is nothing copied from The Sting. Very different heist, different twists, different methods of conning. Some may compare it to Oceans trilogy or Focus or other heist films. But Raja Natwarlal is a very exciting and very entertaining film. Lots of twists n turns to keep guessing. The acting was simply perfect. Hashma and Rawal gave lovely performances. The villain (K.K. Menon) was convincing in being nasty, smileless n a crooked fella. The twist and turns is great and the film is almost perfect. The only (two) bad things bout this movie is the title of the film n Hashmi's denim shirt.