Anubhav Sinha's exhilarating fantasy "Ra.One" is Bollywood at its best. It has energy, spectacle and humor, song and dance, but razzle-dazzle special effects and action stunts never overwhelm its story of enduring love that unfolds amid an intricate and inspired sci-fi odyssey.
Star Shahrukh Khan has been called the King of Bollywood, and in "Ra.One," he uses his sinewy, expressive body and striking face to move effortlessly from comedy to heroics. He's initially no hero to his young son Prateek (Armaan Verma), for Khan's Shekhar, a London-based video game designer, always allows the good guys to win.
To earn his son's esteem, Shekhar creates a villain so evil and powerful, Ra.One (Arjun Rampal) -- an update of the mythical Hindi demon Raavan -- as to be invincible. All hell breaks loose when Ra.One escapes his video game into real life.
Sinha and his writers have created a family that adults and children can identify with, and Sinha's stars deliver nuanced, evolving portrayals amid a film that has the look of a live-action comic book adventure. Khan is perfectly paired with Kareena Kapoor as his devoted wife, while Verma's Prateek matures before our eyes.
"Ra.One" No MPAA rating. In Hindi with English subtitles. Running time: 2 hours, 36 minutes. At selected theaters.
Star Shahrukh Khan has been called the King of Bollywood, and in "Ra.One," he uses his sinewy, expressive body and striking face to move effortlessly from comedy to heroics. He's initially no hero to his young son Prateek (Armaan Verma), for Khan's Shekhar, a London-based video game designer, always allows the good guys to win.
Sinha and his writers have created a family that adults and children can identify with, and Sinha's stars deliver nuanced, evolving portrayals amid a film that has the look of a live-action comic book adventure. Khan is perfectly paired with Kareena Kapoor as his devoted wife, while Verma's Prateek matures before our eyes.
"Ra.One" No MPAA rating. In Hindi with English subtitles. Running time: 2 hours, 36 minutes. At selected theaters.
L.A. for less than the price of sunblock. 
