Rajat Kapoor introduced a whole new genre in films. His low-budget, high-concept films like Mixed Doubles, Mithya, Ankhon Dekhi etc gave something different to the audiences while also delivering entertainment. He’s now back with another promising movie after ages. Titled RK/RKAY, it is a film with a very unique concept, unlike never before seen in any film!

The story of the movie: RK (Rajat Kapoor) is an actor-filmmaker who stays with his wife Seema (Kubbra Sait) and children Rabia (Grace Girdhar) and Vivan (Abhishek Sharrma). He is making a film titled Mera Naseeb set in the 50s or 60s. It features him playing the lead character named Mahboob Alam. A popular actress Neha (Mallika Sherawat) is essaying his love interest, Gulabo. Ranvir (Ranvir Shorey) plays K N Singh, the antagonist. As per the film’s script, Mahboob Alam runs away with K N Singh’s money in the climax. K N Singh shoots Mahboob dead. Gulabo is waiting at the railway station for her lover, unaware that he’s no more. The film’s shoot is completed successfully. All is going well until one day, RK gets a call from his assistant Namit (Chandrachoor Rai) and editor Sagar. They inform him that RK’s character Mahboob Alam from the footage is nowhere to be found! In short, the character has gone missing from a movie! The film’s financier and producer, Goel (Manu Rishi Chadha), is scared and approaches the police. The cops are also bewildered but promise to help. Meanwhile, Mahboob Alam is shown to have escaped from K N Singh’s clutches. He enters the real-life dimension and reaches the railway station, to find Gulabo. He’s unaware that he’s just a character and that he has jumped from a film onto real life.

Rajat Kapoor is superb in the double role. He underplays both the parts and yet adds to the entertainment quotient very well. Mallika Sherawat is quite a riot and looks stunning as Gulabo. One wishes she had more screen time. Kubbra Sait is dependable. Ranvir Shorey nicely adds to the fun and madness. Manu Rishi Chadha is too good. Grace Girdhar and Abhishek Sharrma are okay. Chandrachoor Rai leaves a mark. The actor playing editor Sagar is passable. Shrikant Yadav (Inspector Hemant Gawde) is decent.

Sagar Desai's music enhances the impact. The music piece played in the opening sequence is impressive. Rafey Mehmood's cinematography is smooth. Meenal Agarwal's production design is straight out of life. Darshan Jalan and Neelanchal Ghosh's costumes are quite good, especially the ones worn by the characters of Mera Naseeb. Suresh Pai's editing could have been sharper in the second half.

Rajat Kapoor's story is terrific. There has been no such film ever that has had a concept like this. As a result, it’s unpredictable as you don’t know what will happen next. Rajat Kapoor's screenplay is light-hearted and as simple as possible. Rajat Kapoor's dialogues are well-worded. The old-school style one-liners of Mahmood Alam’s character add to the entertainment quotient.

Rajat Kapoor's direction is effective and creative. He has not made the film like a usual commercial entertainer. Yet, the film has several interesting dramatic and entertaining sequences. In 95 minutes, he also packs in a lot and keeps a steady pace of the narrative. Special mention should also go to the fact that the makers didn’t show anything of the second half in the trailer. As a result, viewers will be amazed to see where the story heads after Mahmood Alam disappears from the film.

 

On the flipside, a few developments here are unconvincing. Moreover, one never understands why Seema is unhappy in her marriage. Also, RK is said to be a failed actor and filmmaker. A little backstory of both these characters would have helped. Lastly, the pre-climax and climax might leave several viewers puzzled, leading them to Google for ‘RK/RKAY movie explained’.

On the whole, RK/RKAY boasts of an outstanding plot. Despite the confusing narrative, the concept itself makes the film worth watching.

My rating - *** out of 5!

Most actors will tell you that playing a double role is challenging. So, one can only imagine how tough it might be to juggle a double role and directorial duties. “It was hard,” says Rajat Kapoor, who has starred in and helmed RK/RKAY. The drama sees Kapoor play a filmmaker who has to convince his leading man Mahboob — also essayed by the actor — to complete his movie.

“Often [while filming a scene], I was playing opposite myself, so there was nobody sitting in the opposite chair. Then, I would shift to the opposite chair and talk to nobody again. Working with another actor gets you a response. Here, it was difficult to gauge if [the scenes] were going well or not,” states the actor-director.

But the triple duty was not the hardest part of making the film, which also stars Ranvir Shorey, Kubbra Sait and Mallika Sherawat. Despite Kapoor being the mind behind compelling movies like Ankhon Dekhi (2014) and Kadakh (2020), producers shied away from backing RK/RKAY. The project was made with the help of crowdfunding. “About 15 per cent [was crowdfunded], and I put in some of my money. Halfway through the crowdfunding, Priyam Srivastava and Harshita Karkare stepped in as co-producers.”

Point out that so many studios are betting on small films, and he cuts in, “So many studios don’t want to do this kind of cinema. It doesn’t upset me; I have accepted my situation. I have made eight films. Every time, in spite of some studio not backing me, I move on. When I look back, I see I have made these films on my terms. If I had to struggle again to raise money for my next, it’s okay because it gives me the freedom to make what I want to.”