Badass Ravi Kumar Movie Review: A Messy Action Drama That Fails to Impress.Filmygod

A Nostalgic Parody or Just Plain Nonsense?

Badass Ravi Kumar promised to be an outrageous, self-aware parody of the over-the-top action flicks from Bollywood’s past. With its loud promotional campaign, it hinted at being a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the 80s era of masala entertainers. The film even opens with an advisory: “Logic Optional”—but soon, you realize that this isn’t just a disclaimer; it’s a warning. The problem? Badass Ravi Kumar isn’t as clever as it thinks it is. Instead of being an enjoyable spoof, it ends up being a chaotic mess that mistakes loudness for entertainment and randomness for humor.

The Plot (If You Can Call It That)

Trying to make sense of the plot requires a serious effort. It revolves around a mysterious reel (yes, an actual film reel), which contains the codes and locations of some highly confidential Indian missiles. This valuable item falls into the hands of Laila (Kirti Kulhari), a femme fatale whose defining traits are a bob haircut and an addiction to cigarettes. Enter Zaid Bashir (Manish Wadhwa), a Pakistani villain who wants the reel. His accomplice is Carlos Pedro Panther (Prabhu Deva in a bizarre yet somewhat amusing role), an eccentric arms dealer with an unexplained obsession with the Taj Mahal.

Interpol, in its infinite wisdom, decides that only one man is capable of recovering the reel—Ravi Kumar (Himesh Reshammiya). He is portrayed as the ultimate action hero, the kind of guy who throws corrupt politicians out of helicopters and only gets a suspension for it. He wears a leather jacket in the Middle East, wields a triple-barrel gun, and speaks exclusively in punchlines that sound like rejected song lyrics. Alongside him are comic relief sidekicks played by Sanjay Mishra and Johnny Lever, whose presence serves little purpose beyond making the film seem even more absurd.

Himesh Reshammiya: The Star, The Singer, The Action Hero?

Himesh Reshammiya is not new to acting, but his attempt at portraying a self-aware action hero falls flat. His performance is less a parody of action stars and more a parody of himself. Every line he delivers is in a dramatic, mic-drop style, regardless of whether the situation calls for it or not. While over-the-top dialogue can sometimes be fun, here it’s simply exhausting. The film is so busy making Ravi Kumar look “badass” that it forgets to develop anything else—like an actual story, meaningful stakes, or even entertaining action sequences.

Over-the-Top Action (But Not in a Good Way)

There’s no point criticizing the action sequences in a film that openly declares itself to have “80s-style VFX.” But even with that in mind, Badass Ravi Kumar takes it to ridiculous levels. In one sequence, the villain plays an assault rifle like a flute. In another, Ravi Kumar camouflages himself as the floor. At one point, Johnny Lever disguises himself as a Sheikh just to deliver the line, “Wallah Habibi, ye marega kabhi bhi.” The film keeps one-upping itself in absurdity, but instead of feeling like a well-executed parody, it comes across as a collection of random ideas thrown together without thought.

Music Overkill

Given that Himesh Reshammiya is both the star and the music composer, it’s no surprise that Badass Ravi Kumar is packed with songs. What is surprising is the sheer number of them. What should have been a single heist sequence turns into six back-to-back song performances, derailing whatever little momentum the film had. It almost feels like Himesh is using the film as an excuse to promote his latest album rather than tell a story.

Supporting Cast: Wasted Potential

The supporting cast features talented actors like Kirti Kulhari, Sanjay Mishra, Prabhu Deva, Saurabh Sachdeva, and Prashant Narayanan, all of whom deserve better. Kirti is reduced to an outdated femme fatale stereotype, while Prabhu Deva at least manages to bring some energy to his bizarre role. Manish Wadhwa, who previously played a villain in Pathaan, is typecast yet again as an evil Pakistani character with no real depth. Sanjay Mishra and Johnny Lever are capable of great comedy, but here, they are stuck delivering forced gags that rarely land.

Final Verdict: A Fever Dream Best Forgotten

At its core, Badass Ravi Kumar could have been an enjoyable, self-aware guilty pleasure. The idea of a film intentionally embracing its own absurdity isn’t a bad one. But the execution is so lazy and inconsistent that it fails to work as a parody, an action film, or even an unintentional comedy. It feels more like a long, chaotic fever dream where Himesh Reshammiya controls everything, and logic is banished forever.

For those looking for a “so bad, it’s good” experience, even that expectation might be too high. It’s not funny enough to be an entertaining parody, nor ridiculous enough to be an enjoyable disaster. Badass Ravi Kumar is just bad. Watch at your own risk.