Ep999: Spotlight India: RA.ONE (2011)

Kicking the Seat

Ian and Shashwat return with a pocket-load of power-ups to review the cutting-edge Shah Rukh Khan film, Ra.One!

Anubhav Sinha's 2011 family action comedy is like a remake of Terminator 2, set in the world of video game development. When a designer named Shekhar (Khan) uses artificial intelligence to create a new fighting game, he inadvertently creates a new life form called "Ra.One" (a variation on the word for "demon"). Ra.One manifests in the real world and pursues Shekhar's family. A protector program also emerges, setting off a path of destruction that causes continents!

In the latest team-up between IndieRise and Kicking the Seat, Ian and Shashwat dig into the reasons Ra.One was not well received on release--but has gained a new appreciation in recent years; why the filmmakers' blatant appropriation of James Cameron's landmark sci-fi blockbuster actually works here; and how Sinha's seamless integration of CGI and practical effects created a moment that made Ian's jaw drop when learning its secrets!

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Show Links

• Watch the Ra.One trailer.

• Join the awesome virtual community of filmmaking obsessives at IndieRise!

• Watch Shashwat's documentary, Breaking Barriers, on the IIT Madras BS Film Society YouTube channel!

• Watch Shashwat's short films on YouTube (and be sure to subscribe!).

• Follow IIT Madras BS Film Society on Instagram.

• And catch up with previous "Spotlight India" episodes.