Badass Ravikumar – A Wild, Illogical, Hilarious Chaos-Fest That Knows Exactly What It Wants To Be

When I walked into the theatre for Badass Ravikumar, I honestly didn’t expect the reaction I had. There was a strange sense of joy bubbling within me, almost nostalgic, almost ridiculous, but undeniably real. And before I dive into the film itself – this rollercoaster of madness, masala, and absolute unapologetic chaos – I need to give some historical context. Because without that history, experiencing this film becomes only half the journey.

A Strange Legacy: The Birth of Ravi Kumar in The Xposé

Almost eleven years ago, Himesh Reshammiya – affectionately and jokingly referred to as “Lord Himesh” by many – released The Xposé. For the first time ever, we met the character of Ravi Kumar. Back then, it was a stylish attempt at a thriller, but Ravi Kumar stood out. He was dramatic, intense, committed, and unintentionally hilarious in a way that audiences still talk about.

Just yesterday, in fact, I rewatched The Xposé, And watching that movie again reminded me why Ravi Kumar became a cult character among fans who enjoy over-the-top cinema.

Fast forward to the present – action movies are trending everywhere. Big stars making comebacks, masala cinema roaring louder than ever. So almost two-and-a-half years ago, the makers announced their ambitious plan: extend The Xposé into a full-blown cinematic universe. And thus, The Xposé Universe was born, with Adha Purush and now the second entry – Badass Ravikumar.

When they declared this, it felt bizarre yet intriguing. But what I witnessed after watching the movie… that was something else entirely.

A Film That Knows It’s Absurd – And Doesn’t Care

At this point, you, me, and almost everyone already knows what kind of film Badass Ravikumar intends to be. But I had one funny realization while watching: during the two or three months of shooting, did the makers never once have a moment where they paused and wondered, “What exactly are we making?” Did no one look around and question the logic, the drama, the out-of-the-box absurdity?

But here’s the thing – before judging any film, I believe it’s essential to consider the intention behind it. Why was this movie made? What kind of audience was it meant for? Is it trying to be serious? Funny? Spoofy? Nostalgic?

And guess what – Badass Ravikumar tells you its intentions right at the beginning.

A Retro Ride Where Logic Is Optional

The film starts with Ravi Kumar himself explaining that the story is set in 1980, a time when Bollywood didn’t have today’s lavish budgets or sleek VFX. Instead, the movies had style, personality, attitude, and an unapologetic love for entertainment. And in that spirit, this movie sets out to celebrate the golden era of pure “entertainment, entertainment, entertainment.”

But then comes the real disclaimer – “It’s bad-ass… logic… and logic is optional.”

Now, when the makers themselves tell you at the start that logic is optional, what exactly are you supposed to do? Use your brain? Turn it off? Laugh? Cringe?

Well, I tried everything, and they delivered exactly what they promised – a logic-less, absolutely absurd film. And this leads to an interesting question: if they announce upfront that they’re making something “bad,” then is it really bad? Or is it simply the experience they intended to create?

The Dialogues: The One Truly Entertaining Strength

Let me be honest – the film has its flaws, and a lot of them. But there is one thing that is absolutely not bad: the dialogues. The claps, the whistles, the laughter filling the theatre – this was surreal.

And yes, believe it or not, an actual audience showed up. Around 25 to 30 people. And they were thoroughly enjoying the chaos. A group of boys at the back exploded in spontaneous reactions every time Ravi Kumar dropped a punchline.

Lines like:

• “No dream has the audacity that Ravi Kumar looks at it and it doesn’t come true.”
• “Some very bad-ass person has said that protocol is for those who follow it.”
• “She takes money, and she gives orders too.”
• “Even a lion gets trapped in a dog’s trap.”
• “In stubbornness we persist, companions are around, surrounded by guns, bullets and gutters.”

These are actual dialogues in the film. Wild, random, dramatic, and yet delivered with a level of seriousness that makes them ten times funnier.

And then there’s the iconic line Ravi Kumar tells his heroine:

“Laila, I’ll turn your bag into a handbag and sell it in the market.”

Honestly, at that point, someone’s wedding procession was going on outside the theatre, and I felt like going down and dancing. That’s the mood this movie puts you in. I was speechless – absolutely speechless.

Forget the Universe – There’s No Connection Anyway

If you’re wondering whether this film connects to The Xposé, the answer is simple: it doesn’t. At all.

Only the name and the face of the main character match. That’s it.

The rest? Completely unrelated.

A Reel Full of Secrets, A Villain Full of Madness

The plot revolves around a reel – yes, not a chip, but a reel, because it’s set in 1980. This reel contains information about India’s top-secret agents, missiles, and who knows what else.

The villain, Carlos Pedro Panther, played by Prabhu Deva, sits in Oman as a lethal, unpredictable man who kills anyone and everyone. His performance? Genuinely funny and strangely perfect for the film. He is the only actor who manages to steal the screen from Himesh Reshammiya, and it almost feels like Prabhu Deva walked onto the set fully aware of the nonsense happening around him and decided to embrace it completely.

Panther wants the reel, which a woman from India is bringing. She loves Ravi Kumar, but Ravi loves someone else – who happens to be her sister. Add multiple goons, multiple parties, and multiple subplots, and what you get is an explosion of dramatic confrontations where Ravi Kumar defeats everyone one punchline at a time.

And when he finally said “Khoon mat doonga,” the entire theatre erupted into laughter and claps. Even I couldn’t help but laugh at the sheer audacity.

Visual Chaos: A Strange Second-Half Experience

In the second half, something bizarre happened. I suddenly began noticing motion afterimages – like the characters left trails behind them whenever they moved. For a moment, I genuinely thought something was wrong with my eyes. It was distracting, then annoying, and soon my head started feeling heavy. Maybe it was a shutter-speed issue while filming, or maybe my theatre projection was faulty. But the effect was unmistakable.

Then, out of nowhere, there was a scene where the entire screen went blank – completely black – and suddenly everything was normal again. No explanation. No transition. Just chaos.

A Never-Ending Song and an Unexpected Spider-Man

Soon after, there’s a heist sequence where Ravi Kumar runs across rooftops. A song plays during this sequence – and it goes on, and on, and on. It felt like a musical marathon, like they squeezed four different songs into one extended track.

And just when I thought the madness had peaked, they showed Spider-Man.

Not the Spider-Man we know – but a version so funny, so bizarre, I burst into uncontrollable laughter. I wasn’t expecting it at all. At least two or three times during the film, I had an existential crisis: Why am I here? Why did I wake up early in the morning to watch this alone? When did these people become devotees of Badass Ravi Kumar?

But that’s the charm. That’s the strange, inexplicable appeal.

It’s Bad… But Add Sass, and It’s Bad-Ass

If I’m being brutally honest: the movie is bad. Bad on so many levels. But if you add a little “sass” before the bad – like Ravi Kumar himself says – it becomes “bad-ass.”

Minus minus positive.

It depends entirely on your mindset. If you walk in expecting logic, depth, craft, or coherence, you will regret your decision within the first 15 minutes. Because everything shown in the trailer? That ends in the first five minutes. The rest of the film is something completely different.

Once the story moves to Oman, they pack every possible concept – past, present, future – into one giant cinematic explosion.

And just when you think it’s over, the screen flashes messages like:

“Wait for the end. Something will be there after the end credits.”
“Before immigration, your cremation.”

This movie doesn’t care about rules. It doesn’t care about structure. It just wants to be wild.

Final Verdict: A Cult Experience, Not a Film

Badass Ravikumar is not a movie in the traditional sense. It is an experience. A fever dream. A chaotic cocktail of nostalgia, cringe, comedy, masala, and sheer audacity.

If you go with an open mind expecting madness, you will laugh, clap, and enjoy the absurdity. If you go expecting cinema, you will be tortured.

For me, it was both – a disaster and a delight at the same time.

Rating: 2.5/5