Anurag Kashyap's flair for churning out unconventional cinematic pieces is something that warrants appreciation. Raman Raghav 2.0 is certainly not a film that you could expect out of a run-of-the-mill filmmaker. The director (who has also co-written the screenplay along with Vasan Bala) is known for not making compromises in the name of 'commercial cinema' and with RR 2.0, he simply reinstates this verity.The film is divided into different chapters that delve deep into the state of mind of the hunter and the hunted. The pacing of the first half is pitch-perfect and the director succeeds in (metaphorically) grabbing the viewers by the throat and pasting them on a wall, subjecting them to the murderous and drug-infested backdrop of the central characters Ramanna (played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and Raghavan (played by Vicky Kaushal) respectively. The noticeable factor in Kashyap's films is the subtle maintenance of tone. He never attempts to overrun genres simply for the sake of it. The undercurrent of dark humor is not forced at all. You barely know the characters that Ramanna murders (most of the time, except for his sister's family) as he picks them mostly on a random basis. The viewer is never handed out an option to feel exceptionally grim just because a murder took place. We know that they are going to continue because Ramanna is Ramanna. Nawazuddin makes sure Ramanna stays in our minds for quite a long time. The scar on his head, the earrings, the sunglasses (which he procures midway through the film), the shabby garments that he wears, his wry smile, pretty much everything is on-point. Said to be based on a real-life serial killer, Nawaz coerces us to buy into his outlandish perspectives with ease.The surprise element here is Vicky Kaushal's character Raghavan. He is no super-cop. He is a drug-addict who treats his woman badly, and is almost disowned by his father (which is portrayed through an incident). There is barely anything that he clings himself onto, except for his steady intake of cocaine. The character sketch is comparatively hazy in the beginning but the scenes in the latter half shed ample light on his psyche. Kaushal maintains a deadpan expression throughout, which is pretty much all that is required of him. He is revealed to be an insomniac as well, and wears sunglasses all the time, even in the middle of the night, to conceal his sleeplessness and lethargy. Sobhita Dhulipala in a de-glam avatar plays her part sublimely. In fact, hers is the only character in the film that sanctions a bit of empathy.Musical score by Ram Sampath complements the mood of the film pretty well and the songs are not mere gap-fillers. They convey the internal turmoil of the characters rather deviously. "Qatl-e-Aam", "Behooda" and "Paani Ka Rasta" are all decently rendered. The film mostly shuttles between the slums and lowly neighborhoods of Mumbai. The guerrilla-styled cinematography is reasonably delightful and takes the viewer on a roller-coaster ride, with deliberate slacking in pace at certain occasions. The stand-out scene IMO would be the one where Ramanna elucidates how Raghavan is his soul-mate, and how the two are going to be inseparable. Pure stroke of genius!Kashyap is righteously back-to-form with Raman Raghav 2.0 and as a viewer, I sincerely hope he continues to make the world, and not just Bollywood, perceive his work.

As it is a Kashyap film one must expect a certain degree of freshness in the film, and he certainly does not disappoint you. The makers have clearly stated that the film is NOT based on the psycho-killer Raman Raghav who was very famous (or should I say very infamous) in the 60s in Bombay(Mumbai). Instead it is a story of someone who kinda draws inspiration from those incidents. Watching Siddique as Raman is breathtaking. He truly horrifies you. His acting will surely strike a note among viewers. And Kaushal as Raghav (who happens to be a cop and a drug addict!) tries to serve a "never tasted dish" on your plate. For a new comer he clearly outshines many of his contemporaries on many fronts.Kashyap's main characters (Raman and Raghav), equally qualifies to be called as psychopaths and are responsible for numerous murders. But one do this all behind his uniform and other openly. But the thing which will surprise a lot of persons is the intimacy they both share. It's not much though, but still one can find the "love" for Raghav in the eyes of Raman. For instance, Raman state in the film once that "Raman completes Raghav and Raghav completes Raman". Though this certain twist of love does not take way the essence of crime drama from the film. There is a lot of murders happening here and there. Innocents (are they?) are getting killed on the streets. And all this are proof of watching a typical Anurag Kashyap movie.In summary if you like Anurag Kashyap movies then you will definitely like it. And if you are not a Kashyap fan then also you should watch it, you will surely praise the performances of the lead actors. The performances are what makes the film an excellent one.

This is not a review (I'm just sharing my experience)Raman Raghav 2.0 is by an large a story of man's quest find a partner. I personally watched this movie as a graphic novel narrated by Ramanna. May be that is the reason shading not much light on Raghav's character didn't bother me, as we are understanding that character from Ramanna's point of view. The serious of murder happening as the story progresses is quite predictable, but the thing that kept me on the edge of the seat was Ramanna's inhuman nature to kill people like mosquitoes. Overall this movie gave me a unique movie going experience and help me understand the psychology of a serial killer.

Anurag Kashyap has always been the one who experiments a lot with his movies. Watching his movies, you hate what is happening but love the movie at the same time. Raman Raghav was also a roller coaster ride.This movie is like a book with different chapters dealing with different situations and characters. It displays emotions like never seen before. Each scene says something, nothing is redundant or useless. No one in the movie performed below my satisfaction level. All the new actors gave amazing support to the main characters, who were Raman and Raghav. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has achieved a special place in my heart now. He is doing wonders. It looks like he understood exactly the thought process of the cinematographer, the essence of the story and the dream of the director.But most of all, I like the way it ended. It is really an example of unconventional cinema.