Ra.One

2011 film directed by Anubhav Sinha

Ra.One is a 2011 Indian science fiction superhero movie. It was released on October 26, 2011. The main characters of the it are "G.One", Shekhar Subramaniam (both played by Shahrukh Khan), and "Ra.One" (played by Arjun Rampal). It also stars Kareena Kapoor, Armaan Verma, Shahana Goswami, Tom Wu, Dalip Tahil and Satish Shah in supporting roles.

Ra.One
Directed byAnubhav Sinha
Written by
  • Anubhav Sinha
  • Kanika Dhillon
Screenplay by
Story byAnubhav Sinha
Produced byGauri Khan
Starring
Music byVishal-Shekhar
Release date
October 26, 2011
LanguageHindi

Plot change

In 2010, London, Jenny Nair, an employee of UK-based company Barron Industries, introduces a new technology that allows objects from the digital world to enter the real world using the wireless transmissions from multiple devices. Shekhar Subramanium, who also works for the company, is given a final chance to devise with a video game with a difference. To impress his sceptical son Prateek, and upon the request of his wife Sonia, Subramanium uses his son's idea that the antagonist be more powerful than the protagonist.

Shekhar's colleague Akashi provides the moves of the game's characters, Jenny does the programming and Shekhar gives his face to the game's protagonist G.One, whilst the antagonist Ra.One is faceless and has substantially greater powers than those granted to G.One, including shapeshifting. Ra.One is imbibed with a self-learning artificial intelligence. The game has three levels, and either of the players can only be killed in the third level using a special gun that holds a single bullet. While designing the game, Akashi notices some malfunctions but ignores them. When the game is finally launched, it receives a standing ovation and Prateek loves it so much that he insists on playing it instantly. He logs in under the alias 'Lucifer' and proceeds to the second level, but is interrupted by Akashi. The self-aware Ra.One, being unable to end his turn with Lucifer, becomes determined that Lucifer shall die. When the mainframe fails to shut down, Akashi calls Shekhar, who notices a problem with the game. Ra.One uses the new technology to enter the real world and breaks free and goes to find Lucifer.

Ra One first threatens Akashi and asks him where Lucifer is. When Akashi fails to reply, Ra One abruptly abducts and murders him. After Shekhar finds the dead Akashi, he rushes home; however, he is found by Ra.One. In an attempt to save his son, Shekhar claims that he is Lucifer. However, Ra.One scans Shekhar's I.D. and, discovering he has lied, kills him. Prateek notices the strange circumstances of his father's death and realises that Ra.One has come to life. He and Jenny attempt to bring G.One to life. Meanwhile, Sonia tells Prateek that the family will return to India. Having taken the form of Akashi, Ra.One chases them, but G.One enters the real world through Jenny's computer and causes a gas explosion which saves them and temporarily destroys Ra.One. G.One takes Ra.One's H.A.R.T., without which Ra.One is weakened. Sonia finds she cannot leave G.One and takes him along with them to India through Shekhar's passport. G.One promises Sonia that he will protect Prateek from any harm. Ra.One returns to life, takes the form of a billboard model, and tracks G.One and Prateek.

During Prateek's birthday party, Ra.One hypnotises Sonia, assumes her form and kidnaps Prateek. Ra.One then instructs G.One to give him his H.A.R.T. back, and sends the real Sonia in an uncontrollable Mumbai Suburban Railway train. G.One saves Sonia just in the nick of time (though the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus is destroyed) and returns to save Prateek. The game resumes, with Prateek controlling G.One's moves. Following a lengthy fight, both of the characters reach the third level. With little power left, G.One and Prateek trick Ra.One into shooting G.One without his H.A.R.T. attached, which leaves Ra.One helpless. Furious, Ra.One creates ten copies of himself. Prateek, unable to differentiate the real Ra.One, asks G.One to quote one of Shekhar's sayings: "If you join the forces of evil, its shadows shall always follow you". The pair then realise that only one of the ten Ra.Ones has a shadow: the original one. G.One shoots and destroys him, and after absorbing Ra.One's remains, transports himself back into the digital world.

Several months later, Prateek and Sonia return to the UK, where Prateek finally manages to restore G.One to the real world, much to his and his mother's joy.

Cast change

  • Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role as
    • Shekhar Subramaniam: A game designer who designed the game 'Ra.One' and its characters: Ra.One, the antagonist, and G.One, the protagonist.
    • G.One: The protagonist of the game 'Ra.One' who is made to enter the real world by taking physical form to stop Ra.One.
  • Arjun Rampal as Ra.One: The antagonist of the game, an immensely powerful virtual character that is designed to be stronger than G.One and has the ability to take any human form. Ra.One takes physical form and enters the real world.
  • Kareena Kapoor as Sonia S. Subramaniam: Shekhar's wife and Prateek's mother.
  • Armaan Verma as Prateek Subramaniam / Lucifer: Shekhar and Sonia's son and an ace video game player who goes by the name 'Lucifer' while playing games as his character name.
  • Shahana Goswami as Jenny Nair
  • Tom Wu as Akaashi and Ra.One's first avatar
  • Dalip Tahil as Barron
  • Satish Shah as Iyer

Additionally, Priyanka Chopra and Sanjay Dutt appears in cameos as Desi Girl and Khal Nayak respectively. Suresh Menon and Delnaaz Irani also appear in cameos as a taxi driver and while Irani plays a school teacher aboard the hijacked train. Amitabh Bachchan provides the voiceover for the introduction sequence of the game 'Ra.One' in the film. The character Chitti, played by Rajinikanth, from Enthiran also appears in the film. The character is computer-generated and not played by the actor himself.