Rashtra Kavach Om

About the film

Rashtra Kavach Om (trans National Shield Om) is a 2022 Indian action film directed by Kapil Verma and produced by Zee Studios and Ahmed Khan. It stars Aditya Roy Kapur, Sanjana Sanghi, Jackie Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Prakash Raj and Prachee Shah Paandya. The film was released in theatre on 1 July 2022 and on ZEE5 on 11 August 2022.

Plot

A classified RAW safehouse is breached during a covert intelligence drop in Srinagar, coordinated by Colonel Arvind Chauhan (RAW tactical chief) and Imran Qureshi (field operative), with Defense Minister K.M. Menon's authorization. The mission: recover fragments of Rakhtpat, an aborted mind-control program developed for strategic warfare. Lead agent Rishi Singh Rathore is ambushed during extraction. The data is compromised, and Rishi disappears after detonating an EMP device. He is presumed dead.

3 months later, Rishi is revealed to be alive, living off-grid in Himachal under a new identity. He is found by Meera Sharma, a cybersecurity analyst assigned to monitor digital anomalies tied to Rakhtpat. Meera informs RAW via her colleague Micky Rawat (tech expert) and Rajan Dev (internal security head), triggering an attempt on Rishi's life. He narrowly escapes with Meera's help. Driven by flashes of repressed trauma, Rishi insists on returning to an abandoned military outpost near the Indo-China border, where his memory begins to unravel.

In a flashback, Rishi's sister Dr. Reena Rathore, a neuroscientist, worked alongside their father Colonel Surya Rathore on Project Rakhtpat. The program, approved by Chauhan and Menon, aimed to enhance cognitive warfare. But Surya discovered Rakhtpat's misuse—targeted neurological manipulation. He attempted to expose the truth but was assassinated. The cover story painted him a traitor. A young Rishi witnessed the murder and was rescued by Chauhan, who raised him as a RAW cadet, burying the truth.

Production

The principal photography commenced on 3 December 2020 and wrapped up on 17 February 2021. Parts of the film were shot in Armenia. as produced by Zee Studios in association of A Paper Doll Entertainment Production.

Music

The music of the film is composed by Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Amjad Nadeem Aamir, Chirantan Bhatt and Embee. Lyrics are written by Kumaar, Manoj Yadav and A. M. Turaz. The background score is composed by Amandeep Singh Jolly.

Release

The film was theatrically released worldwide on 1 July 2022.

The digital distribution rights were acquired by ZEE5. The film premiered on ZEE5 from 11 August 2022.

Controversy

In June 2022, the film title was changed from Om: The Battle Within to Rashtra Kavach Om due to makers facing trouble with regards to the title rights.

Reception

Rashtra Kavach Om received negative reviews from critics with criticism directed towards its direction, action sequences, writing and performances. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 0% of 9 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.2/10.

Ronak Kotecha of The Times of India rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Rashtra Kavach Om is just as unreal and outlandish as its name, if not more. But if you're a diehard Aditya Roy Kapur fan then maybe this mission isn't all that doomed for you." Nairita Mukherjee of India Today rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Aditya Roy Kapur's glistening biceps, though impressive, may not be strong enough to hold the weight of this strictly average actioner." Dishya Sharma of News 18 rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Aditya Roy Kapur turns into an action hero but fails to pack the punch." Sanjana Jadhav of Pinkvilla rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Rashtra Kavach OM is a messy and unsatisfying two-hour action film that has too many WTF moments to keep up with." Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Aditya Roy Kapur-Sanjana Sanghi starrer is yet another addition to films Bollywood has adopted as a safe bet these days, with a hero who has patriotism oozing out of his pores."

A critic from Bollywood Hungama rated the film 1.5 stars out of five and said that Rashtra Kavach Om is a poor show and will have a very tough time at the box office. Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in rated the film 1 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Kapur's Om is most alive when he's yelling the battle cry "Jai Bhavani!" with the fervour of a Shiv Sainik." Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 1 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Since there is no defence system that can reverse the ill effects of bad writing, Rashtra Kavach Om is never in with a chance of putting two sensible ideas together."

Key details