Raj Comics finally did it, The Alliance – Operation Metamorphosis is the first mainstream live-action release of the Raj Comics IP.
For the kids raised in the early 90s in India, Raj Comics had been part of their growing days. Back then India was almost untouched by the Marvel craze. I would be lying if I said people did not know about Spiderman, Batman or Superman, but that access was restricted to weekly shows on TV. But access to comics was way easier.
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Indian Comics In 90s
I still remember back then the comic space in India was full of options live Diamond Comics, Manoj Comics, Tulsi Comics and the king of them all Raj Comics. Each character in these comics was inspired by either Indian Mythology or their Western Counterparts. The West might have inspired the characters, but the stories were more or less very original.
I still remember reading stories about characters like Super Commando Dhruv(SCD), Nagraj, Doga, Parmanu, Shakti, Angara, Tulsi etc. With time and the Age of Internet, these comics could not face the test of time and succumbed to infighting, and lack of promotion. Today Raj Comics is almost the single comic company in India, now split into two groups one under each of the brothers Manoj Gupta and Sanjay Gupta.
From the Sanjay Gupta faction, we recently got a live-action short on some of the greatest superheroes from Raj Comics, Super Commando Dhruv & Doga.
This is a review of the 30-minute short recently released for free on YouTube.
The Alliance – Good
Well for someone who has been a fan of Super Commando Dhruv as a kid finally having a live-action short movie on this character was a dream come true.
If I have to say one thing, I loved how Super Commando Dhruv was portrayed. He was well adapted to the current age with references to YouTube being used to develop skills and some quirky sarcastic humour. There is a reference to KGF too which is think was well-adapted.
There was also a cameo by Sanjay Gupta, Stan Lee style.
The story does not have much to write home about, since it is as vague and generic as it could be. But at the same time, it does set a basis for future expansion.
The acting was good for the material provided Shubham Matta brought humour to the character of Dhruva, and Suraj Choudhary was as good as Doga. Cherry Singh as Tiranga was a poor casting choice, but Kushagra Nautiyal did look menacing as Anthony.
Some major characters from the Raj Comics universe are either referenced to or have special appearances. The actions were decent, and the VFX were minimal but get the job done.
The movie was made on a budget, and it shows, read further about it in the Bads.
The Alliance – Bad
This is the view of every Raj Comics fan I know. Doga was sub-par, and Tiranga was even worse. Now do not get me wrong the actors did justice to whatever they were provided, but I think the casting was pretty bad.
In comics, Doga is supposed to be 6 feet 5 and bulky, Super Commando Dhruva is supposed to be 6 feet. These basics should have been accounted for when casting them, but it was not.
Super Commando Dhruva being taller than Doga is not something any Raj Comics reader would like.
The costumes were subpar for Doga and Tiranga. They were okay at best for Anthony, and decent for SCD.
The production quality was okay, the dialogues were alright.
The Potential
As the first part of this series is out I do see the potential of this to grow to be something big, but going by the history of how these movies have come about, there is an equal likelihood of it fizzling out.
I am surprised that none of the actors in the show promoted it on social media. This is not a good sign in terms of their commitment to the character. This also casts doubts on the future of the series. Raj Comics is known to be half-hearted in terms of actually using their IP in today’s media landscape.
Raj Comics is known to have tried its hands at going mainstream with Dharma Productions, and also Anurag Kashyap. But both have been since shelved due to creative differences.
What are your views about the movie do let me know in the comments.
Also, share your best memories of Raj Comics or any of your favourite Raj Comics superheroes.
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