Ra.One

Story:

Ra.One is a 2011 Indian superhero film directed by Anubhav Sinha and produced by Gauri Khan under Red Chillies Entertainment. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan in a dual role and Arjun Rampal as the titular antagonist, with Kareena Kapoor, Armaan Verma, Shahana Goswami, Tom Wu, Dalip Tahil and Satish Shah in supporting roles. In the film, Ra. One, a video game antagonist, escapes from the virtual world and arrives in the real world to hunt down Lucifer, the ID of Ra. One’s creator Shekhar Subramaniam’s son Prateek, as he had defeated Ra. One in a game. Shekhar gets killed by Ra. One, but Prateek resurrects G. One, the video game protagonist and Shekhar’s lookalike, to defeat Ra. One and protect him and his family.

PLOT

In 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 unique video game. To impress his sceptical son Prateek and upon the request of his wife Sonia, Shekhar uses his son’s idea that the antagonist be more powerful than the protagonist.

Shekhar’s colleague Akashi does the motion capture 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 AI. 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.

Prateek logs in under the alias Lucifer and proceeds to the final 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 about Lucifer. When Akashi fails to reply, Ra One abruptly abducts and murders him. After finding the dead Akashi, Shekhar rushes home. In an attempt to save Prateek, Shekhar claims that he is Lucifer, but Ra.One scans Shekhar’s I.D. and kills him after discovering that he is lying.

Prateek notices the strange circumstances of his father’s death and realises that Ra.One has come to life. Prateek 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 kills Ra.One. G.One takes Ra.One’s H.A.R.T., without which Ra.One is weakened, but also cannot die. 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 despite the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus getting destroyed, and returns to save Prateek. The game resumes with Prateek controlling G.One’s moves. Following a lengthy fight, they 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 which was actually a hint in disguise: “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. G.One shoots and destroys him. After absorbing Ra.One’s remains, G. One transports himself back into the digital world. Several months later, Prateek and Sonia return to London, where Prateek finally manages to restore G.One to the real world.