Neither the title, nor the trailer suggests anything about Laal Rang’s dark setting. So, when the macabre thriller unfolds, it manages to keep the audience engrossed. Randeep Hooda’s character Shankar spreads its charm and completely absorbs us into his blood transfusion racket where he plays both the devil and savior. Hooda owns the screen with his spontaneity and rustic appearance. Director Syed Ahmad Afzal keeps the audience at a distance and lets them observe the loneliness of Karnal’s sinister by-lanes where an overprotective goon is at work. Laal Rang doesn’t delve deep into the criminals’ modus-operandi, but the two leads try their best to make up for the lack of the nitty-gritties. Laal Rang has a shade grey and is much more high voltage than an ordinary thriller. Nobody could have played it better than Hooda. It’s his film.

All we can say about ‘Laal Rang’ is, GAIN in the Concept, FAILURE in the Execution! Randeep Hooda is the best part of the film and you will get swooned over after seeing him as the “Hardcore Jaat” in the flick! He is a complete show stealer! Akshay Oberoi, on the other hand, is a BIG surprise packet! Also, not to forget the interesting theme that the director has brought, along with the Haryanvi accent. There is romance, bromance, tears, heartbreak and enough material to hold your attention! You witness the funnier side of Haryana and that is quite revitalizing! The climax was something we were looking out to be gritty, but it turns out to be a big crash! What could have been a shocking exposure of the blood robbers ends up to a tedious ending!! The same old ‘Tom and Jerry’ concept (cop and robbers) is not interesting anymore! The movie might have loopholes in it but what attract you towards the theatres is the novel concept of the movie and the STUD of the movie Randeep Hooda! Nobody could have played it better than Randeep Hooda. If not for anything else, go for him to the theatres!

Randeep Hooda is one of the most underrated actors working in Hindi cinema today. But give him a role - any role - and he digs his teeth deep into it and turns in an absolutely riveting performance. Laal Rang, director Syed Ahmad Afzal's sophomore venture, is one more feather in his cap. Given how surprisingly good the film is, Hooda's spellbinding star turn isn't a wasted effort. All credit is due also to the director for dealing with a dark theme with admirable restraint and not succumbing to the temptation to soup up the drama for mass consumption. Laal Rang is a slow-burning drama about human blood-hounds that takes a while to come into its own, but when it does it has enough meat to last the course. Hooda might be in a 'rockstar' league of his own, but he does receive solid support from the other principal cast members, all of whom play characters firmly situated within the realms of the real and tangible. A small film whose impact is enhanced manifold by Randeep Hooda's presence, Laal Rang also has other bright spots. But cottoning on to them might call for patience. Spare some, and you might just find Laal Rang worth your while.

The film is meant to be based on two `real life’ incidents, but it doesn’t tell us which. There will be blood. In a film about blood banks, donors and stealers, and greedy smugglers, of course there are rivers of the good red stuff: you can’t get away from it. You also can’t get over the feeling of abject waste when a good subject is bled so much that lifelessness results. The setting is Karnal, Haryana. And ‘Laal Rang’ never lets us forget it. Hooda is a true-blue Jat and can and does sound authentic. And Hooda—an actor who is always watchable, especially when he is strutting the walk– loses yet another opportunity to break out of the long run of indifferent films he’s been stuck in. 

The best thing about Laal Rang is its novel idea. It is dark, murky and lays the perfect plinth for an enchanting film. The bad news here is that it is an opportunity lost. Director Syed Ahmad Afzal fails to lap up the chance to deliver something memorable. His approach lacks clarity. The convoluted screenplay is unsure about where it is headed. Despite having all the makings of a macabre thriller, Syed goes for drama. There is romance, bromance, tears, heartbreak and enough material to make 'fifty shades of sappy'. Randeep is the only one holding forte. He plays the brooding, elusive, sinister Shankar with elan. In the romantic scenes, he is effectively charming. At one point when he flashes a shy, dimpled smile at his girlfriend, you can't miss that he has all the makings of rustic romantic hero. Alas, the moment passes too quickly. His co-actor Akshay Oberoi is affable and the two share a warm on-screen camaraderie, but their act cannot cover up for the glitches in the plot. Laal Rang is half-baked and unconvincing. Despite the grit, it never becomes a riveting film. Here's a lesson to learn: Ideas don't make good films, execution does.