Director : Prashanth Neel
Writer : Prashanth Neel
Cast : Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Srinidhi Shetty, Achyuth Kumar, Prakash Raj, Rao Ramesh, Malavika Avinash, T.S. Nagabharana, Archana Jois, Harish Rai, Saran Shakthi, Ashok Sharma
Cinematographer : Bhuvan Gowda
Editor : Ujwal Kulkarni
Art Director : Shivakumar J
Music : Ravi Basrur
Sound Designer : Ravi Basrur
Language : Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam
A Spectacle Re-writing the rules of Indian Cinema
KGF 2 is an experience tailor made for the big screen. It is my first film of 2022 and I would say it is a damn satisfying experience. It is fucking brilliant. It has set benchmarks on many levels. It is surely a landmark film after Baahubali for Indian cinema. It is super entertaining.
KGF 1 introduced us to this very interesting world, a very unique style of storytelling, larger than life visuals, a multi-dimensional story that kept you on the edge of the seat, a larger than life hero and villain. It was all about content setting up a very interesting premise. The story of an underdog worked brilliantly. KGF 2 takes the legacy forward. It is a celebration of the hero. The world becomes grander. It has set a benchmark in terms of style, the visual storytelling, the way the character of a hero is written in Indian Cinema and the creation of a world. It has raised the bar so high. According to me KGF 1 is better because it offered something new and different to the audience. The subject itself was so fresh.
It has given a very different meaning to the hero. This hero is next level. Monster as they say. One of the best heroes of Indian Cinema. Comparisons are bound to happen everytime you see a hero on screen in future. It is not going to be easy to beat the benchmark set by the hero. There is going to be a school of upcoming filmmakers getting inspired from the way the character of a powerful, larger than life hero is written and developed. I am surely one of them. It has even given me aspirations as an actor to play the role of a hero like Rocky bhai.
The style and the aura of the hero is the biggest strength of this spectacle. Mahendra Baahubali and Rocky bhai two of the best heroes of Indian Cinema. Of course and how can you forget Rajinikanth who is in a league of his own. Thalaivaa forever.
The larger than life treatment given to Rocky bhai is the highlight of the film. The film has a very stylized way of telling a story. It literally blurs the line between commercial cinema and art. It a very artistically made commercial film. I like the treatment of the film. It is a Prashanth Neel show. The director crafts an engaging cinematic experience stemming out of sheer conviction and a confidence in his vision. The visual storytelling is fabulous. There are a lot of direction masterstrokes to be seen. He is definitely one of the masters of entertainment. The other two being S.S. Rajamouli and Rohit Shetty.
It continues the multi-dimensional approach to the storytelling although there is not much of story here it is the screenplay and the hero that works its magic. Still it has enough to keep you hooked throughout. It has some very intriguing sub-plots. It is more about style and bravado of the hero over substance. The larger than life visuals and the treatment keep you invested in the film. It creates a very immersive world that keeps you engaged right till the end. At the end you actually get the feeling of coming out of an illusionary world into the reality as you walk out of the theater. It is a back to reality moment that leaves you in awe of this spectacle, marveling at the brilliance of what you have just watched. The detailing is too good. It is a cinematic experience only to be watched in theaters.
It does falter in parts. Treading the fine line between making sense and nonsense. Better writing would’ve worked. The writing was not upto the mark as compared to the first part. In spite of this the film sails through because of the director being in control of his craft. It is an out and out director’s film. It is a sign of a good director to compensate for the weaknesses in the writing with his craft and execution. Other than that, I felt the character of Adheera was the weak link. A villain who fails to leave any impact. The previous installment of the film did a much better job with the villain. Adheera just doesn’t stand out when compared to the hero. The hero is too grand and larger than life which overshadows the villain. If you are developing a hero of such a huge caliber and impact the villain definitely needs to be 10 times more powerful than the hero. Only then will you be able to enjoy the thrill of watching the hero vs villain conflict. Otherwise it becomes pretty evident that the hero is going to win. There is certain predictability that steps in. The hero vs villain conflict loses steam. I feel more than Adheera it is Ramika Sen that makes a greater impact. Ramika Sen as a female antagonist to the hero is far more interesting and engaging. I would have preferred to edit out parts of Adheera vs Rocky conflict and give more prominence to Rocky vs Ramika conflict because that is the conflict that clicks. It’s not a bad idea to edit the Rocky vs Adheera conflict further, reducing the duration of the film. The story would remain unaffected. In fact, the conflict of the hero with the other antagonists is also far more interesting and clicks well. Adheera as a character is also not very engaging and powerful. The look of the character is overdone. It doesn’t make sense. Although the film says that he is inspired from the Vikings. Looks out of place. Neither looks menacing nor stylish. Surely not a memorable villain. Rocky bhai is definitely the talk of the town. I feel the opportunity to create an iconic villain is wasted. Instead of casting a superstar as the villain they should have gone with a character actor like Garuda in KGF 1. When you cast a superstar then you take a lot of decisions like screen time and the character development just to justify the image of the star which is not always in favour of the story. The character of Adheera could’ve been better written and developed.
The director fails to use Sanjay Dutt to his full potential which has resulted in a very mediocre performance. We all know what Sanjay Dutt is capable of from the way he had portrayed the iconic Kancha Cheena from Agneepath. He was menacing as hell. I still remember I was so scared as a child I couldn’t sleep that night after watching Agneepath. That was the level of impact Kancha had. Agneepath actually handled the hero vs villain equation really well. With these kind of expectations from Sanjay Dutt, Adheera turns out to be very cold. The director indulges too much in the treatment and style, losing focus on the character. A more realistic look like Garuda would’ve worked well for the character or the kind of look that convincingly looks a part of the universe that is created for the film. How I visualize Adheera is as someone looking like Kratos from God of War. Just imagine Sanjay Dutt given the look and characteristics of Kratos. Oh man! Now this would’ve been an interesting villain who in more powerful than the hero. He can knockout the hero anytime.
The film belongs to Yash. He is the backbone of the film. His screen presence is next level. Raveena Tandon is superb. Definitely the highlight of the film. She performs brilliantly as Ramika Sen. The kind of power that she has, looks like the perfect antagonist for the hero. Srinidhi Shetty is impressive. She looks beautiful and shares a crackling chemistry with Yash. Archana Jois slays it as Rocky’s mother. Her performance is very impactful. She portrays the character really well. The way in which she says her dialogues is powerful. Saran Shakthi leaves an impact in his small but important role. Prakash Raj does a fine job. All in all, the casting is very good. The performances are superb.
The cinematography and production design is fantastic. The stylized and larger than life visuals are a treat to watch. The costume design is fabulous. The suits worn by Rocky look very stylish and suave. It is something that makes the hero look iconic. His style is his trademark. It complements the character really well. Even the costumes worn by Reena are beautifully designed. The world that is created is brilliant. It is India’s answer to a Mad Max kind of experience. I like the treatment of the film. The editing could’ve been a bit better and tighter. The duration of the film could’ve been reduced. It could’ve been a bit more crisper and refined. I mean it’s just a marginal thing. 1% you can say. Apart from that the editing style of the film is very unique and brilliant. Intercutting action and dialogue, using it in the edit pattern looks phenomenal. The VFX could’ve been better. It is noticeable in parts.
The action is fantastically choreographed and executed. The writing of the film could’ve been better. Some editing was needed on the scripting level itself. A more refined and polished screenplay would’ve worked better. When you have such a marvelous vision why not invest more time in writing. The film tends to get a bit repetitive. The emotions are bang on. The mother son relationship is well developed and forms the emotional backbone of the film. It is the highlight of the film. It really touched me. The dialogues are awesome. I found the dialogues to be too good and whistle worthy. Rocky bhai saying the dialogues is nothing short of iconic. One thing I feel is some dialogues don’t match with the time the film is set in. Taking creative liberties maybe.
The background music and sound design is very good and impactful. It packs a punch. The background music keeps you engaged. Conveys the emotions and the adrenaline rush perfectly. It is the soul of the film. The songs are very good. They are used at the right place, at the right time. They beautifully take the story forward.
KGF 2 ends with a promise of coming back with KGF: Chapter 3. It will be interesting to watch as to what part of the story do we get to see next. I would like to see more dynamics of the Rocky vs Ramika conflict. The character of Ramika Sen is so powerful and impactful that it deserves a standalone film altogether. A spin off portraying the journey of Ramika Sen would be interesting and then connecting it to the KGF 2 universe.
KGF 2 definitely leaves you with some questions in the end. There are some loose ends towards the end of the film which I am expecting will come together in KGF 3. The questions will be answered. I feel it is going to cover the in betweens before the part in the sea where the film ends. Or maybe a twist in the climax is waiting for us and the hero comes back and the story continues post the climax of KGF 2. The possibilities are many. You cannot exactly anticipate as to what to expect from the next part. One thing is for sure you can expect it to be bigger and grander, full of surprises with loads of entertainment.
About The Author
Aaditya Bagwe
Aaditya Bagwe is a filmmaker, writer, director, producer and actor. The founder of Infinite Eight Filmverse. He has been writing about films since 2015. A film school graduate in BSC in Film and Television Production with specialization in Direction. A diploma holder in Acting. He has done a short course in Film Appreciation conducted by FTII. Formerly having worked with Pop Diaries as a film review writer. He brings to you his multiverse of writings about films, web series and the entire cinematic universe.
