KGF Chapter 2 (Hindi): After the hype, the gripe!

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Given the hype around the film, I was hoping that I was going to watch an epic that was yet different from KGF Chapter 1, which, frankly, was just bearable but had been surprisingly successful. And why had I not liked it? Well, I feel that there has to be a certain limit for violence depicted, both in degree and quantum, and this had way beyond decent limits, given the framework of the storyline.

I was told then that the film was always planned in two chapters, but in such cases, the response to the first always decides and influences the scale and storyline too, even if the second chapter has been partly shot. Therefore, the die-hard cinematic zone optimist in me thought that Chapter 2 would be bigger and better. There have been a few films where the sequel was astonishingly better, given the mediocre yet successful originals.

But at the end of 168 minutes (!!!) of this Chapter, which is about 48 minutes more than both the needs of the threadbare plot as well as our patience levels, I was predominantly thinking only this: I sincerely hope this story will never have a Chapter 3!

The South bubble has been inflated beyond healthy limits of late, mainly due to the apathetic, indolent, complacent and myopic visions of the majority of Mumbai filmmakers, and the contrasting success of Pushpa—The Rise: Part 1 and RRR. But every South film (and well, there are four industries there!) does not have great scripts—or even formidable talents behind them.

Over then to the story here: Rocky (Yash, always dressed and posturing as a model in terribly garish clothes as if he is in a terribly downmarket ramp walk, and also seen with bloodstains on his person as well as apparel) is now hunted down by more enemies than ever. For one, there is Adheera (Sanjay Dutt looking more grotesque than he ever did, complete with Ghajini-like inscriptions on his face!), for another, there is the original coterie of enemies, for Rocky now is looked upon as an almost divine benefactor to the poor miners for his deeds in the previous chapter. A new enemy is Ramika Sen (Raveena Tandon Thadani, whose real-life husband is also this film’s distributor), the prime minister.

We are subjected to endless orgies of bloodletting and swords, guns, rifles et al and VFX-generated shots of assorted technical finesse. In fact, this film is a perfect textbook on how vacuous technology is never a substitute for content. It also illustrates how action alone, sans sensible (and sensitive) emotion, can never work. And nothing is mentioned of a certain book written on Rocky by the dying father of Ingalagi (Prakash Raj) in the end!

While no performance makes a mark (Srinidhi Shetty is reduced to a prop in more ways than one—watch the film to know why I say this!), the music and audiography are overloud and the songs, in the best trendy fashion, do not register. Then there is this new technique of deliberate jerky editing and frenzied intercuts with a blank screen for a few moments. This comes so frequently that you wish the blackouts were for real.

And writer-director Prashant Neel seems to be so much in love with his film that he keeps it going on…and on…never mind if at least 10 members of the press fraternity left the auditorium midway through the marathon.

But then, the situation after the initial hype, is likely to be similar with audiences. I for one, refuse to believe that an audience brought up on wholesome entertainment can endorse such a sustained orgasm of crude violence as a substitute.

Rating: *

Hombale Pictures’ KGF Chapter 2  Produced by:Vijay Kiragandur Directed by: Prashant Neel  Written by: Prashant Neel & Dr. Suri Music: Ravi Basrur Starring: Yash, Anmol Vijay, Sanjay Dutt, Srinidhi Shetty, Raveena Tandon, Prakash Raj, Archana Jois, Ramachandra Raju, Achyuth Kumar, Malavika Avinash as Deepa Hegde, B.S. Avinash, Rao Ramesh, Rajendra Desai, Balakrishna & others