Film: 'K.G.F: Chapter 2' (Running in theatres)
Duration: 168 minutes
Director: Prashanth Neel
Cast: Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Srinidhi Shetty, Raveena Tandon, Anant Nag, Prakash Raj, Archana Jois, Ramesh Indira, Ramachandra Raju, Rao Ramesh
Rating: **1/2
For the uninitiated, K.G.F. stands for the Kolar Gold Fields. This film is a sequel to the 2018 released 'K.G.F: Chapter 1'.
With its timeline stretching from 1951 to 1981 and narrated in a non-linear manner, the film takes off from where it left in the first chapter.
Anand Ingalagi, the author of the book El Dorado, suffers a stroke the night after detailing the events in Chapter 1. His son Vijaayendra Ingalagi (Prakash Raj) takes over the narration. He continues to tell us of the rise and fall of Rocky, the kingpin of Kolar Gold Fields who was considered the "Biggest Criminal" by the government of the country, the "Biggest Businessman amongst his peers, and the messiah of the downtrodden at Kolar Gold Fields.
He tells us how Rocky retained his supremacy against his adversaries and government officials while also coming to terms with his past.
The narrative takes us from Kolar to Paali to Varca, to Surat, UAE, Delhi, Banglore, and Bombay and loads us with dramatic dialogues that are amusing.
Mounted as a magnum opus the film begins in a dramatic tone, verbose and loud. Gradually you realise that the telling is its undoing. On-screen the passive narrative makes the film appear like a grand, hyper-active montage laid over a voice-over.
The action sequences along with the high-pitched sound that accompanies the visuals, make you care less for the characters. Also, the fight sequence in the climax seems like an action jamboree where one is not sure, who is fighting whom. Generally, the emotional connection is lost.
On the performance front, Yash displays a variety of emotions, from brutally ruthless and menacing to humane and a bit dumb at times he is good. But, despite his stylish, raw, and rugged look, he lacks the persona of a larger-than-life superhero or an anti-hero.
Sanjay Dutt as Rocky's opponent Adheera makes a stronger impact with his tattooed visage and braided hairdo, unfortunately, his character is poorly written and thus appears on screen only for the action sequences.
Raveena Tandon, with her intense look, makes the formidable Prime Minister Ramika Sen appear relatable. How she means business while dealing with anti-social elements is intriguing. Unfortunately, she appears in the second half of the film, when the interest in the film wanes away.
Srinidhi Shetty, as Rocky's love interest and later wife, Reena is sincere in her performance but is short-changed by the poorly written script.
The others in supporting roles seem to befit their characters, and they all essay their roles earnestly.
The film showcases ace technical and production values. But the VFX, at times, lacks lustre. The only good thing about this film is Bhuvan Gowda's cinematography. He captures the picturesque locales and the emotions of the characters with precision. His frames seem like replicas of iconic masterpieces, picture-perfect and poster-worthy.
The film, despite being brilliantly edited by Ujwal Kulkarni does not seem to be seamlessly layered. There are moments where the scenes seem to be abruptly interspersed with blank screens while the audio plays in the background.
Overall, this film may appeal only to the fans of 'K.G.F: Chapter 1'.
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