Before walking into PVR Cinemas on Saturday morning I had
read and heard a lot about Rakesh Roshan’s latest offering – the 3rd
film in what has been widely publicized as India’s first superhero franchise.
Most of it was unfortunately negative – I say ‘unfortunate’ because most of the
criticism stemmed from comparisons to other superhero franchises (mostly
Hollywood) and a vested prejudice against Mr. Roshan’s sudden shift from
emotionally charged masala flicks to films that literally left you astounded.
After 153 minutes, I can gladly say that neither my money nor my morning was
wasted.
Sachin Tendulkar, the yardstick for all comparisons in our
country has a hundred hundreds to his name and being witness to any one does
not necessarily mean that the remaining 99 do not deserve the same level of
attention. Similarly, just because Batman wows us with the story, Bale and
Nolan’s vision and Ironman with his charisma, Superman with his hairstyle and
his physique and Spidey with his ‘wet kiss’ don’t give our desi superhero a
miss because trust me, you might not be missing out on something new but you
will definitely miss out on something astounding that is closer to our Indian
hearts that any Gotham skyline.
If Krrish 3 astounds, the credit, or most of it anyway,
should go to the man who helmed this 7-year project Mr. Rakesh Roshan. The
special effects are astounding and the scene where Krrish jumps up to an
airplane and supports it’s faulty front wheel will leave you asking for more no
matter how many Hollywood movies you have devoured. The action sequences
deserve special mention too as the punches and the kicks draw all the right
noises from an Indian public. The rather devastating imagery of falling
buildings and erupting roads portrayed very realistically onscreen helps.
As to the performances, Hrithik Roshan impresses as the
pot-bellied genius Rohit Mehra with his convincing old-man act although he does
slip into emotional Bollywood mode at times. Hrithik oozes charisma and brawn
as Krrish and the brain and brawn combination works well. However it is as
Krishna Mehra that Hrithik loses the plot a bit and overacts in the emotional
scenes. For those who give a damn about acting skills, Hrithik’s Greek body is
on display too pretty early into the film as are his silky smooth dance moves.
Priyanka Chopra has limited scope to act and balances her
role between a few long emotional moments and a lot of short dresses. Kangana
Ranaut as mutant villain Maya impresses hugely with her menacing act as does
Vivek Oberoi (for a welcome change) with his role as the unforgiving Kaal. The
other mutants don’t have much to display in terms of acting skills but put up a
ruthlessly evil act nonetheless. A spunky young boy who mouths dialogues like “Kyu Kaal, phat gayi kya?” with utmost
confidence deserves special mention.
The music by Rajesh Roshan is a huge letdown compared to
the first two films especially Koi….Mill Gaya, which gave us one of India’s
most popular disco numbers. None of the songs make a lasting impact but Alisha
Chinoi’s voice in ‘Dil Tu Hi Bata’ will haunt me for the rest of my life. The
image of Kangana gyrating seductively doesn’t help either.
The story is not a masterpiece ala The Dark Knight films
but it doesn’t lack substance either. The writers have tried to balance science
and fiction and highlight a very important real-life issue of pharmaceutical
companies suffering from god complexes, which is commendable but the success is
restricted by the emotionally charged dialogues which intercept the fast-pace
script quite abruptly. Nonetheless a commendable effort.
The common connecting thread between all these is Rakesh
Roshan and he deserves a huge round of applause for the magnum opus that he has
gifted us for Diwali. Indeed some scenes in the film will leave you astounded
and wanting more, the action is very realistic for a superhero movie and
although Vivek’s suit could have been better, the costumes and sets deserve a
special mention.
In short Krrish 3 is a Hollywood-esque film in an Indian
envelope tadka marke. Go for it not
for a sentimental reasons but because it deserves a watch but don’t go
expecting a Nolan masterpiece or a Robert Downey Jr. oozing flamboyance, you’re
be sorely disappointed. Krrish 3 is nothing new but it’s something worth your
time. So do give it a watch.
Rating: 3.5/5
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