‘War 2’ movie review: Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR battle it out to keep this bloated sequel afloat

In childhood, we were attracted to comic digests by their girth. One used to believe that the more the stories, the more the fun. The pages were glossy, and the packaging used to be fetching. However, the excitement often dissipated into disappointment when one discovered that it was a marketing gimmick, where the publishers added only a couple of new adventures of our favourite characters, the rest were just a repetition.

Ayan Mukerji’s sequel to War gives the same feeling of a recycled product that shines. It starts with a bang but soon becomes a rudderless star vehicle. In the race to populate the spy universe, screenwriters have compromised on substance, indulging in hero worship and flag-waving to pass the box office test. Yes, the trailer looks attractive, the stars shine bright, and the post-credit scenes are appetizing. However, when it comes to telling a story, the makers prove more successful in highlighting Kiara Advani’s curves than in conveying the contours of the storyline. It features a variety of stunts with a script that appears to be powered by artificial intelligence.

Hrithik Roshan returns as Kabir, a secret agent like no other, who infiltrates a powerful global syndicate that wants to rule the world. The film feebly suggests that democracy is an outdated idea for the corporate villain. For a change, it promises to put Hrithik in a morally ambiguous space, but as the mood is jingoistic and the star wants to play safe, the not-so-secret sauce of the script is ‘nation first’.

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Soon, the narrative takes a straitjacketed, predictable path where the only obstacle in Kabir’s way is agent Vikram. The two have a history, and as they take on each other, sparks fly. Jr NTR. makes a bombastic entry into Bollywood. He impresses with his screen presence and emotional depth, but he needs to work on his diction. The two jostle on land, air, and water to match the screen time, not realising that stunts too demand a script and parity in screen time paralyses the narrative. None of the stars seems to be interested in testing their image. So the writers contort the story to keep serving their purpose. While the gist of the story is ‘nation before self,’ the crux of this kind of filmmaking is ‘star before story,’ with makers prioritising fans over the audience.

Hrithik Roshan and Kiara Advani in ‘War 2’.
| Photo Credit:
YRF/YouTube

The story takes root in the second half, when we learn the backstory of Kabir and Vikram. One hails from the gentry, and the other comes from the road. Here is a passage where writers Shridhar Raghavan and Abbas Tyrewala make their presence felt, as an interesting battle of two points of view promises to unfold. However, the conflict remains cosmetic. It doesn’t grow on us and gradually devolves into a mere rhetorical war of words.

Hrithik tries to be a brooding Bond, but the writing doesn’t give him enough emotional heft to translate his elasticity on the dance floor into the character’s spine. He has been consistently eye-catching, but there is more to him than his larger-than-life persona, which needs to be tapped. In a short screen time, veteran Anil Kapoor shows how to look menacing and sound meaningful with hollow words.

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You can see that a lot of money has been spent on choreographing action sequences in global tourist hotspots, but none of them have the intensity that could bring one to the edge of one’s seat. Curiously, the camera cuts to Jr. NTR’s face in the middle of the action, slowing down the sequence unnecessarily. The face-offs between Kabir and Vikram look like variants of a soft drink commercial, where the star would come up with a punchline about winning over your fear. It’s cinema without fizz!

War 2 is currently running in theatres.