KGF Part 2 (Movie Review)

Finally caught KGF - Part 2 in the Theaters for the Eid holiday. Wow! I mean, if this doesn't count as one of the biggest blockbusters of the Indian Cinemas, then I don't know what will. Director Prashant Neel and Yash Rocky Bhai have hit the ball out of the park with this mega sequel to KGF Part-1 that was itself, a nationwide phenomenon. 

KGF Part-2 is an unbridled celebration of burning machismo, brutal violence and electrifying action. Continuing on with this slick and stylish gangster (Oh sorry, Monster!) franchise, staying true to mighty expectations and the hype-machine, Yash looms larger than life in this high-octane action thriller with a supporting cast that includes Sanjay Dutt, Raveena Tandon, Prakash Raj and more, all equally impressive in stand-out cameos and supporting roles. This is a world, eight years and more in the making and having gotten the right platform with the success of Part-1, I won't be surprised if the makers go on to create Part-3 and beyond, to hitch their stars onto this blistering franchise. 

So KGF-2 picks up right after where KGF-1 ended. Rocky has just killed Garudan, the erstwhile emperor within his KGF dominion and taken over the reins of gold production in these mines. His ambitions still remain the same, as it was when he was twelve years old. To rule the world. And so while, the stakes have been raised, more menacing villains (Sanjay 'Viking' Dutt!) enter the fray and the emotional and physical toil is much harder. The games are more twisted, a lot more betrayals and hardships in store for Rocky as he sets to win the world over, from the Gold Fields of Kolar. 

Yash won hearts the nation over with his compelling powerful performance as the center-piece of this narrative in KGF-1. He still continues to be the Sultan and the bleeding heart of this movie as well. Yash owns every scene he is part of - Towering head and shoulders above everything else. Except maybe for those few scenes where Sanju Baba - playing a Viking inspired Gangster lord Adheera (brother of Suryavardhan who had captured the KGF mines for his own back in 1951) comes on to the screen. What an actor, what screen-presence! He is a mean old big cat, his grimace shiver-inducing (Ahem, despite that ridiculous get-up! for which there is a one line explanation that he loved 'Vikings' as a kid and is as brutal and ruthless as the Viking Lords, when it comes to blood spilling and maintaining that strangle hold on power) The scenes where Yash and Sanjay Dutt go toe-to-toe, fist-to-fist towards the climax is enough paisa-vasool for even the most diehard bloodthirsty action fans out there.  

So yes - Action still remains front and centre of this franchise. After the claustrophobic but brilliantly set up fights within the mines of KGF, this time Prashant shifts his focus to the rest of the world. As Rocky's ambitions knows no bounds (Still sticking true to his mother's last words, about the need to die an obscenely rich man!), there are some absolutely mind-blowingly terrific action set-pieces (Choreographed and shot astoundingly well by Prashant and his team, especially Bhuwan Gowda) that Yash frontlines. Including a 'Mad Max Fury Road' chase sequence that is phenomenal. If his rise to power was splattered with gore and blood, then his rule is blessed and anointed with even more blood. 

While most of his earlier 'enemies' like the Shetty Bhai in Bombay, Inayat Khaleel from abroad, Andrews/Udayan and Guru Pandian the crafty politician etc who had actually set him on this journey to KGF are all still critical to the plot, towards the latter half of the movie - we see the rise of yet another powerful enemy to Yash's world dominion plans. The prime minister herself, Ramika Sen. Now we wonder how did we not tap into the acting potential of someone like Raveen Tandon, who sinks into this role and does a fabulous job. Perhaps one of her finest character roles that she's donned. 

The soundtrack by Ravi Basrur remains loud, heart-thumping, sets your pulse racing and gives you goosebumps and you can't help yourself but sing along to the tunes of "Dheera Dheera.." as Yash reprises the role of the God, Savior and Monster all rolled into one for the people of KGF. Prashant's story-telling prowess is nuanced, matured and with the backing of his action team, he makes it propulsive enough that we don't see the narrative ever slow down. A damn fine job of editing this! 

The only hitch with the overall story would be with the role of women (apart from Raveena's Ramika Sen) While Rocky's whole outlook on life is inspired by everything that his mother has told/taught him (the frequent flashbacks still remain a staple of this storytelling!) his love-story is a bit rough around the edges. Srinidhi Shetty who plays Reena, has precious little to do in Part-2. (Even less than Part-1, so you can guess!) 

But in summary, KGF Chapter-2 is a tsunami of a movie that is going to blow you away. Savage, stylish and shot on such lavish scale that catapults Yash back onto the big leagues in this nation that considers mostly Bollywood heroes as Gods. This pantheon that Prashant Neel and team have crafted for Yash, is bigger than most of the A-listers from Bollywood. I won't be surprised if this one goes on to garner 1000 Crores or even more. Heck, even I want to watch this a second or third time in the theatres. It is just that good. An absolute blockbuster, homage to the best action flicks out there, Rocky Bhai, take a hundred thousand salutes. The Sultan, we have been waiting for, has arrived. And in such blistering style, that the summer skies have started crying. Take a bow! 

(Recommended : Watch in Theatres Only!)