The sequel to director Prashant Neel's "KGF Chapter 1" magnum opus is set to do battle at the box office with Thalapathy Vijay's "Beast." Indeed, the two films have similarities, the most obvious being that the heroes can stand alone against an army attack.
With rock star Yash at the helm, KGF's second franchise can be credited with bringing the recognition of pan-Indian Kannada cinema.
Though critics had trashed the film's first part in reviews for poor editing and lack of substance, its box office performance proved that director Neel's choices resonated well with his audience.
"Chapter 2" is about taking the mass appeal achieved by the first part to the next level.
The plot is pretty straightforward, Garuda is dead and Rocky (Yash) now has to face the challenges posed by the people who sent him to the KGF, Adheera (Sanjay Dutt) and a powerful politician Ramika Sen (played by Raveena Tandon).
If Ramachandra Raju as Garuda seemed to be a strong villain in the first part, then you should see Sanjay Dutt in the second part. It may seem like a stretch to portray him as a Viking-style warrior, but he does it easily.
There is a story about the sword of Adheera and the blood she has seen in the past, but not much blood is seen in the film as Rocky also has to divide his time among other enemies.
Ramika Sen's character is clearly modeled after Indira Gandhi and the fabled Raveena Tandon fits the role perfectly, earning the respect a prime minister deserves.
The background music and Ravi Basrur's score was a factor that brought the first part to people's hearts and Chapter 2 also does the same magic. The song 'Toofan' provides a short summary of the events of 'KGF Chapter 1'.
If the previous story was told by an Anand journalist (Anand Nag), this time his son Vijayendra (Prakash Raj) continues the feat.
Also, just like in the first part, Yash spends a lot of time praising his character and other characters also spend a lot of time praising Rocky's courage. While mothers and babies feel comfortable spending time with Rocky bhai, others shiver with fear.
It is said that human life is not highly regarded in India due to the huge population, in "KGF Chapter 2", this is literally true as there are more and more people dying. Just when you think that all the people supporting Yash in different cities of India have been killed, it is revealed that he had a reserve army of people in all those cities that would rise again to kill their enemies.
Yes, several cities in India. The scope of the film is enormous and it is not the story of a local gangster but, in Rocky's own words, a "monster" who "owns India" or even the world.
Rocky's love for Reena (Srinidhi Shetty) was revealed in the first part and you'd have thought she felt the same way about him too. But in the beginning of the film itself, she is captured by "Naraachi" and kept as "entertainment" for Rocky. What happens next is something like Raavan holding Sita in "Ramayana". He treats her like a queen and awaits her approval to marry. Unlike the Ramayana, Reena falls in love with Rocky after learning about his past and the reason for his endless greed for gold.
The stunts in "KGF" were the best part, however a chase sequence could have been better represented without the blackout pattern in the montage. It had all the potential to become a "Fast and Furious" chase scene. The frames from cinematographer Bhuvan Gowda pay off on the big screen, and while they're mostly grays and blacks, colors come into play when Rocky's loot needs them.
There is a lot of violence and also a lot of noteworthy moments in the film. If you love watching action thrillers with massive dialogue, this movie is for you. There are also hints to a third chapter. So be careful with that too.
