Indian 2 Movie Review: Kamal Haasan's film is emotionally engaging but outdated and tedious

‘Indian 2’, the much-anticipated film starring Kamal Haasan and S. Shankar’s directorial has finally arrived in cinemas. ‘Indian’ was released in 1996, and this is its sequel. More work has gone into the most recent installment than the first to make it larger and more relevant to today’s time But are the makers successful in doing so? However, next year, the third party of the film will be made available. In Indian 2, Kamal Haasan makes a comeback as the vigilante and anti-corruption activist Senapati, who had murdered his own kid in the previous film for justice. Among the cast members of the most recent film are Siddharth, Bobby Simha, SJ Suryah, Rakul Preet Singh, Brahmanandam, and Samthuthirakani. The film features editing by Sreekar Prasad, photography by Ravi Varman, and music by Anirudh.
Story
The basic idea of combating injustice is carried through in ‘Indian 2,’ the sequel while maintaining the excitement of the first film. The plot continues where ‘Indian’ left off, with Senapati—a former independence fighter who is now a vigilante—returning from Hong Kong to fight the nation’s pervasive corruption. Motivated by popular demand, Senapati makes a comeback to fight for justice, allying with a young guy who uses internet videos to expose dishonest politicians. The story follows Senapati when he teams up with Rakul Preet Singh’s character Chitra Aravindhan, who is assiduously uncovering corruption on the internet.
The character of Siddharth is a reflection of his childhood hero, Senapati, who has been hiding but makes a spectacular comeback. He battles dishonest businesses and adversaries, putting them through fierce combat and outwitting them using disguises. In contrast to Siddharth’s character, who advocates Gandhian nonviolence. How quickly things turn around for each of the character, is what ‘Indian 2’ talks about.
Direction
‘Bharateeyudu 2’ aka ‘Indian 2’ fails to match the emotional richness and intensity of its predecessor, even with a promising idea. The fundamental story points that contributed to the emotional impact of the first film are absent from ‘Indian 2’. The anticipated high point—Senapati’s nostalgic comeback also falls flat. The once-iconic outfit of Kamal Haasan is rather lackluster and does not generate the same enthusiasm as previously. The whole experience is further diminished by the lack of Anirudh’s powerful musical contribution. As an audience you expect a ‘Hukum’ level music for Senapati but to our disappointment, Anirudh fails to live up to the expectation.
Although Shankar makes an effort to replicate the enchantment of his earlier films, the narrative comes across as outmoded and tedious. The feelings conveyed are not compelling cinematic experiences; rather, they are manufactured and suggestive of a serial drama. The movie starts off strong, setting up Senapati for a spectacular entrance and a powerful first twenty minutes, but it soon falters and becomes boring and predictable.

The production values and grandeur, while admirable, are insufficient to save the movie. The loss of Anirudh’s music, which may have elevated the movie, makes the score less powerful. The film is good in the first half, but the second half drastically worsens and those who are not ‘Indian’ fans may lose their interest as well.
Acting
It’s Kamal Hassan’s world and we’re just living in it. The actor is literally able to pull off anything and everything. Watching him ace two different genres and characters, that too within a difference of 15 days is outstanding. Be it Yaskin in ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ or Senapati in ‘Indian 2’, Haasan is so good and undoubtedly a gem of Indian Cinema! The actor makes his expression count with so much prosthetic makeup as well. Apart from Kamal Haasan, Siddharth is also the anchor of the film. Every expression and dialogue from him, can make you feel for his dilemma, sorrow and love. It’s also refreshing to see Rakul Preet Singh on screen. She brings the balance in the film in however, scenes she gets. Overall, Indian 2 has good performing artists and everyone does justice to their parts, but only if the script had more depth to offer.
Verdict
The dismal ‘Indian 2’ falls short of the high standards set by its predecessor. Moreover, it’s an alarming situation for Shankar to prep well for the third part. The movie struggles to be real and dramatic, even while it tries to deliver sincere sentiments. But not the actors or technicians, it’s the director that fails us. Shankar uses outdated writing structures, the movie feels uninspired and stale. Probably such storylines worked better earlier, but in today’s time, ‘Indian 2’ will be called boring. However, there are not just demerits, the film has remarkable production values, so much so that they are unable to make up for its flaws. Moreover, Kamal Haasan starrer starts off promisingly before it settles into a formulaic and boring story. At most, it’s merely mediocre. This sequel may disappoint fans of the first film but keeping all the expectations aside, ‘Indian 2’ is a one-time watch film with brilliant actors. Hence, deserves 2.5 stars. The film has been released in theatres now.