KGF Chapter 2 Movie Review: Prashanth Neel Gives Yash’s Rocky Bhai a Massier Swag and Impressive Imagery but Storytelling Still Lacks Depth (LatestLY Exclusive)

KGF Chapter 2 Movie Review: When you tell a story from a character's perspective throughout, you end up empathising with him or her no matter what the person turns out to be. Take Todd Phillips' Joker for example, which ends up humanising one of Batman's greatest foes. Prashant Neel's Rocky Bhai - the protagonist of KGF movies, played with an undeniable magnetic swagger by Kannada star Yash - is not just another example of a movie wanting to empathise with its anti-hero, but also arranges a grand platform for the viewers to revere him. With KGF Chapter 2, that platform has just got bigger, grander, and almost biblical. Not to mention, louder too! KGF Chapter 2 Movie: Review, Cast, Plot, Trailer, Release Date – All You Need to Know About Yash and Sanjay Dutt’s Film.

With the sequel, not only has Rocky Bhai moved from being the saviour of KGF (Kolar Gold Fields) to its flamboyant protector and undisputed king, but it has also switched its narrators. With Anant Nag not available for the sequel for some reason, KGF 2 sends his character Anand Ingalagi into ICU and makes his son Vijayendra, played by Prakash Raj, the new narrator.

Unlike Anand who was in awe of Rocky in the first film, though he was not very reliable about the time frames, Vijayendra is skeptical about his father's stories of Rocky and that definitely should have added a distinct flavour to the storytelling. It's another matter that the movie continues Rocky's story with the same reverence and sooty-filled frames, where Vijayendra's skepticism holds no water.

So where does Chapter 2 takes Rocky Bhai? After finishing off the last movie's big baddie Garuda, Rocky has now taken complete control of KGF. For the people stuck there, he is now their saviour, their God for making their living lives a tad better, though Rocky continues to keep youngsters in his 'army' and exploits them to extract gold faster. But, a promise to a dead mom is enough to wash away the sins of over-exploitation, ain't it?

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With his rise, Rocky makes enemies out of his former allies and gains an even more fearsome enemy. If you think that's Adheera (Sanjay Dutt in an impressive Viking getup), you are wrong. While Adheera cuts a fearsome figure and he does bring Rocky to his feet during their first face-off, the bigger enemy for Rocky this time is the Indian government, led by the new Prime Minister Ramika Sen (Raveena Tandon), who is inspired by the late Indian PM Indira Gandhi.

Oh yes, there is also romance in the air for Rocky as he makes the bratty Reena (Srinidhi Shetty) fall for him. Does it matter that he abducts her in the first place and confines her in his lavish mansion? Or the love story feels more of a product of Stockholm Syndrome? Or does it drags down an already over-stretched movie, including a romantic track that comes right before the brutally violent third act? Considering how crucial this romantic track plays in the last act, the movie should have developed it properly.

For all the movie's flaws, there is no denying that Prashanth Neel is an accomplished storyteller, with a fantastic keenness for creating some eye-popping imagery. Thanks to the success of the first film, he gets a larger canvas to expand his protagonist's story and Prashanth makes excellent use of the playground he now has complete access to. He gets marvellous help from the film's production design team and cinematographer Bhuvan Gowda in creating some magnificent frames around the recreation of Kolar Fields, despite the dust, soot, and bleakness. Some incredible long frames allow you to seep into the world that the makers have created here.

Even better is Prashanth's creation of mass moments for his hero. Be it his (re) entry scene as the new king of KGF where he disses nepotism or the surprising pre-interval scene or the massy post-interval face-off (that I enjoyed), the director has carved some very appealing sequences to show off Rocky's larger-than-life screen presence, and Yash completely capitalises on those to own the big screen.

The director also loves to play with his metaphors. A throwaway comment about a hammer early on in the movie comes into play later on in the climax. Or when Rocky faces Adheera first, the latter has a higher ground allowing him to have an advantage over the former. The second time they meet, it is Rocky who has the higher ground and therefore a bigger advantage. The third and last time they meet, both are on the same level, and they're made into equal opponents. These are signs of a filmmaker who knows how to appeal to his audience. The dialogues also help in the matter, there are some really powerful ones, like one that Prakash Raj's character utters about powerful men don't come from powerful places, they make places powerful.

Unfortunately, the storyteller in Prashanth isn't backed by good writing. In trying to make a legend out of Rocky, the movie forgets to humanise him, despite the frequent mother callbacks.  The sequences between the massy moments drag a lot, and the scenes that establish a conflict between Rocky's empire and the Indian government feel over-dramatic which lessens the effectiveness, though I did feel the film got better with Raveena's character's entry. In trying to create some shock impact, you have to suspend plenty of disbelief about the ludicrousness of certain scenes. Like why doesn't anyone shoot Rocky where he swags his way towards you. Or that incredulous makeover that Rocky gives to KGF that SMH managed to escape the administration's eyes. KGF Chapter I Movie Review: Yash Stands Tall in This Needlessly Stretched Violent Saga.

There are many occasions where I felt that I felt the movie felt like an assault on the senses, especially auditory. Not only is Ravi Basrur's BG score way too loud, but nearly every character likes to scream their sentences for dramatic effect.

However, the thing that irked me the most - which also applied to the prequel - it's the movie's loving glorification of its protagonist's antihero ways and toxic masculinity. The sequences where he machine-guns into a police premise (shown in the first teaser) or where he barges his way into the parliament to kill an opponent, or his confinement of Reena are quite problematic in nature, but KGF 2 doesn't see them in any other way than through rose-tinted glasses.

There are also a few scenes where I felt the director could have held back. Like there was a car chase scene in the first half that is mounted similarly to Mad Max. But maybe for the stylish effect, there are far too many editing cuts in the chase that did bog down the impact. Or the final fight between Adheera and Rocky that has way too many camera swipes that my head was spinning trying to keep a track of who is beating whom. I believe this is so done to hide the lack of an aging Dutt's physical agility, but it mars an otherwise gripping fight scene.

The brutal violence displayed on screen relentlessly made me wonder what is Censor Board's stand on onscreen bloodshed (which also applies to this week's other big South release, Beast). Don't give me the argument that Marvel movies are also violent. They have action, but they are nearly all bloodless. Here, necks get cut, heads are hammered and blood is splayed everywhere, that would have gotten an R-rating elsewhere but in my theatre, there were plenty of kids watching the movie. Don't get how certification works here.

Yay!

- Prashanth Neel's Direction

- Yash

- Some Enjoyable Mass Moments

- Visually Grandiose

Nay!

- Shallow Screenplay

- The Romantic Track Doesn't Work

- Over-Editing Mars Crucial Scenes

- Problematic Over-Glorification

- Quite Loud

Final Thoughts

In terms of the grand canvas, massier moments, and ambitions, KGF Chapter 2 is an improvement over the first film. But in terms of storytelling, the sequel is as problematic as it comes. If you are into maaro Salaam to Rocky Bhai, Chapter 2 gives plenty of opportunities. Otherwise, KGF Chapter 2 is a stylish but vacuous exercise in style over substance. And there could be more on the way, going by the film's mid-credit scene.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 14, 2022 12:22 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).