If there is something I miss in Bollywood, it is the template for formula films. When a character says, “Kaash tu life mein aata hi nahi”, I was reminded of some of the classics. Most recently, the format worked like a charm when I watched Sholay to celebrate its 50th anniversary. So, the setup is simple: there is a hero (or sometimes a couple of them), a villain, relationships, and, most importantly, coherent drama. In Ayan Mukerji’s War 2, I saw a story (Aditya Chopra) that can make Salim-Javed smile. The problem, inevitably, lies in the screenplay and the execution – both of which attempt to please two filmmaking industries with unique tastes. The result is a mash-up that lacks the Bollywood DNA and emotional intensity that could have delivered gold-standard Hindi masala cinema.
The film opens with Kabir (Hrithik Roshan), a familiar face from War, making his entry as a rogue R&AW agent. It’s a prolonged (and unnecessary) sequence weighed down by atrocious VFX. Within the first 15 minutes, War 2 hops across five locations, though whether they serve the story or simply pad up the film’s scale is anybody’s guess.
In comparison, Vikram’s (NTR) mass-friendly introduction makes a stronger impact. Mukerji shapes the film like a Telugu masala fare, where NTR feels at home while Roshan does not. Among other things, NTR’s screen presence is so magnetic that it amused me why the makers had to plant those low-budget-CGI-made abs on him.
After the leading men show up, War 2 moves into its comfort zone. A beloved character dies, and the female lead appears. It doesn’t matter that Kavya (Kiara Advani) is Col. Luthra’s (Ashutosh Rana) daughter and a promising officer — she is there for a brief romantic track, a song, a bikini shot, and some token action scenes here and there.
The first War thrived on the mentor-protégé spark between Roshan and Tiger Shroff. NTR’s global hit, RRR, showed off its bromance without hesitation. I didn’t care for the (alleged) sexual tension between the men in them, but War 2 avoids that chemistry entirely. Or maybe the leading men probably never sparked that way. As a result, when Kabir and Vikram talk as adults, the energy evaporates, and we get some of the dullest minutes in recent Bollywood cinema.
The film is at its best when Roshan and NTR are in motion, whether in dances or fights. Their dance in Pritam’s “Jaanab-e-Aali” is dreamy, and it works much like War’s “Jai Jai Shivshankar” but with lyrics reimagined in a Muslim context. With ultra-cringe lines thrown at us in quick succession, you wish the men would stop talking entirely. Sample? “Tere baad main kisi ka nahi hua”. It might have worked in a different movie or era, but it is hopelessly dated for the Reddit generation. Similarly, in one of their conversations, Mukerji and the writer (Sridhar Raghavan) insert Zanjeer‘s “Yaari Hai Imaan Mera”, but without really understanding the genre the song was born in.
Among other things, continuity and timelines are confused throughout. Col. Luthra never seems to age despite makeup. Kabir looks no younger even in a flashback set 15 years earlier, and Kavya’s age could be anywhere between 18 and 40. Vikrant Kaul (Anil Kapoor), greying and well past retirement, remains one of the few sensible R&AW officers, and his presence makes you wish War 2 had given him and Roshan more shared moments, as Fighter did.
The film chases its Spy Universe ambitions while also aiming for the Telugu market’s appetite for flamboyant action. Some set pieces work, like a Pathaan-style Arctic sequence. Others, such as Roshan fighting Japanese villains with a CGI wolf, veer into unintentional comedy. The real problem is Mukerji’s Brahmastra-like approach, where fantasy elements crowd out the more grounded beats of a spy thriller.
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War 2 hits the right chords when it focuses on Luthra’s “Nation First” policy. It is even better when two young boys on the street strike a bond. The film also portrays Kabir and Kavya’s relationship with empathy when it reaches its lowest point. What does not help is the DOP and colorist working overtime to make the film look like a cheap Avengers spin-off.
Hrithik Roshan suffers the most in the chaos. He is a star who does not need extra paraphernalia to look heroic. A glance or a hair flip is enough. Here, he is forced into playing superhero, lover, protégé, and fighter all at once, without consistency. He still holds the screen, but the film is rarely as sharp (or attractive) as he is. NTR, in contrast, thrives in a format he knows well, with power stances and piercing glares into the camera. Manthan Darji and Hearty Singh, who play their younger selves, are superb actors to watch out for.
The bigger question is whether the version of heroism in Ek Tha Tiger still has a place in the YRF Spy Universe. Back then, spies were larger-than-life yet believable. They operated in shadows yet remained human. In War 2, physicality outweighs intellect, and the villains are pushovers. A modern Gabbar Singh may be too much to hope for, but the film does not even give us a worthy threat. By the way, one of them is named Gautam Gulati. Are we supposed to connect some dots here? Whatever the case, War 2 has the body of a blockbuster but the pulse of clueless filmmaking that mixes genres and sensibilities. Style without soul is the quickest way to drain life from a franchise, and this sequel proves it.
Rating: ★★
