Kamal Haasan’s ‘Indian 2’ Fails Where ‘Indian’ Succeeded, Here’s How

Kamal Haasan’ and Shankar’s ‘Indian 2’, a sequel to the yesteryear classic ‘Indian’, hit screens on July 12 amid much fanfare. The film created a fair deal of buzz in the industry given the cult status of the first part. Moreover, the the trailer of ‘Indian 2’ suggested that it would feature a hard-hitting message and a strong storyline much like the prequel. Sadly, this isn’t the case. ‘Indian 2’ has its merits but fails to touch the high standards set by ‘Indian’. So where did Shankar and the team go wrong?

Indian 2 Has Too Many Characters And A Weak Screenplay

‘Indian’ was a captivating vigilante-thriller that centred on Senapathy (Kamal Haasan), an aged freedom fighter, and his fight against corruption. As the story progressed, his crusade against the corrupt took a deeply personal turn when he learnt that his son Chandru was involved in some nefarious activities.

Shankar fleshed out the bond between the two characters through a series of memorable sequences. Moreover, even the supporting characters brought out different shades of the father and son duo. As such, the focus primarily remained on Chandru and Senapathy. This gave the film an emotional core and made it easier for viewers to connect with the reel action.

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‘Indian 2’, like the first part, also explores how the battle against corruption often begins at home. In a significant scene from the sequel, Chitra (Siddharth) gets his father arrested after learning about his misdeeds. However, this subplot doesn’t register as the characters get limited scope and come across as caricatures. Moreover, the film features way too many characters and lacks a pivot as even Senapathy is occasionally reduced to an afterthought.

A One-Dimensional Sequel

‘Indian’ was a rare cinematic gem that featured a perfect mix of class and mass elements. The scenes involving Senapathy and violent interactions with the corrupt added depth to the narrative and built the film’s world. Moreover, they felt organic and spine-chilling because of the realistic execution. Similarly, the flashback sequences catered to the mature/older audience.

Additionally, Chandru’s romantic scenes with Aishu (Manisha Koirala) and Sapna (Urmila Matondkar) gave the film a commercial feel, making it a complete product.

‘Indian 2’, by contrast, falls flat in this regard. It ends up focusing solely on the fight against corruption and that too not in the most engaging way. The film lacks a romantic subplot. Rakul Preet Singh and Siddharth, who should have been the film’s romantic leads, don’t have many scenes together. The audience is left to assume that they are a couple. Moreover, the scenes where ‘Thatha’ punishes the corrupt feel gimmicky and stretched. This is particularly true for the sequence where Senapathy kills a man while speaking Punjabi. This over-the-top presentation prevents them from being bone-chilling or even remotely shocking.

Indian Wasn’t Just a Regular Star Vehicle, Indian 2 Is

‘Indian’ featured some extremely well-executed action sequences that gelled with the narrative and feel natural, The fight sequence between Senapathy and Krishnaswamy IPS (Nedumudi Venu) is a case in point. It felt believable and did justice to the age of the characters.

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‘Indian 2’, on the other hand, features some imaginative yet over-the-top action blocks that made no sense given the fact that the character is over 100 years old. The monocycle sequence is a case in point. However, the scene in which a shirtless Senapathy fights several enemies in one go is perhaps the hardest the digest. It just does not do justice to Kamal Haasan’s reel image especially as he is synonymous with realistic action films such as ‘Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu’ and ‘Vishwaroopam’. In fact, they end up reducing the flick to a regular star vehicle.

Anirudh Fails To Match AR Rahman’s Magic

AR Rahman’s music was one of the biggest highlights of ‘Indian’. Each song had a distinct flavour and added a new dimension to the narrative. Take the soothing ‘Pachai Kiligal’ for instance. It highlighted the simple joys of life. On the other hand, ‘Telephone’ was a peppy dance number that catered to the younger audience.

Indian 2, sadly, delivers to deliver in this regard. None of the songs, barring ‘Come Back Indian’, add much to the narrative. The Calendar Song ends being a routine dance number that adds some glamour to Indian 2 but has no impact on the overall plot. It is, however, ‘Thatha Varen’ that proves to be the biggest disappointment and comes across as a watered-down version of ‘Aaluma Doluma’. All in all, the songs have been filmed meticulously but lack soul and that is true for the film as a whole.

‘Indian 2’ hit screens on July 12 and is currently playing in theatres worldwide.