War 2: A Spy Bro-mance

A review by Akshita G.

War 2 Theatrical Release Poster

Starring: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Producer: Aditya Chopra

Co-Producer: Akshaye Widhani

Screenplay: Shridhar Raghavan

Director of Photography: Benjamin Jasper ACS

Music: Pritam

Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya

Dialogues: Abbas Tyrewala

Story: Aditya Chopra

Editor: Aarif Sheikh

Sound: Dileep Subramaniam, Ganesh Gangadharan

Background Music: Sanchit Balhara, Ankit Balhara

Action Directors: Spiro Razatos, Franz Spilhaus, Anl Arasu, Oh Sea Young, Craig Macrae, Sunil Rodrigues [ROD]

Costume Designers: Anaita Shroff Adajania, Niharika Jolly

Director of Choreography: Bosco Leslie Martis

Visual Effects Studio: yFX

War 2 is A LOT of movie and A LOT of action, but is it all good?

There are several firsts associated with this movie, particularly for its director, Ayan Mukerji: this is his first true action film, his first time making a film outside of Dharma Productions, his first film without Ranbir Kapoor, and his first film where he has not written the story. It also marks NTR Jr.’s Hindi film debut and YRF’s first collaboration with a South Indian star leading the film front and center. With so many firsts at play, the anticipation was palpable.

War 2, starring Hrithik Roshan, NTR Jr., and Kiara Advani in lead roles, is the sequel to the 2019 film War starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff. What started with Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif’s Ek Tha Tiger back in 2012, 13 years and 6 films later, has evolved into a whole universe that has become one of YRF’s biggest IPs.

A Still from War 2

YRF spy universe, while inherently categorized as action films through and through, have always had the Aditya Chopra effect. After all, it all started with his story (Ek Tha Tiger) in 2012. The stories these films tell are, at their core, about human emotions and relationships that just happen to unfold within the world of spies. The action serves merely as the backdrop against which these deeper connections emerge. Ek Tha Tiger - a love story that transpires between two spies on opposite sides of an issue, Pathan - a story about belonging to something, someone, or someplace, and War - a mentor-mentee relationship turned bro-mance. In War 2, this ‘bro-mance’ angle is further developed by connecting the two leads’ past and the (slightly hinted at due to limited screen time) mentor-mentee relationship between Kabir and Colonel Luthra.

The film picks up where War and Tiger 3 left off. This time, Hrithik’s character Kabir faces a villain so towering and dangerous that even for a soldier like him, the fight could blur the lines between right and wrong - as Colonel Luthra, played by Ashutosh Rana, warns him. How Kabir battles this force while being branded a traitor to the country, and how Kiara and NTR tie into his backstory, together form the premise of the movie.

A Still from War 2

With this promised premise, coupled with the film's marketing materials, the expectation was to see Hrithik Roshan like never before and experience an unhinged action film. The film, on paper, has it all - a star-studded cast, emotion, action, an ominous villain, a twisty plot that keeps you guessing who you should be rooting for, good-looking people looking beautiful all over Europe, decent music, and an almost three-hour runtime, and yet, this is a promise unfulfilled. The story is deliberate and sure that it wants to be equal parts (if not more) emotion and an unhinged action film, but it fails to make the intended impact. Why? Because the final execution (screenplay, direction, and editing) feels confused, failing to shape all of this into a coherent narrative and never fully committing to what it truly wants to be.

The spy universe is a highly valued and reliable IP for YRF, and has historically been entrusted only to homegrown YRF directors. So the decision to bring Ayan Mukerji on board to helm this film was an interesting choice. Ayan, as a director, possesses a keen acumen for capturing subtle human emotions, nothing over the top, through frames that catch the feelings lingering just beneath the surface. For him to be leading a film that hinges on high-octane action and exaggerated emotions stemming from a heightened sense of ‘nationalism’ seems a little out of his comfort zone, which becomes apparent in some scenes. His talent shines when he captures the human emotions between the male leads themselves, but those scenes are few and far between. Action is also a very challenging genre to direct, given the level of technical prowess needed to deliver the impact of an action sequence. This also seems to be an area where the film was hit or miss.

A Still from War 2

The action sequences are mid - I say this while acknowledging that there are some truly well-choreographed and captured sequences, especially the one scene where Kiara is given to fight Hrithik, and the showdown between NTR and Hrithik. But for a film that is 70% action, these aren’t enough. The hand-to-hand combat choreography seemed uninspired for the most part. Some sequences left physics behind in a different realm, to the point where you might find yourself flinging your arms in the air, thinking, ‘Okay, so this is happening now?’. Some sequences relied heavily on CGI, which itself was not up to the task of carrying an entire action sequence (raising the question of why such scenes were written at all), while the rest failed to pull you in due to jarring camera work.

The camerawork and editing might be the biggest culprits behind War 2 landing as a middling entry in the spy universe. The action sequences suffer from too many rapid camera cuts, constantly jumping from one angle to another, almost like watching a TikTok or Instagram reel. Instead of drawing you into the moment, these frequent cuts break the immersion and pull you out of the action. The film finds its footing after the interval, particularly strongest in the last 35 minutes of its runtime, but that leaves you with 2.5 hours of confusion and labored viewing.

A Still from War 2

From start to finish, it’s the strength of the leads and supporting performances that hold the film together when all else falters. NTR, in his first Hindi film, is extremely impressive, bringing a lot of the aforementioned emotion. He has incredible chemistry with Hrithik, reminiscent of the one seen in RRR. He makes you fear and root for him all at once, and that is a very powerful quality as an actor. With Hrithik, the superficial aspects of his looks, dance moves, and natural charm are so distracting that they detract from the genuinely excellent actor he is and the depth of pain he has the potential to access and express. He is phenomenal in this film - he looks fantastic (as always) and has a very impactful presence in the more emotionally charged scenes. Kiara, for the screentime she is given, looks amazing and does the job well. Ashutosh Rana as Colonel Luthra deserves a special shout-out. Though his screen time is limited, his presence feels almost omnipresent thanks to the brilliance he brings to every scene.

A Still from War 2

The film features good music, with Aavan Jaavan, sung beautifully by Arijit Singh and Nikhita Gandhi, standing out. The background score of the film was interesting, but underutilized.

War 2 has a lot going on and includes all the elements of a mainstream Hindi film, though it doesn’t quite deliver on all of them. Still, it’s an enjoyable watch for fans of its stars, who are an absolute delight on screen.