April 17th, 2022

Rating: 9/10 (The Ultimate Mass Sequel) 

Cast: Rocking Star Yash, Sanjay Dutt, Srinidhi Shetty, Raveena Tandon, Prakash Raj, Malvika Avinash, Achyuth Kumar, Ayyappa P. Sharma, Rao Ramesh, Eshwari Rao, Archana Jois, T. S. Nagabharana, Saran, Avinash, Lakki Lakshman, Vashishta Simha, Harish Rai, Dinesh Mangalore, Tarak, Ramachandra Raju, Vinay Bidappa, Ashok Sharma, Mohan Juneja, Govinda Gowda, John Kokken, Srinivas Murthy

Telugu Dialogues by: Hanuman

Story - Screenplay - Direction: Prashanth Neel 

Music: Ravi Basrur 

Cinematography: Bhuvan Gowda

Editing: Ujwal Kulkarni 

Production Design: Shivakumar 

Producer: Vijay Kiragandur

Banner: Hombale Films

IT'S FINALLY HERE: AFTER A GAP OF 3.5 years, the much awaited conclusion to the epic action saga of KGF has arrived. KGF 2, much like another gargantuan in RRR, was postponed numerous times due to the pandemic and constantly kept fans waiting after Unlimited Goosebumps cliffhanger at the end of Part 1. The film catapulted every actor and technician to superstardom and put the Kannada film industry on the map. Being the quintissential masala entertainer, the unprecedented success of Part 1 has led to humongous expectations across the world and much like Baahubali 2 and Avengers Endgame, KGF Chapter 2 is shaping up to be THE defining film for Sandalwood. Can it live up to the gigantic expectations and emerge victorious?  Let's find out in this review.
 

Plot 

After assasinating Garuda, Rocky (Yash) is now the new ruler of the Kolar Gold Fields (KGF). However, Adheera (Sanjay Dutt) and the Prime Minister of India Ramika Sen (Raveen Tandon) see Rocky as an obstacle in their path and pose a threat to his empire. Will Rocky survive the onslaught of enemies and fullfill his mother's promise? Watch the film to find out. 

Performances

Rocking Star Yash is UNREAL in this film and is SCINTILLATING from start to finish. If Part 1 was just an intro to Rocky, Part 2 is on the highest level of steroids. The amount of heroism, swagger, and attitude showcased is off the charts and Yash just transforms into the character effortlessly and rightfully so, he is a MONSTER in all form in Part 2. The aggressive attitude is played to perfection and Yash has GOD LEVEL SCREEN PRESENCE which makes each and every scene he's in all the more exciting and engaging. Being that he is the hero and the main character, Yash basically does an ONE MAN SHOW as Rocky is so powerful that he literally overshadows every single character in the entire movie. Rocky will go down as one of the greatest characters ever in Indian cinema and the full credit goes to Yash for playing the character with such swagger and conviction and dedicating 8 years of his life to both parts of KGF. Another true Pan Indian Superstar is born in Yash. It's his show from start to finish. 

Srinidhi Shetty as Reena has a better role in the sequel and does very well. She has terrific screen presence and that elevates all her scenes. The majority of them are with Yash and their chemistry is superb throughout the film. 

Sanjay Dutt as Adheera is adequate. It's more about the Bollywood legends screen presence that helps as the characterization is very poor and fails to make an impact in most of the scenes. Even his much hyped intro falls flat for some reason.

Raveena Tandon on the other hand is amazing as Ramika Sen and owns every single scene she's in. She is mesmerizing and brings a thunderous fire to the character that stays with you. 

Rao Ramesh is superb as a CBI officer and Eeswari Rao does an incredible job as a Muslim mother who lives in KGF. It's great to see actors from our own Telugu industry delivering such good performances in other languages especially for Pan Indian movies. 

Archana Jois as Shanti (Rocky's mother) is amazing as always and does an amazing job once again and it's always a treat to watch Prakash Raj in a big film after a long gap. The legendary actor is dignified and very good as Vijayendra Ingalagi. 

Ayyappa P. Sharma (younger brother of Sai Kumar and Bommali Ravi Shankar) gets a complete character redemption arc as Vanaram and he's excellent. 

The rest of the actors who play Shetty, Andrews, Kamal, Rajendra Desai, Inayat Khalil, John, Salim Chacha, Deepa Hegde, The TV Channel owner, and the young Anand Ingalagi all put in great performances and do an excellent job. 

Lastly all of the child artists are wonderful and provide a lot of entertainment and hype moments throughout the film. 

Direction

Direction by Prashanth Neel is MAGNIFICENT. Compared to Part 1 where it was more about the introduction to the characters and the drama between them, Chapter 2 is all about the rule and power of Rocky. Neel’s writing is marvelous. By elevating Rocky and providing unlimited goosebumps throughout, Neel keeps the narrative moving at a thumping pace barely giving you any time to breath and keeps the action chugging along. The confrontations are sensational, the action sequences are pulsating, and the dialogues are riveting. Neel extracts a world class performance from Yash and utilizes his superstar to the maximum but crafting so many elevation scenes that make you suspend logic and just believe everything that is happening. Much like RRR, when the direction is so good you don’t care about logic and you’re just completely mesmerized and entertained by the narrative. KGF2 falls into the same category. There is a story or a spine present but when you walk out all you will remember all the Unlimited goosebump elevation scenes and dialogues. Neel's writing does have flaws and they stem from Adheera and some unconvincing reasons of Rocky’s backstory. While Adheera doesn’t live up the hype, Rocky’s backstory is not convincing enough for us to feel emotionally invested in his journey. Also the love track between Rocky and Reena extends the runtime and serves no purpose to the plot. Despite these shortcomings, Neel proves he is another Rajamouli in the making and joins the league of Top 5 directors in India and will proudly represent the Kannada film industry on the world stage. An unreal job from him and there are minimal boring moments in the film and the riveting direction keeps you engaged from during the entire 3 hour run time. 

Technical Aspects

Music and BGM by Ravi Basrur is a MASTERPIECE. Ravi Basrur gives another god like background score and does a masterful job of elevating each and every scene much like Chapter 1. The BGM is more massy and riveting in the sequel and adds to the unlimited goosebumps you get. He will easily become one of the legendary music director in Indian film history well all things said and done.  

Cinematography by Bhuvan Gowda is WORLD CLASS. The cinematography in Part 2 is more about grandeur than visual wonders but still has many noteworthy frames and shots throughout. The rustic texture of the visuals is brilliantly maintained throughout the film just like Chapter 1 and the enlarged scale and production values add a lot to the cinematography overall. 

Production Design by Shivakumar is WORLD CLASS. All of the sets are stunning and incredibly design. They’re a visual delight on screen. 

Editing by Ujwal Kulkarni is very good except the car chase sequence where it keeps cutting in and out. The 19 year old has done a fantastic job otherwise and it's the start of a very long career in Indian cinema. Credit to Prashanth Neel for acknowledging his talent and giving the responsibility of editing Part 2. 

Action Sequences by Anbariv are INCREDIBLE. All of the fights are UNLIMITED GOOSEBUMPS and make for the films best scenes easily. 

Costume Design is EXCELLENT. All of the suits Yash wears exaggerates Rocky's aggresive persona and seamlessy blend into the character. All of the other costumes for all the other actors are also so well designed.

Sound Mixing and Sound Design is OUSTANDING. The BGM despite it being loud adds to much to the overall vieweing experience. VFX are decent.

Dialogues for the Telugu version are WONDERFUL. There are so many dialogues and elevations that give UNLIMITED GOOSEBUMPS. Full credit to the dialogue writer Hanuman.  

Production Values by Hombale Films are MAGINIFICENT. The now world famous Kannada production house led by Vijay Kiragandur has a knack for telling stories in the biggest way possible and KGF Chapter 2 will take their production house to the greatest heights imaginable. It's one of the most visually stunning and grandest films India has ever made. The rumored production budget is 100 crores ($13-15 Million USD) and if this is the output we get, then it's high time superstars start thinking twice about remuneration as the budget can go towards making a quality film instead of wasting money on salaries. 

Positives

+ Yash, Yash, and Rocking Star Yash

+ Prashanth Neel's Direction

+ ELEVATIONS, ELEVATIONS, AND ELEVATIONS GALORE 

+ Dialogues 

+ God Level BGM by Ravi Basrur 

+ Cinematography, Production Design, Sound Mixing 

+ Action Sequences 

+ Production Values 

Negatives 

- Poor Characterization of Adheera

- Hit or Miss Emotions 

- Some lag in 2nd half (Back to back songs) 

- Editing in Car Chase Fight

Analysis and Final Take

When KGF Chapter 1 released, nobody in the entire team thought it would become an India wide sensation of this scale and achieve such epic heights and popularity. After the stunning cliffhanger of Part 1, expectations and anticipation for Chapter 2 increased multifold and the team increased the scale and budget to match the unprecendeted hype. 

Cut to a 3.5 year wait, it's safe to say there's good news. Neel and company deliver and exceed expectatations with a box office MONSTER. 

KGF's biggest selling point is the elevations and UNLIMITED GOOSEBUMPS moments that it provides and in Part 2, Yash, Prashant Neel, and the entire crew is on the highest level of steroids. There are unlimited elevations scenes and mass moments that make the film so incredible to watch throughout. I actually lost count of the amount but I'll try to recollect and list there here. 

1) Opening Sequence 

2) Yash Intro 

3) Toofan Song 

4) Car Chase Fight 

5) Pre Interval and Interval Bang 

6) Post Interval Scene 

7) Sulthana Song 

8) Police Station Scene 

9) Prime Minister Meeting Scene between Rocky and Ramika 

10) Climax Fight 

All of the scene mentioned above will give you UNLIMITED GOOSEBUMPS. KGF2 is one of the best cinematic experiences you will ever have as Neel has elevated Rocky from scene to scene and it only increases in power and effectiveness as the film progresses. Yash is a MONSTER rightfully so and it's basically a one man show as he outdoes every single actor in the film with his amazing performance and screen presence. 

The film does suffer from flaws such as weak villains, questionable editing, some weak motives, and weak emotions. The biggest one is definitely Adheera as Sanjay Dutt tries his best to inject life into the character but due to the poor characterization, all the efforts go in vain and you don't get the feeling of the most epic face off. There's a short spark in the climax but it's very brief and short lived and makes you question what could have been. 

But what you realize is that when the direction is so good, the flaws of the film are overlooked and you're so engrossed in the narrative that any flaws don't effect the viewing experience at all and also when the direction is so flawless, you don't look for or care about logic which is the case in KGF Chapter 2. 

Overall, KGF 2 is THE ULTIMATE MASS SEQUEL. Yash is a MONSTER and Prashanth Neel's writing, elevations, and shot making elevate Rocky to Outer Space and back and it makes for the one of the most UNLIMITED GOOSEBUMP experiences you will ever have. This is mass filmmaking at it's best and catapults Prashanth Neel into the Top 5 directors in India and cements his place among the best commercial movie directors in India today next to only Rajamouli. The film lives up to the hype and surpasses and exceeds expectations from start to finish. 

Oka Baahubali 2, Oka KGF Chapter 2. JAI ROCKING STAR YASH, JAI PRASHANTH NEEL, JAI KANNADA FILM INDUSTRY. THIS WILL BE A BOX OFFICE MONSTER. SALAAM ROCKY BHAI. GO AND WATCH IT!

Signing off, 

- Teja Rao, Die Hard Telugu cinema fan.