Ganapath: Please Don't Let There Be A Part 2

Ganapath: Chat GPT Could Spin A Better Film Than This

On paper, Ganapath is a mish-mash of tropes from films like Mad Max, Dune and KGF. In execution, it's like a dated David Dhawan film with an identity crisis, writes Swetha Ramakrishnan.

Dir: Vikas Bahl

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Tiger Shroff, Kriti Sanon

Playing in: Theatres

I asked Chat GPT to write a synopsis of a commercial action film with futuristic and dystopian themes, starring Tiger Shroff, Kriti Sanon and Amitabh Bachchan. What I got was a generic plot of two martial artists who are caught in a war of survival in a post-apocalyptic world. And yet, even that read better than the entire “script” of Ganapath.

On paper, the film is a scary mish-mash of dumbed down tropes “borrowed” from films like Hunger Games, Mad Max, Dune and KGF (for desi flavour). In execution, Ganapath is like a dated David Dhawan film with an identity crisis.

Ganaapath Part 1 begins with an introduction to a fictional dystopian future (no specific year/decade mentioned) where we find out that the world is divided into two: a rich, elite class that live inside a futuristic walled city with all the resources to their name, and a raggedy poor class that survives on scraps. These less-fortunate are living with the miraculous belief that one day, a certain Ganapath will come and save them from their horrors (*somewhere, Denis Villeneuve is coughing away*).

Thalapathy (Amitabh Bachchan) leads the poor settlement and starts a wrestling culture within the community in the hopes that a brave warrior will be born from within and help them overtake the rich. Enter Guddu (Tiger Shroff). He’s the right hand man for the main villain, a ruthless John The Englishman — the controller of all illegal activities within the walled city. Guddu manages his operations. The narrative kicks off when Guddu is thrown out of the walled city and left to die for the crime of flirting with John’s girlfriend.

(Ganapath Part 1 isn't on OTT yet. But Gadar 2 is. Stream using the OTTplay Premium Jhakaas pack at Rs 199/month only.)

Now, he meets Jassi (Kriti Sanon), a fighter and revolutionary who is actively trying to enter the walled city to look for her lost mother. She brings him to Thalapathy and trains him to fight back and survive in the harsh, unforgiving landscape (very obviously shot in Ladakh). How they then band together to bring down the rich folk of the walled city and take revenge for years of oppression, makes for the rest of the film.

The above few paragraphs are the best possible representation of the story of Ganapath. However what I actually witnessed in the theatre for over two hours resembled a garbled nightmare. On paper, the story has merit — especially for a commercial Bollywood film to attempt to make an actioner with dystopian themes is very brave. Credit where credit is due for intent and guts. Unfortunately, everything else in the film falls flat on its face — starting with the cringe performances from Tiger, Kriti and pretty much everyone else (except Bachchan, who waltzes through his role).

CONTINUE READING

MORE REVIEWS

Maggie Moore(s): A Coen Bros-Inspired Dark Comedy

JAY MOORE, a sandwich store owner in a small town in New Mexico, is involved in unethical business practices. His world comes crashing down when his wife Maggie discovers a revolting secret concerning his side business. When his wife threatens to inform the police, he enlists the help of a hitman to frighten her into submission. But he ends up killing her, so Jay decides another woman named Maggie Moore was killed, in an effort to convince law enforcement that his wife’s murder was a case of mistaken identity, orchestrated by someone else. Police Chief Jordan Sanders believes that both murders are somehow connected, despite evidence contradicting his conclusions.

— RYAN GOMEZ

Read the review here.
Stream on: Lionsgate Play

Tiger Nageswara Rao: Ravi Teja Stars In A Middling Biopic

AN emergency meeting is held in Delhi, where top bureaucrats sense a threat to the security of the Indian PM, thanks to a warning from a notorious thief, Tiger Nageswara Rao. Why’s the Stuartpuram native attracting national attention suddenly? What situations prompt him to become a criminal? How far will he go to ensure a better future for his village? Director Vamsee’s view of Tiger Nageswara Rao’s story is best summarised through the dialogue of a villager: ‘The world treats Rama as God and Ravana as a demon. Ask anyone from the Lankan dynasty and they’ll tell you Ravana is their lord.’ The film is a dramatised version of an outlaw’s story and a sociological study of the village he hails from.

— SRIVATHSAN NADADHUR

Read the review here.

Playing in: Theatres

#ICYMI | Vijay's Leo & Lokesh Kanagaraj’s History Of Violence

LOKESH Kanagaraj usually doesn’t take things slow but in his latest film Leo — written by him, Rathna Kumar and Deeraj Vaidy — the beginnings are gradual. They are not eventless, but are character driven, giving us a peek into Parthiban’s (Vijay) life in Himachal Pradesh. He owns a café called Wild Beans (wink), lives with his wife Sathya (Trisha Krishnan) and two kids — a teenage son Siddhu (Mathew Thomas) and a younger daughter. But before all this there is Lokesh’s characteristic prologue. The opening credits claim tribute to A History of Violence and there are many parallels, inspirations and recreations. Considering David Cronenberg’s adaptation and not the graphic novel, let’s say while the film was minimalist, Lokesh goes for the explosive. But he knows that difference and therefore the muted start to Leo. In Leo, like in A History of Violence, the family is paramount. One loves and protects. The other hates and kills. There are spoilers ahead but if you know your A History of Violence, you know most of it.

— ADITYA SHRIKRISHNA

Playing in: Theatres | Read the review here.

OUR OTHER NEWSLETTERS

The one newsletter you need to decide what to watch on any given day. Our editors pick a show, movie, or theme for you from everything that’s streaming on OTT.

Each week, our editors pick one long-form, writerly piece that they think is worthy of your attention, and dice it into easily digestible bits for you to mull over.

In which we invite a scholar of cinema, devotee of the moving image, to write a prose poem dedicated to their poison of choice. Expect to spend an hour on this.