Imagine a project that would change the scene of Indian cinema for once and for all. A project with immense potential, that has VFX which would give even movies like ‘Gravity’, ‘Pirates of the Carribean’ etc. a run for their money, even if in hindsight. A movie for which no producer would hesitate to pump in as much money as required, even if it amounts to something as mindboggling as Rs. 543 crores. To the delight of all, ‘Robot’ is exactly one such movie.
Plot –
Directed by famous Tamil director S. Shankar, and starring Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson in principal roles, ‘2.0’ is a sequel to the 2010 blockbuster ‘Enthiran’ or Robot. After millions of cell phones are snatched away by an undetectable power, and soon convert into menacing birds who wreak havoc on cities, a distraught government takes the help of scientist Dr. Vaseegaran, who suggests reassembling his dismantled robot Chitti, who is apparently the only force that can tackle with this mysterious power.
How Chitti gets rid of the menace, and how both come face to face with a devious scientist [Akshay Kumar], who has taken the wrong path to send a powerful message, forms the crux of the plot.
What’s good –
To be frank, 2.0 is a full-on entertainer, with loads of spectacular visuals and whistle-inducing dialogues out on the platter. A huge credit goes to the director S. Shankar, who has already mesmerized the audience with his previous creation ‘Enthiran’. The way he has supervised this project, despite forced delays which could make anybody in his position lose cool, is absolutely praiseworthy.
Another person who deserves a good round of applause is Amy Jackson, who is playing the role of Nila, a humanoid robot. Contrary to what is shown in the trailer, she is more than just eye candy in the movie, which is not what we usually observe in Indian masala movies, and that is a victory in itself, unlike the kind of feminism that people behind ‘Veere Di Wedding’ wanted to shove down our throats.
What’s Awesome –
The real star of this movie is not Rajinikanth or even Akshay Kumar. It is the crew behind the VFX of this movie. At a time, when the confidence of people in VFX hit rock bottom, courtesy the amateurish treatment in ‘Thugs of Hindostan’, ‘2.0’ has wholly compensated for that craving by leaps and bounds. From the menacing ‘mobile’ birds to the way the villain blocks the exit with his ‘mobiles’, as evident from the trailer, the VFX, and the creativity associated with it is top class.
A special shout-out goes out to Rajinikanth, who has rocked it once again in the dual role of Chitti and Dr. Vaseegaran. There is no doubt about the fact that the Thalaivaa is tailor-made for such superhero roles, but with ‘2.0’, he has taken this aura to an all new level. This movie also proves why Rajinikanth is considered the ‘God of Indian cinema’.
It is not common that the antagonists of any movie starring Rajinikanth match his capability or even give him a tough run for his money. But this time, Rajinikanth has found an extremely able competitor to his talent in the form of Akshay Kumar.
Unlike a completely negative villain, Akshay’s role is that of a wronged individual, who resorts to wrong means in order to send a powerful message about the use of mobiles. His background is something that many in the audience would empathize with, in an innocent way, and not the way Bollywood is notorious for.
What could’ve been better –
‘2.0’ could’ve been the ultimate masterpiece like ‘Baahubali’, had it not been for a few, but glaring glitches. The script wasn’t tight enough, which led to a slow first half before the entry of Akshay Kumar’s character towards the interval. Also, Akshay Kumar’s name, Pakshi Rajan, evokes more hilarity than fear, for an antagonist of his character’s mettle. Even the soundtrack wasn’t a blast, unlike the previous movie.
Except for these glitches, ‘2.0’ is a full-on entertainer. Like ‘Stree’ and ‘Gold’, this can be watched with anyone and everyone. I’d go for an honest 3.5 / 5 stars. ‘2.0’ cannot be missed at any cost.