Vishwaroop 2 Movie Review - Ideas lost in sea of action

Vishwaroop 2 movie poster

Vishwaroop 2
U/A: Action, Thriller
Director: Kamal Haasan
Cast: Kamal Haasan, Rahul Bose, Pooja Kumar
Rating:

One can easily sense that there's a problem when a film, touted to be an espionage thriller, has no thrills. In that department, Vishwaroop 2 bites off more than it can chew. Thirty minutes into the Kamal Haasan starrer, it is clear that this is not one of the finest directorials to emerge from the Universal Hero's stable. There is no doubt that at 63, he is still one of the finest actors in our country -- this film too, is testimony to that. But as a director, Haasan struggles to fill the wide chasm that lies between the intention and the final execution.

The story picks up from where it left the viewers in Vishwaroop, but unnecessary flashbacks and subplots take away from the narrative rather than adding to it. The film tries to double cross the audience by stacking RAW Agent Major Wisam Ahmad Kashmiri's [Haasan] past against his present, without any explanation of the shifting timelines.

Without giving away much, the film is set in the present day, where Omar [Rahul Bose] is planning a catastrophic event in the UK. It is up to Wisam, wife Nirupama [Pooja Kumar], protege Ashmita [Andrea Jeremiah] and Colonel Jagannath [Shekhar Kapur] to save the world. We also have Waheeda Rehman who plays Haasan's mother and an Alzheimer patient, a plot that seems too forceful.

Watch the trailer:

There are some whistle-worthy dialogues, including the one where Haasan voices his opinion against the rising Islamophobia. But the problem is that the sequel is no match for the first part. The parts that are supposed to establish a connection between the audience and the characters are loosely written and over dramatically portrayed onscreen.

Vishwaroop 2 isn't unwatchable, but it is an inconsistent film that fills up the gaps between its many action sequences with ridiculous attempts at humour and drama. Haasan made my eyes well up with his heartwarming performances in Raja Paarvai, Sadma and Appu Raja. He even made me laugh with his humour in Pushpak and Chachi 420. Unfortunately, the superstar couldn't elicit in me, any of the emotions during Vishwaroop 2.

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