War 2 - Sleek, Stylish & Entertaining


Rating : 3/5

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Jr NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana, Anil Kapoor, Varun Badola, Dishita Sehgal, K.C. Shankar

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Writers: Sridhar Raghavan, Abbas Tyrewala, Aditya Chopra

Duration: 2 hours 50 minutes

On the surface (and backed by a massive budget), War 2 proudly carries forward the hallmarks of the YRF Spy Universe—flashy, globe-spanning locations from Japan to Spain, Italy to Abu Dhabi, and even icy caves in Switzerland.

Narratively, it's a familiar spy thriller loop: Kabir (Hrithik Roshan) reemerges as a rogue agent, only to be revealed as working undercover. A revamped R&AW unleashes their best operative, Vikram (Jr NTR), to bring him down, sparking a classic enemies-turned-allies bromance. Cue betrayals, dramatic flashbacks, and themes of patriotism versus modern-day nationalism. 

Despite the franchise’s commercial motivations, the casting feels somewhat logical. The movie reflects a real-world conversation about democracy and power dynamics. Even the tone and filmmaking change based on which hero is onscreen—Vikram’s scenes come with devotional background scores and mass-appeal stunts, while Kabir's are styled with sleek Western flair. Their contrasting personalities are neatly rooted in their upbringing—one street-smart and steeped in single-screen cinema, the other posh and Bond-obsessed.

Then there’s the ideological conflict at the core of the film. The idea of characters like Kabir and Pathaan representing an "old-school" brand of patriotism struggling to stay relevant is compelling. 

Ultimately, the antagonists have a clear (if sinister) vision of the India they want to control, while the heroes fight blindly for a vague, undefined sense of duty. They don’t question their purpose — perhaps because they’re not allowed to. Their loyalty is more inherited than chosen.

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