Twenty-eight years is a long time to wait for a sequel. But this is Kamal Haasan and his iconic character Senapathy which means Indian 2: Zero Tolerance has been awash with plenty of media hype and frenzied fan anticipation.
Does the most talked about release of the year live up to expectations?
Indian 2: Zero Tolerance, the sequel to the much-celebrated movie Indian, was released to much fanfare, but does it live up to the viewer’s expectations?
Just before the movie starts, a warning sign appears: “Corruption causes cancer. Corruption kills.”
Viewers may not have noticed this, but it is Kamal’s voice and immediately signals that corruption is the core theme of the movie.
The movie begins with the introduction of five youth and their leader Chitra Aravindan (played by Siddharth).
The team posts satirical drama on the YouTube channel Barking Dogs, re-enacting real events with animation character on corrupt practices and this does not sit well with politicians and police.
Meanwhile, a graduate teacher named Sunitha falls to death. Her suicide unravels corruption in the teaching profession, and this angers the five to protest and starts #comebackindian on social media.
Then, the story shifts to Senapathy, who had been living undercover as a martial art teacher in Shifen, Taipei. He was bidding his time to return to India, after escaping from the police in 1996.
Senapathy comes back but to a much worse world than what he left decades ago. Every sphere of public and private sector has been affected by corrupt practices and the bribery amount increased from 10–20 lakhs (RM55.3 million–RM110 million) in the 1990s to 1,000 crores.
From hero to zero
Upon returning, Senapathy motivates youngsters to expose corrupt practices among their own family because “cleaning should start at home first before expanding to the country” while he goes on a mission to kill greedy, selfish and powerfully connected business tycoons.
Unfortunately, these youth land in trouble as their family members get arrested and jailed, and in the case of Chitra, his mother commits suicide, causing public outrage.
The nation turned its back on Senapathy.
What happens next? Wait for the sequel Indian 3 in 2025.
Freedom fighter-turned-anti-graft buster
Kamal reprises one of his most iconic roles Senapathy, and he did not let audiences down with his performance. His portrayal of the patriot with a strong, undeterred mind focused on eliminating criminals without mercy appeals to the audience.
The actor maintains the authenticity of the role in every way, including his ageing voice, silky white hair, body language and even the vintage knife he uses to slay corrupters. Nonetheless, Kamal’s prosthetic makeup has visible flaws and his appearance varies slightly throughout the film.
The character evolved from a retired old man living in the village (in the first movie) to embracing modern technology and keeping up with social media posts. His action scenes, in which he unveils ancient Varmam martial arts, are something to behold.
Actor Siddharth, on the other hand, brings his youthful energy to the character and captivates viewers with his rebellious streak and righteous mind.
Best is yet to come?
In general, the film conveys a positive message on need to eradicate corruption in society.
The film exposes high-level corruption among politicians and business magnates, as well as the damage they cause to lives, including death. While the hero’s “punishment” serves as a lesson and instils fear from committing the crime.
The film shows the harsh reality of how someone could be brought down by a single hashtag on social media. Life can completely change in a matter of hours.
However, the subject matter of corruption is a little too “heavy” to watch throughout the entire movie. There are just too many bribery stories “compacted” into two hours and 55 minutes. Lyca Productions trimmed 12 minutes, several days later.
Although it kept us glued with unexpected turns and emotional scenes, it lacked the fun, comedy and good soundtrack that made the first movie a superhit.
The songs composed by famous music composer Anirudh lacked excitement. Perhaps director S. Shankar should have continued with A.R. Rahman who did such a splendid job with the score of the first film.
Shankar is known for making modern, entertaining films that highlight thought-provoking issues. Despite having all the components, the film fell short of the high expectations, especially considering that it was made almost three decades later. Nevertheless, viewers should still catch this blockbuster as it still has plenty of positives, even if it does not scale the cinematic heights of the original.
After the film concluded, a scene from Indian 3 depicts a younger Senapathy fighting British officers in the pre-independent years, hinting that the next instalment may be a prequel.
Indian 2 is showing in the cinemas, now.
