Heeramandi is a stunning magnum opus, but leaves a lot to be desired
His vigilantism, although impractical, will make you want to question your dependence on the mobile phones. Can we really limit our daily usage of phones and social media? In the times of 5G, would we not complain if we don't get a strong mobile signal?
Pakshi Rajan's angst about overuse of cellphones killing the birds isn't very convincing in the film. It is not a cause you fight for or a thought you leave the theatres with. Also, the science that director Shankar makes the central theme of the villain -- negative aura and energy manifesting into an evil bird -- left us dumbfounded.
Shankar has heavily invested himself in the film, taking care of the story, screenplay and direction of 2.0 and presents few striking visuals. The scenes in the first half of the cellphones forming a big wave and engulfing perpetrators in it, entering the human body and exploding them are striking, but lose novelty when repeated on three characters. With a weak storyline to hold it together, the film ends up being underwhelming.
Given the big budget he had at his disposal, he seemed to have overindulged in the VFX to a point where you just want it to wrap up. A duel between the gaint-sized Chitti and Pakshi Rajan in the sports arena would probably be one stand out scene in 2.0 along with Chitti opening fire through revolving guns (borrowed from Enthiran).
The filmmakers completely miss the point of conveying the message about cellphone overuse with the harsh tone they employ. Crazy fans won't mind the film owning to their adulation for Rajinikanth and the freshness of seeing Akshay Kumar in a negative role. But are those reasons enough?
The film ends with a scary possibility of another sequel, titled 3.0. For me, I was content with the entertaining Chitti in Enthiran and the makers could have just stopped there.
anita@khaleejtimes.com
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson
Director: Shankar Shanmugam
Ratings: 3/5
Heeramandi is a stunning magnum opus, but leaves a lot to be desired
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