Jai Hind 2 Trailer
Like Ram Gopal Varma’s Aag.
So it’s no surprise when Arjun tries to live up to his ‘action-hero’ label in the movie. He sees himself as a social activist, the champion fighter, and every woman’s dream man. Quite like the guy in Shankar’s Gentleman, sans the well-built beefy abs. But the premise is all too familiar – a callous education system – just tweaked a little to suit 2014. He makes much of the war between private and government schools; the power and money involved in the former and the abject indifference shown to the latter.
But, Arjun flounders in execution. Save for some stylishly choreographed action scenes, Jai Hind-2 is an agonisingly long, rickety ride. Bland, cliched characters, crude comedy, and a squeaky clean hero are all that we find in this 153-minute long action saga.
The movie opens aboard a yacht. A bikini-clad girl walks towards a man lounging on a chair. A quick call later, he walks out of the frame, catches a flight. Next thing we know, he aims a gun at our hero. The camera quickly flits past many forlorn faces. And, one after the other, we listen to them recount their tale; everything to do with the now-wounded hero.
*****
Abhimanyu (Arjun) is a computer programmer-turned-Karate master and a general messiah. Circumstances force him to wield a club against the education system in the country. And soon enough, the hunter becomes the hunted.
At every possible turn, we are shown a sample of Abhimanyu’s fighting prowess. The first time, he gives back to a gang of wannabe boxers, which also happens to be the setting for moral sermon # 1: Do something for the society. Jai Bajrangbali. Jai Hind.
When not fighting, Abhimanyu bares his torso. Similar to Jodha Akbar, he lets the heroine (Surveen Chawla) gape at his bulging biceps and bare chest in wide-eyed admiration.
And for a change, she woos him.
*****
Soon, more muscle arrives in the form of Bollywood actor Rahul Dev. And, the baddies are evenly distributed across various parts of the world – London to Chennai. There’s the kohl-eyed one, the grumpy villain, the sophisticate and the beef-cake.
Recommended
After a while, we grow tired just watching Abhimanyu flex his muscles.
*****
Surveen Chawla saves the day; and except for her, there’s not a single memorable performance. The comic relief provided by Brahmanandam is probably the most infuriating part of the movie, and the segment that leads to Abhimanyu’s transformation could have been crafted better.
But yes, something good did come off it all: a one-page story in Men’s Health about the 52-year-old actor’s fitness secrets.
*****
The Arjunin Jai Hind-2 review is a Silverscreen original article. It was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the movie. Silverscreen.in and its writers do not have an advertising relationship with movies that are reviewed on the site.