vinayaksrivastava-20682

Furiosa: A Mad Max saga is a terrific odyssey that not only serves as a great companion piece to Mad Max: Fury Road, but is also an exhilarating experience in its own right. Wonderful performances, state-of-the-art stunt work and an unconventional audiovisual storytelling style make this one of the best theatre experiences of the year.

Furiosa adopts an episodic storytelling approach, spanning nearly 20 years over the course of 5 chapters. A particularly bold choice was focusing the first 2 chapters (that amount to nearly half the runtime) on a younger version of Furiosa(played by Alyla Browne), with Anya-Taylor Joy being introduced only towards the end of the first half. This does make the chapters feel a bit disjointed and incoherent, but is integral to the development of the lead character.

Another bold choice was the adoption of a more subtle compared to Fury Road, with a greater emphasis on character-building moments compared to action set-pieces. While some may find this disappointing, I found the balance between action and drama to be just right. That being said, the action scenes in this film are a work of art. The stunt work mesmerising, the visual effects are gorgeous and the raw, guttural sound design(with a subtle use of the background score) adds to the tension.

Anya-Taylor Joy does a fabulous job of replacing Charlize Theron as Furiosa, perfectly portraying the emotional torment that her character endures over the course of the film. Alyla Browne delivers one of the best child performances of recent times, and Chris Hemsworth steals the show as Dementus. He is funny, psychotic and completely relentless, which is exactly what you'd expect from someone named Dementus. Tom Burke is also brilliant as Praetorian Jack, whose relationship with Furiosa deepens the emotional core of the film.

While Furiosa: A Mad Max saga may not answer all the questions about Fury Road, it is a really good character study and an enriching prequel that has the great blend of action, drama and emotion. It is truly a privilege to see George Miller's enduring passion and dedication towards his signature franchise.

If I were asked to summarise Yodha in a single word, it would be generic. The protagonist is a disobedient and impulsive army official who can do no wrong and can single-handedly fend off heavy artillery with ease. The antagonists are paper-thin characters whose sole purpose is to spread terror and capture Kashmir(of course!). The action sequences are steeped in nationalism, patriotism and machismo. Oh, and not to mention the physics-defying superhuman stunts. If these are the qualities you are looking for in a movie, have at it, but its tiresome to see the lack of novelty and artistry in Bollywood action films today.

Let us give credit where its due - Siddharth Malhotra is by far the strongest asset of the film, and has a natural aura and charisma that is palpable every time he is onscreen, whether he is punching and shooting his way through the barrage of terrorists raining down on him or sharing a heartfelt moment with his wife. His sheer commitment to the role of Arun Katyal may compel you to forgive some of the nonsensical aspects of the plot. The action is also choreographed and shot surprisingly well, especially considering the modest budget of the movie.

Unfortunately, the rest of the cast does not match Malhotra's level of performance. Disha Patani plays Laila, an air hostess aboard the hijacked flight and reaffirms that her acting isn't still on par with her beauty. Rashi Khanna looks and feels clueless in her performance as Priya Katyal, Arun's wife. The rest of the supporting cast is also disappointing.

The writing is undeniably formulaic and predictable. There is some intrigue and suspense that is established towards the end of the first half of the film. I was interested to see the direction in which the second half would go. Disappointingly, the second half is as predictable as it gets. Attempted twists that fall flat, action that gets tedious as the film progresses and the dialogue is inexcusably bad. It all felt like a missed opportunity to create something genuinely different and unique.

Overall, Yodha is a forgettable aerial thriller that is saved by Siddharth Malhotra's charismatic performance and some decently filmed action.