Plot flaws don’t diminish a technical masterpiece

Shankar

Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson ★★★★✩ CONCEIVED as a sequel to the 2010 international blockbuster Ehdhiran, 2.0 is slated to be the most expensive movie to come out of India, raising great expectations.

Add to this the superstar Rajinikanth, Bollywood sensation Akshay Kumar and UK export Amy Jackson, and expectations soared even further. So does 2.0 deliver?

Plot: Pakshiraja (Kumar) is an ageing ornithologist angered by the destruction of countless birds as a result of radiation emitted from cellphone towers.

On his suicide, Pakshiraja is transformed into a massive angry bird created by a multitude of disembodied cellphones.

Chitti (Rajinikanth) the brainchild of Dr Vaseegaran (Rajinikanth), saves mankind from annihilation at the hands of Pakshiraj.

Enabling Chitti in this mission is Nila (Amy Jackson)

Verdict: Over the years, Tamil cinema has reached amazing heights in its technical excellence and 2.0 raises the benchmark.

Shankar’s vision to take Indian cinema to greater heights is applauded.

Shankar is joined by an equally excellent technical crew that includes double Oscar winner AR Rahman, Resul Pookutty (Slumdog Millionaire), Nirav Shah (Dhoom 2) and National Award-winning editor Anthony to produce a technical marvel in 2.0.

Rajinikanth’s screen presence overwhelms and he carries the movie together with Kumar, whose performance is impressive. Jackson is adequate, given the limited scope of her character.

Recommendation: 2.0 defies logic in places, but its technical brilliance allows one to pardon these flaws. A relevant script, taut screenplay and mind-blowing VFX makes for repeated viewing.