Suspend logic and there’s plenty to enjoy in action thriller

HIGH-KICKING star Vidyut Jammwal may have become the number one action hero in Bollywood today, but pretty much all of his films have two things in common.

The first is the actor’s incredible fighting ability and the second is a poor storyline. His latest film, which premiered recently on streaming site Hotstar follows a similar formula.

This time around, the hero is at a hospital with his wife when it is taken over by dangerous bad guys. What follows is large group of heavily armed hoodlums holding an entire hospital, including the leading man’s wife, hostage and a one-man army using all his combat abilities to take them on.

What can best be described as a poor man’s Die Hard in a hospital starts off with a slow build-up before going into full-on action mode. Chiselled hero Vidyut demonstrates all his action skills in a series of high-octane sequences and does the kind of stunt work that other commercial Hindi film heroes don’t ever attempt.

Those who enjoy action will like all the various set pieces that are scattered throughout the film, but not surprisingly, the story is predictable and has plot holes that you can drive a tank through. There isn’t really too much scope for compelling performances, or any time for high drama, and the villains are rather caricature like at times.

Action movie fans won’t mind the lack of story too much and will appreciate Jammwal’s incredible combat talent. He has a magnetic screen presence and shows off the kind of moves that are more associated with a Hollywood film.

A much better director and improved writing would have undoubtedly elevated this film to a higher level, but if you completely switch off logic, there is plenty to enjoy in this action entertainer.

Starring: Vidyut Jammwal, Neha Dhupia, Rukmini Maitra, Chandan Roy Sanyal Director: Kanishk Varma