'Kabzaa' movie review: Much ado about nothing

Kabzaa

Kannada (Theatres)

Director: R Chandru

Cast: Upendra, Sudeep, Shivarajkumar, Shriya Saran

Rating: 2/5

R Chandru had called 'Kabzaa' the "next big thing in Indian cinema". It was a tall claim but people gave the film a chance. However, after watching it, they won't think twice to scoff at how seriously the film takes itself. Chandru has the least regard for his audience as he narrates a tame story in the incoherent manner possible. Warning to those who haven't watched it: Beyond a point, you are sure to throw your hands up in exhaustion.

Filmmakers blindly following a trend is not a new phenomenon in the Kannada film industry. Post the 'KGF' films, directors are setting their stories in bygone eras for the sake of it. There are no solid reasons why our filmmakers are producing period dramas.

In 'Kabzaa', Upendra plays Arkeshwara, the son of a freedom fighter. The film begins in pre-independence time. A pilot at the Indian Air Force, Arkeshwar is known for his innocent demeanour. But a personal tragedy transforms him into a beast and he emerges as an underworld don who goes on a killing spree to build his empire.

An innocent getting drawn to the underworld is a done-to-death plotline. If Chandru had to explore only this idea, what was his point in setting the film in a different era? The answer, as we all know and to some extent confessed by the director himself, is the 'KGF' franchise.

It's okay to compliment a popular film or even pay homage to it. It's amazing if you can outdo it. 'Kabzaa' does none of these. It is a bad attempt at replicating a movie. Pinpointing shocking similarities between the two films is futile because by now they have become obvious. In simple terms, it's safe to say 'Kabzaa' has unabashedly tried to match the look (sets, and costumes) and feel (dialogues, story, and background score) of the 'KGF' franchise.

With 'Kabzaa', Chandru gives more fodder to his "all talk and no show" reputation which he has for long tried to dismiss. His boastful talks are sure to haunt him as people aren't going to let go of his off-colour storytelling. The screenplay is all over the place and the plot runs in circles. The terrible lip sync is by-product of casting non-native actors (Shriya Sharan, Murali Sharma) just to cash in on the pan-India wave.

For someone who rose the ranks making love stories ('Taj Mahal', 'Charminar'), it's appalling how Chandru didn't realise the lead pair (Shriya and Upendra) had zero chemistry while filming their portions. There is less romance and more melodrama between them. The action sequences are bereft of creativity. You see villains beheaded, blood splashed everywhere, and hear unending bullet sounds yet there is not one scene that will shake you in disbelief. It's laughable how the film gives too much importance to its toothless villains.

Apart from Chandru, the second person who should reinvent himself post 'Kabzaa' is composer Ravi Basrur. He seems to have forgotten the meaning of subtlety and freshness. People's tolerance for his 'KGF'-like scores has reached a saturation point.

Upendra is an actor who revels in idiosyncratic roles. His eccentric dialogue delivery can bring the roof down. With such an actor at his disposal, what Chandru does is unacceptable as he presents Upendra as a bland protagonist, who lacks screen presence. In fact, Upendra speaks less. He just walks out of vintage cars in slow motions to gun down his rivals.

The cameos of Sudeep and Shivarajkumar appear forced and further expose Chandru's lack of imagination. The climax shoddily aims to recreate the euphoria caused by the Rolex character (essayed by Suriya) in 'Vikram'. The climax is confusing and makes you wonder where Chandru is taking this poorly-scripted film.

'Kabzaa' is a clueless film with little emphasis on emotional resonance. For all its showboating notwithstanding, it lacks a soul to make us care for it.