Directed by Apoorva
Lakhia, Zanjeer 2.0 starring Priyanka Chopra and Ram Charan is nothing close to
the original version which had Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. The film
comes off more as a typical Bollywood masala flick than an action thriller. No,
we aren’t saying there is no action. Of course there is, with numerous fights
in the film… in fact, so many that after a while we lose track of who is bashing
up whom and why, but these brawls fail to create too much of an impression.
Unlike the original film
which begins with the murder of Vijay Khanna’s parents, the remake starts with
a squalid item number ‘Chahe jitni guzaarish kar le’ and though the director
had promised that his item girl would take the industry by storm, this one is
definitely thanda. We’ve certainly seen better! Once the song ends, Ram Charan
(ACP Vijay Khanna) wakes up to his oft-repeated nightmare, of a hooded man
killing his parents. A sweaty Ram vents his frustration on a punching bag – the
scene would’ve looked very hot if it wasn’t for Ram himself! Soon after, the
fight sequences begin, one following the other in quick succession. Ram
single-handedly and very violently fights off a politician and his goons, which
results in his being transferred for the umpteenth time. This scene reveals one
truth: politics always triumphs over what’s right!
No, the romance between
Bollywood Stars Piggy Chops
and Teja doesn’t begin until Ram shelters Priyanka in his home when she’s
almost killed and loses all her belongings. How sweet, no? That’s not all,
though. Ram, like any good superhero, is always at the right place at the right
time to save the damsel in distress.
The villain, played by
Prakash Raj (Rudraprakash Teja) is rudra in every possible way. He is cruel,
violent, brutal, savage and barbarous. We love this bad man! Mahie Gill (Mona
darling) plays his horny mistress. While there’s no chemistry between the two,
their cheesy dialogues convey their relationship.
The cinematography is
not bad. In fact, the camera angles are just right, especially while capturing
Ram Charan. But despite that he doesn’t have a strong screen presence. Some
dialogues by Priyanka and Prakash hit the target. The songs were forced and one
or two less would have worked well to help us stay in our seats instead of
restively longing for the interval.
Of course, the film has
a happy Bollywood ending with the triumph of good over evil. In fact, after
watching the last scene, it seems as if the makers are hoping to do a sequel to
Zanjeer 2.0 – as if the remake wasn’t enough! Priyanka’s fans can enjoy this
one for her presence, but anyone hoping to watch some great action is likely to
be disappointed…
