K.G.F: Chapter 2 (2022) - Exhilaration is defined.

THE most anticipated movie of all times is finally here. The movie gods showed mercy and bestowed upon us a feast for our senses, like water on parched lips. Like moth to flame, we sacrifice ourselves at the brilliance of it all. It would have been sacrilege to release this movie on OTT as systems such as IMAX were built because one day, movies such as KGF would be made. And I thank the makers for waiting it out and unleashing it in the theatres 🙏. It is no small feat to hold out in an unpredictable world and I applaud the guts here. Teaser. Trailer.

Like how you hesitate approaching the sunshine of your life in college, I didn't even watch the trailer till a few hours prior to experiencing the movie. True story. So sacred is the image in my brain.

This movie is written and directed by Prashanth Neel, cinematography is by Bhuvan Gowda, art direction is by Shivakumar and music is by Ravi Barsur.

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The narration style is similar to that of Chapter 1, so the movie happens in the present day and we're taken on a nail - biting ride to the past. It is a tense moment in the history of KGF and we see how Rocky, the protagonist consolidates power after proving himself. His rise is meteoric, and he is unstoppable.  His introduction is earth - shattering ! We see the reason behind the ascent and the driving force behind Rocky's actions. It has it's roots to a word given during his childhood and I loved this fact, that he went to all lengths to fulfil his promise. I was sad I couldn't get a chance to watch chapter 1 again before watching this movie.   

I tripped completely on the set decoration - the colours gold and black are everywhere. It's a blitzkrieg of abundance and the effect is nothing short of mesmerizing. I was totally stunned experiencing this and was wondering where on earth they have shot these scenes. Opulence has been redefined. 

The colour grading effect exceeded the tough, dark world of KGF chapter1, which I thought was already  peerless. I loved it even more here, so you can imagine the visual cornucopia here. The retro era of the 70s & 80s have been painstakingly recreated. I loved gawking at the wonderful vintage cars. Of course, the thrill and happiness of soaking in the shots of GEC2 at Infosys Mysore were next level. 

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The fight scenes have been choreographed expertly. Rocky Vs Adheera is an adrenaline high and the police station scene is just out of the world. I remembered the movies Terminator and The matrix during this sequence. It was just brutal! The editing is totally wild! Of the multiple exhilarating moments in the movie, I place the car chases sequence at the top. This sequence is top class, and we're blessed with much required quiet moments to catch our breath, in the blank frames.

The BGM is seared onto the brain and upon listening to it, lost civilizations rise from the ashes. If you're ever feeling down, listen to it and I guarantee you'll be crushing it afterwards. The dialogues are amazing 😍 and each punchline elicited a hundred whistles from us crazy fans in the theater. I cannot begin to imagine how insane it would have been to experience this movie back home. 

Some beautiful tributes from our fans:

ಪ್ರಪಂಚದಲ್ಲಿರೋ ಚಿನ್ನವನೆಲ್ಲ ಕನ್ನಡಕ್ಕೆ ತಂದುಕೊಡುವ ದಿನ ಏಪ್ರಿಲ್ 14

" April 14th will be the day when all the gold in the world will be bestowed to Karnataka   "

ನಮ್ಮ ಹೆಮ್ಮೆಯ ಹೀರೋ ಅಪ್ಪು ಸರ್ ಖಂಡಿತ ದೇವಲೋಕದಿಂದ ನೋಡುವರು

"Our beloved hero  Appu (power star Puneeth Rajkumar will surely watch and appreciate from the heavens  "

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Srinidhi Shetty' is the full moon, obscured by clouds, providing us succor in the nightmare of  a terrifying, inky night. She flits like an angel over the dangerous grounds of KGF. Although she has done a superb job here, I felt her potential was still left unexplored. It will be interesting to watch which movies she signs after this franchise. The Kannada film industry is in a precarious situation I feel when it comes to the leading ladies and a lot of hopes will be on her.

Sanjay Dutt's character, Adheera is beyond description. He is the prophet of doom, a force majeure, unstoppable avalanche set to destroy all in his path. He is the volcano who threatens to incinerate everything he sees.  The craziness in his eyes is pitched head on with the calculated madness in Rocky's eyes. His hairstyle, clothes, tattoos, his menacing presence sent chills down my spine. His introduction sequence itself is worthy of a few paragraphs. It's been shot beautifully and it is here you realize the resplendence of the VFX. No expense has been spared in this department to create the  elements of this scary world.

Raveena Tandon as Ramika Sen has done justice to her role and each and every dialogue makes it's impact. She is decisive and has the final word and talks like a person who is in charge, indeed. 

It is extremely difficult to make a chapter 2 of anything. I remember the Matrix movies here. And to make a good chapter 2 is a labour of love and hope of thousands of people. We've not been let down. Good things come to those who wait 🙏.

To be honest, I was a little saddened that this piece of art wasn't bestowed upon us a lot in Chapter 2. I really missed this a lot, because it had become the defining tune from Chapter 1 for me. Like in life, nothing is perfect. Similarly, here I strongly object to two aspects in this movie. Give me a call and we can talk about this at length. 

A film and franchise like this will never age, it is timeless. No matter how many times you watch the trailer or listen to the dialogues, the exhilaration won't diminish. The feelings these movies evoke are priceless and I consider myself fortunate to live in this era of such magnificent experiences. 

Check out my review of Chapter 1 here. How did you feel after watching this movie? Let me know in the comments.

(Thanks, Krips, for the insights and for proofreading ;) )