Starcast: Anil Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Jr. NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana, Varun Badola Direction: Ayan Mukerji Music: Pritam Revie...
Starcast: Anil Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Jr. NTR,
Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana, Varun Badola
Direction: Ayan Mukerji
Music: Pritam
Review:
War 2, the latest high-octane addition to the
YRF Spy Universe, has hit the theaters on August 14, 2025, just in time for
India’s Independence Day. Directed by Ayan Mukerji, this spy thriller brings
back Hrithik Roshan as the slick rogue agent Kabir, joined by Jr NTR in his
Bollywood debut as Vikram, with Kiara Advani, Anil Kapoor, and Ashutosh Rana
rounding out the key players. With a massive ₹400 crore budget, expectations
were sky-high for this one, and while it delivers some jaw-dropping moments, it
doesn’t quite live up to the hype of its predecessor. Here’s the lowdown.
Let’s start with what works, because War 2 does
have some serious eye candy. The cinematography by Benjamin Jasper is
straight-up gorgeous. This movie is a spectacle, hopping from neon-lit Tokyo
streets to snowy Swiss mountains, Spanish bridges, and Dubai’s glitzy waters.
Every frame feels like a postcard, with wide shots that make you want to pause
and soak in the scenery. There’s a car chase in Salamanca that’s a total
standout—cars flying, trains getting crushed, and the camera swooping in ways
that make your heart race. It’s the kind of visual flair that makes you forgive
a lot of sins, at least for a while. Mukerji’s knack for grand visuals, seen in
stuff like Brahmāstra, shines through, well, mostly.
The performances? Must say, the cast is firing on
all cylinders. Hrithik Roshan as Kabir is just amazing. He’s got that
effortless charisma, sliding into this role like it’s his second skin. Whether
he’s slicing through enemies with a katana or locking eyes with his co-star in
a tense moment, he’s magnetic. His physicality in the action scenes—sword
fights, mid-air stunts, you name it—is next-level, and he brings just enough
heart to make you care about Kabir’s murky loyalties. Then there’s Jr NTR as Vikram
(or Raghu, depending on the flashback). This guy’s plain electric. Even with
less screen time than you’d hope, he steals every scene he’s in. His intensity,
those witty one-liners like “Jo tune gulaam banke kiya, main azaad rehke kiya,”
and his ability to match Hrithik’s energy make their face-offs the heart of the
film. Their chemistry—part bromance, part rivalry—is the kind of stuff that
gets the audience cheering. Kiara Advani as Kavya Luthra is solid too, bringing
grit to her action scenes, even if the script doesn’t give her much to chew on.
Anil Kapoor and Ashutosh Rana are very good, Varun Badola is in fine form but
it’s Hrithik and NTR who carry this beast.
Now, here’s where War 2 stumbles hard. The
screenplay by Shridhar Raghavan feels like it’s trying to do too much and ends
up doing too little. The plot—Kabir going rogue, working for a shady syndicate
called Kali, and clashing with Vikram—sounds cool on paper, but it’s a mess in
execution. It’s like the writers threw in every spy trope they could think of:
betrayals, flashbacks, secret agendas, and a half-baked romance that goes
nowhere. The first half keeps you hooked with some slick action and a surprising
interval twist, but the second half drags like nobody’s business. A childhood
flashback meant to add depth feels like it’s from another movie, slowing things
down to almost a halt. The story just doesn’t have the emotional stakes to make
you care about all the double-crosses.
The dialogues, penned by Abbas Tyrewala, are
another letdown. While NTR gets a few zingers, most of the lines are
forgettable or straight-up cheesy. You’re waiting for that one iconic
catchphrase to chant along with, but it never comes. For a ₹400 crore movie,
the visual effects are shockingly patchy. Some scenes look like they were
rendered on a budget laptop. Green-screen work in the aerial stunts is
glaringly obvious, and moments that should feel epic—like characters surviving
insane falls—end up looking cartoonish. It’s a far cry from the polish of
Pathaan or even the first War. The VFX team needed to step up to match the
film’s ambition.
So, is War 2 worth your time? If you’re a fan of
Hrithik or NTR, absolutely—their star power and that killer chemistry make it a
fun big-screen ride. The cinematography is a feast, and the action, when it
hits, hits hard. But the weak screenplay, bland dialogues, and spotty VFX keep
it from being the game-changer it could’ve been. It’s not the weakest link in
the YRF Spy Universe (looking at you, Tiger 3), but it’s not the victory lap we
hoped for either. Grab some popcorn, enjoy the spectacle, well, that's about
it.... unfortunately .
By Ayushmaan Mitra
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