FORCE 2

Viacom18 Motion Pictures, JA Entertainment, Sunshine Pictures Pvt. Ltd. and Cinema Capital’s Force 2 (UA) is a sequel to Force.

Three RAW agents in China are murdered. While disowning the agents for obvious reasons, the government of India, nevertheless, sends a RAW agent, KK (Sonakshi Sinha), and a trusted police officer, Yashvardhan (John Abraham), to investigate.

Just before they are to embark on the investigation, Yashvardhan receives a book as a gift from his friend, Harish (Farhad), who is one of the slain RAW agents. Decoding the message written by Harish on the book, Yash­vardhan realises that he and KK would have to go to Budapest to catch the murderer.

In Budapest, the prime suspect is Shiv (Tahir Raj Bhasin). Yashvardhan and KK are hot on Shiv’s trail but they miss the chance to nab him and bring him to India. However, it is amply clear that Shiv is the guy who has murdered the three RAW agents. Two more agents are killed even as investigations are underway.

Along the way, Yashvardhan and KK get to know some details about Shiv, which help them in their probe. They realise, Shiv has a more sinister plan in place.

What is the ultimate plan of Shiv? Why is he against RAW agents? What are the details which Yashvardhan and KK learn about Shiv while they are in the thick of the investigations? Are Yashvardhan and KK able to nab Shiv? Do they foil his final plan?

Parveez Shaikh and Jasmeet K. Reen have written a story which has some novelty. But the impact of the novelty pales into insignificance once Shiv’s motives are revealed. It is then that the audience gets the feeling that Shiv’s anger is misdirected. The audience is also not convinced that Shiv should have gone about killing innocent RAW agents, because his ultimate aim was something else. Since the RAW agents are, in a sense, grey characters, there is nothing as cent per cent right and cent per cent wrong in this area. That is to say, the viewer could sympathise with the government’s stand of disowning agents when confronted with the question of whether they are agents, or he could disapprove of the same. Likewise, the viewer could feel sympathy for the family of the murdered RAW agents so much that he may feel that any step by the family members is justified, or the viewer could feel that the family members of the RAW agents should not react because the consequences come with the job. The way the story has been written, it is doubtful whether the audience would go with the drama – and this is the biggest problem with the story.

The duo’s screenplay is good in parts. The first half, especially, is fast-paced and exciting, what with several of the action and chase sequences being breathtaking. Of course, repetition does take its toll before interval but yet, the first half manages to sustain the audience’s interest. The problem starts after interval when the truth about Shiv and the rationale behind his actions and his ultimate aim are revealed one by one. Each revelation takes the interest level of the audience down rather than up because the audience starts questioning Shiv’s actions in the given circumstances. Besides, the screenplay suddenly appears to be about just one man’s eccentricities more than anything else. Worse still, the viewers can’t fathom why Shiv chose RAW agents to murder, given the background of his own family!

The second half’s screenplay is not upto the mark. What engages the audience after interval is, therefore, only action. The screenplay is also lopsided because the film has absolutely no comedy, no relief, no romance and no emotions. Songs fail to have the desired impact. Dialogues, written by the duo, are good but not outstanding.

John Abraham plays ACP Yashvardhan effectively. He looks the character and convinces the audience that he can do just about anything. Sonakshi Sinha gets into the skin of KK’s character and performs ably. Tahir Raj Bhasin excels. He is fantastic in the role of Shiv. His acting is praiseworthy. Narendra Jha impresses as Anjan. Adil Hussain leaves a mark as the HRD minister. Raj Babbar has a brief role as home secretary and he is good. Shubhangi Latkar (as Rudra’s mother) and Muskaan Tomar (as Rudra’s sister) lend able support. Genelia (D’souza) Deshmukh leaves a mark in a minuscule special appearance. Farhad is impactful as RAW agent Harish. Pramod Pathak (as Samant) and Patricia Mittler (as Martinez) are adequate. Others provide average support.

Abhinay Deo’s direction is good but his choice of subject is not so. Also, he has resorted to making the drama engaging by offering stylised action more than by giving arresting content. Music (Amaal Malik and Gourov Roshin) is functional; the songs are fair. Lyrics (Kumaar and Rashmi Virag) are alright. Ahmed Khan and Firoz Khan’s choreography is okay. Prasad Sashte’s background music is very loud but effective. Camerawork (by Imre Juhasz and Mohana Krishna) is very good. Franz Spilhaus’ action, stunts and chase sequences are exciting and will be loved by youngsters and masses. But the excessive violence will, to an extent, put off the family and ladies audiences. Production designing (by Attila ‘Digi’ Kovari and Aparna Raina) is appropriate. Editing (by Amitabh Shukla and Sanjay Sharma) is quite sharp.

On the whole, Force 2 has more style and less substance of the convincing type. It will, therefore, not be a force to reckon with at the box-office. Rather, it will entail losses.