Movie: Karthikeya 2
Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: Abhishek Agarwal Arts & People Media Factory,
Cast: Nikhil Siddartha, Anupama Parameswaran, Anupam Kher, Aditya Menon, KS Sridhar, Srinivas Reddy, Satya, Praveen, Harsha Chemudu, and others
Music: Kaala Bhaiarava
DOP: Karthik Ghattamaneni
Production Designer: Saahi Suresh
Producers: TG Vishwa Prasad, Abhishek Agarwal
Written and Directed by: Chandoo Mondeti
Release Date: Aug 13, 2022
Director Chandoo Mondeti gained a name with “Karthikeya”, a thriller. It took him eight years to make a sequel. The film’s trailer was a roaring success. Nikhil is hoping to gain pan-Indian success with this thriller.
Let’s find out its merits and demerits.
Story:
Karthikeya (Nikhil Siddharth), a doctor, gets suspended from the hospital when he beats up a mayor for performing yagam in ICU. His mother takes him to Dwaraka in Gujarat for mokku.
In Dwaraka, an archaeologist before breathing his last tells Karthikeya that he is the savior and the chosen one to complete a mission.
The archaeologist’s granddaughter Mugdha (Anupama Parameswaran) rescues him and they dig deeper into the mysterious incidents that happened. They discover a secret society that protects Lord Krishna’s anklet.
Artistes' Performances:
As an actor, Nikhil has given what is required for the role. The role requires him to do simple acts, and he does it neatly.
Anupama Parameswaran is more of a companion to Nikhil like Srinivasa Reddy and Harsha Chemudu. She gets her due in one or two scenes, though.
Aditya Menon’s role lacks clarity. Anupam Kher appears as a blind professor and leaves an impact in the final moments.
Technical Excellence:
Music, production design, and cinematography should be at the top class for these kinds of thrillers. Director Chandoo Mondeti fails to extract the right output from the music department. No scene was elevated with Kala Bhairava's background score leaving the audience without experiencing any goosebumps moment.
Karthik Ghattamaneni’s camera work is sufficient for the theme. The editing should have been sharper. The dialogue writing serves the purpose. The visual effects are sufficient. The producers have put in a lot of money for the grand look of the movie.
Highlights:
The theme
The final 30 minutes
Grand production
Drawback:
Inconsistency in the first half
Too many cinematic liberties
Analysis
When Chandoo Mondeti’s “Karthikeya” was released in 2014, it stunned many for its theme and convincing narration. It was a riveting thriller with all commercial elements. The first part is rich in content and narration.
The second film in the franchise doesn’t talk about the first part, and has a different setting and altogether new mission for the protagonist. Like in the first part, the protagonist is the same Karthik, who believes in science rather than religion and god.
“Karthikeya 2”, however, focuses on the transformation of Karthik from a non-believer to a believer. This one is mounted on a grand scale to appeal to the pan-Indian audiences, especially the Hindi audiences, and a high dose of Hindu mythology and religion are incorporated. Lately, Hindi audiences are embracing films that glorify our culture, Hinduism, and our great history.
“Karthikeya 2” is a calculated effort. However, director Chandoo Mondeti has a story that is based on historical and mythological references, which have enough scope for drama and suspense. The film goes the same way as Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones series with the elements of “The Da Vinci Code”.
The film takes plenty of time to come to the point. The first half is loose. The narration turns gripping from the second half. With the story moving forward to different locations, the grand visuals and visual effects enthrall the audience. The story behind Lord Shri Krishna’s anklet and the mystery surrounding a telescope and a metal statue of a peacock draws us into it.
But the overall graph of the film lacks consistency. It has many ups and downs. Gopichand starrer “Sahasam” has a similar narrative structure. So, a bit of déjà vu appears.
Despite these faults, the final moments make up everything and the grander is another asset.
All in all, the film has engaging moments in the second half and grand production values. Despite the inconsistency in narrative and logical issues, the film makes a passable watch.
Bottom line: Engages in parts