It is not every day that one gets to see a film crammed with action, absurdity, and plain chaos in a single package, but Indian 2 does that and a bit more. For a movie whose sequel its fans have patiently waited for over two decades, the result—well, isn’t quite that. Instead of a gripping sequel to Shankar’s 1996 vigilante drama, we get an unintentional parody of what happens when you combine endless action sequences, elaborately goofy murder techniques, and a script that reads like it was written in a hurry—or maybe under the influence of some really dodgy substances.
First of all, the so-called “plot” resembles a house of cards built by an incompetent builder: it collapses under the sheer weight of its absurdity. A geriatric vigilante, Senapathy, played by Kamal Haasan, returns to rid the world of corruption; this time around, though, he seems armed not with a moral compass but an arsenal of hilariously contrived killing methods. Where you think the original Indian had its fair share of creative deaths, Indian 2 takes it to a whole new level. Picture some over-enthusiastic kid in with a toy box full of murder weapons. It’s almost like the filmmakers sat down and asked, “How ridiculous can we make these killings?” and then just went all out.
One would think that a gap that long between an original and its sequel would engender a tight, well-thought-out script. Unfortunately, Indian 2 seems to have chucked that notion out the window in order to pack as much action as it can into its runtime. It’s almost as if the film is terrified to slow down, to let the audience catch their breath—or heaven forbid, think about what’s happening on screen. The result is a frenetic mess of a movie that, while very weirdly funny, never really has any type of stakes. When every other scene has somebody being dispatched in an increasingly ludicrous fashion, who really cares about the characters or their supossed motivations? The plot, such as it is, has a raison d’être in more and more action; any semblance of logic or coherence is sacrificed at the altar of spectacle.
But let’s talk about the real elephant in the room: Kamal Haasan’s performance. For an actor who has built a career off versatile, nuanced portrayals, this Senapathy in Indian 2 is almost shockingly off-key. It’s as if Haasan himself is going through the motions because there isn’t any conviction behind it. Perhaps it is the weight of the prosthetics or the emotional burden to bring a character alive after so many years, but Haasan’s performance here is far removed from the powerful presence that he exuded in the original Indian. Instead, we get a Senapathy who is tired, out of place, and more than a little confused about what he’s supposed to be doing.
Of course, it’s not all bad. There are moments of Indian 2 which are genuinely entertaining, though not always for the reasons the filmmakers intended. Though action sequences are over the top, they are fun to watch and slickly choreographed with a level of skill impressive in and of itself. There’s a kind of guilty pleasure that can be taken in watching the sheer madness unfold on screen, akin to a train wreck unfolding in slow motion—you cannot quite believe what you are seeing, and yet you cannot look away either.
These are the sorts of production values that are expected from a Shankar project. The cinematography is slick, the special effects impressive (even if a bit too reliant on CGI), and the set pieces really grandiose to the point of absurdity. There’s a certain visual appeal to Indian 2 that makes it hard to completely dismiss, even if the story itself is a complete mess. And for all its faults, the film does have a kind of unhinged energy that keeps it from being outright boring. If nothing else, you can’t accuse Indian 2 of being dull—it’s a sensory overload from start to finish, a movie that throws everything it has at the audience in the hopes that something will stick.
And yet, for all its spectacle, Indian 2 ultimately feels hollow. The endless action scenes, bombastic score, and elaborate death traps all just blur together into a cacophony of nonsense. It is a movie confusing quantity with quality. These attempts by the film to tap into the original Indian magic fall flat because it seems that, somewhere along the way, it has just forgotten what made the first one tick in the first place: a solid center of performance, morally clear conflict, and something that—while far-fetched—still held emotional weight. In Indian 2, all that gets lost in the chaos is this film, which is big in style but essentially devoid of any substance.
It is relevant to note that Indian 2 tries to grapple with social issues precisely like its predecessor did; however, here, it feels like an afterthought and not really the central theme. It tosses in a few commentaries about corruption and moral decay, but it’s so buried under the onslaught of action that it is hard to take any of it seriously. Instead of the razor-sharp, incisive critique that made Indian such a great film, we get some half-baked sermon that is as muddled as the rest of it.
Ultimately, Indian 2 is a film that at best is going to divide audiences. While fans of the original might find themselves frustrated at a lack of focus and substance in this sequel, it’s hard not to enjoy it just for its absurdity. It’s at once odious to love and impossible to hate. It’s a mess—overblown, bombastic—but at the same time, it’s as fun as it is baffling. Unless you are going in with low expectations and the willingness to embrace the ridiculous, you might just find something to enjoy in Indian 2. But if you’re looking for a worthy successor to the original, you’re better off simply rewatching Indian and pretending the sequel never happened.
Ritesh has only two passions in life: movies and writing. With over two years of professional writing experience, he goes beyond SEO norms to convey his unfiltered love for cinema. A devoted admirer of Martin Scorsese, Ritesh believes that cinema is the most powerful storytelling medium on the planet, and through his words, he seeks to share that passion with the world.