More Than Just Violence, Kill Is an Action-Packed Ride That Entertains!

 By Avik Basak

 

“The most violent Indian movie ever made.” Yes, that is the line the makers used to promote the latest Bollywood action-thriller, Kill. Well, no matter how disgusted you feel with the word “violence”, for the promotion of a film, it can do wonders. On top of that, there is the news of its rights being already bagged by Lionsgate Films, the makers of John Wick, for an English-language Hollywood remake. When such validation is coming from, probably one of the world’s leading authorities in action films in recent times, you have to pay attention.

 

So, how is Kill as a film? Does it live up to the billing of being the “most violent film” that Indian cinema has ever produced? If you are wondering about the answer to that, I have a counter question for you- Is it enough for a film to be just violent to make it worthy of a watch? To be honest, Kill is much more than just a violent film and offers a lot to the connoisseurs of action flicks. The best part is, that it does so at a rapid pace that keeps us invested in the ongoings that unfold before our eyes. Well, at least, after it starts unfolding; because it does start off on a sluggish note with a backdrop that feels like it has just been put there to justify the train wreck that is to follow (quite literally). As if the movie could not just wait to get to the action-packed ride and as a result, a run-off-the-mill backstory is served up as an appetiser to just get on with it. Despite that, it feels like the appetiser takes up almost the entirety of the first half. Nonetheless, it is the main course that is the heart of the film and it does not disappoint once we make our way through to it.

 

The story revolves around an NSG commando, Amrit, who learns that his girlfriend, Tulika is getting engaged to someone else against her wishes. To foil the engagement, they decide to run off together after the bride’s family reaches Delhi and as a result, all of them end up boarding an express train. However, the train gets hijacked by a large gang of dacoits, forcing Amrit and his fellow commando friend, Viresh to the rescue act. As I discussed earlier, a deeply thought-out story is not Kill’s strong point as one cannot help but wonder about the dire security condition of the Indian Railways that have been portrayed in the film. Otherwise, how more or less, the entire rescue act falls on the shoulders of a couple of off-duty commandos who were present on the train by coincidence? It might make you think before boarding a train for a long-distance journey next time.

 

Okay, now let’s talk about the action set-pieces based on which the movie is flexing its muscles at the box office. Some of the action choreographies are truly innovative such as when the head of a dacoit is put on fire or when a fire extinguisher is put to its effective use with the nozzle in the mouth of a baddie. Some of the knifing duels too stand out due to the way they are orchestrated and how they are shot. However, for the most of it, nothing feels like we have not seen before. To summarise, yes, the action sequences are innovative but they could have opted to innovate even more. Another noteworthy thing about the film is the employment of the fear factor and the psychological techniques by the hero as that also gives us a subtle peak into his psyche as a commando.

 

The performances led by Lakshya as Amrit and Tanya Maniktala as Tulika are good enough. Although no one really stands out as such except for Raghav Juyal as the main villain, Fani, who can really make your skin crawl and keep you on the edge till the very end with his cold aura and wicked sense of humour. 

 

Nikhil Nagesh Bhat does a good job as the writer-director and deserves praise for some of the innovations and executions that we see here. Rafey Mehmood as the cinematographer will receive the most praise for the way he moves his camera to complement the film’s innovative action choreography, thanks to the Korean action coordinator Se-yeong Oh and Bollywood’s very own Parvez Shaikh. As I have already mentioned, the film moves along at a rapid pace and just clocks in at 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete its runtime, hence Shivkumar V. Panicker as the movie’s primary editor might also receive high marks.

 

Overall, Kill probably is not the most violent film produced in India as last year’s Animal will probably rank higher on such a scale if there is one. However, if that is not the only reason (And it should not be) why you were planning to head to the nearest theatre to give it a watch, then, you probably would not be disappointed since it is filled with plenty of entertainment that would make heads turn (Again, quite literally).

 

3.5 Stars Out of 5 From Me…