The most important thing about a superhero movie is not the caped, masked powerful hero, but his nemesis. And with Krrish 3, one thing is certain – Vivek Oberoi and Kangana Ranaut make good as Kaal and Kaya.
Unfortunately, the third installment in this desi superhero franchise is too borrowed. Fans of the genre will identify several ideas and films. Hrithik Roshan is back as father Rohit, son Krishna and as Krishna’s alter ego, Krrish. He’s now married to Priya (Priyanka Chopra) who is pregnant with their child.
Across snowy mountains, perched in a glass palace, is wheelchair-bound Kaal, the result of a lab experiment gone awry. Kaal has the power of telekinesis but not the use of his limbs. A lifetime of experimentation to find a DNA match for him has resulted in an army of mutants at Kaal’s beck and call. He has dubbed them ‘maanwars’. Chief among them is Kaya (fabulous costumes, equally spot-on make up. The same cannot be said for Kaal’s ashen complexion) who is the mutation of a chameleon.
Kaal releases a deadly virus on to innocent people around the world and then his lab offers up the antidote and makes millions from sales. The funds are ploughed back into research to make Kaal walk.
Krrish and his father find an equally effective antidote, much to Kaal’s chagrin whose mission now is to figure out how Rohit Mehra could have achieved this. From here on we have a bizarre Bollywood plot points — separated at birth; sacrificing father; the helpless abducted wife; the mutant with a heart — all this punctured by the most dead-beat soundtrack I have heard in years. At 150-plus minutes, Krrish 3 is a stretch. The absence of the songs would have helped with pace and patience.
If anything keeps you engaged it’s the special effects and CG work, which are the best yet in Indian cinema and, of course, Hrithik’s absolute screen presence and abundant sincerity, excelling as the older Rohit and working that black latex suit, mask and cape as Krrish. His efforts as well as those of director Rakesh Roshan are visible in the large scenes, but the script harks back to the 80s and is too melodramatic for a superhero film. There is also some obvious but unmoving manipulation like falling babies and children stuck in wires.
The script is simplistic; each development is explained at length and the product placements are so overt you start looking for an advertisement on Krrish’s cape and Krishna’s abs! Maybe those will appear in Krrish 4!
Rating: ***
