Movie Review : Krrish 3 (2013)

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Rating : Below Average (2.5/5)
Genre : Sci-fi/fantasy
Year : 2013
Running time : 2 hours 32 minutes
Director : Rakesh Roshan
Cast : Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Vivek Oberoi, Kangana Ranaut, Rajpal Yadav, Naseeruddin Shah
Kidwise : PG

It might be that I’ve lost my patience with idiotic films, or maybe it is that as I grow older and (hopefully) wiser, I expect the same from our desi film-making brethren. Alas, they hear not my silent entreaties! And as a result – what do you get? Krrish 3!

It seems just a few years ago that I almost lauded Rakesh Roshan for creating a totally desi SuperHero – India’s answer to Superman, Batman, Ironman, Spiderman et al. Now I wish I hadn’t been as effusive. Because there can only be two explanations for what I saw on screen :

a. Roshan doesn’t have a clue.
b. Roshan has a clue, but is taking small baby steps towards it in order to wean  Indian audiences to sci-fi (hitherto unheard of in desi cinema).

I think it’s the former, but let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.
This film is a layered mish-mash of illogic. In Krrish we’d been introduced to Krishna, son of Rohit. Krrish, learning to use his powers, rescued damsel-in-distress Priya and things settled down into happily ever after. In Krrish3, Krrish and Priya are happily married and Rohit lives with them. He is still the nerdy scientist. Krrish meanwhile is perpetually between jobs, because of his need to go flying off on rescue missions incognito; his unexplained absences tend to get him fired him from the position he is currently holding. How long before he lands a job with journalistic leanings, a la Clark Kent? I wonder.

Anyway the villain of this film is wheelchair bound Kaal (Vivek Oberoi). An evil genius, Kaal has made a business of creating viruses, infecting chosen parts of the globe with them, and then supplying the antidote at large profits to self. Also he has created a mutant army of slaves he calls “Maanwar” (Maanav + Janwar). Kaya (Kangana Ranaut) is his most important Maanwar, with her chameleon like powers of shape-shifting. When Krrish and his dad throw Kaal’s plans into jeopardy, Kaya is dispatched to take care of things. Will Krrish be strong enough to repel Kaal’s evil forces?

Now, from the trailer Krrish3 had looked pretty decent. And I have to admit that the sci-fi effects weren’t bad. What is the problem however, is Roshan’s inability to direct this film and keep it on track as the sci-fi thriller that it is supposed to be. There is one sequence where Krrish is shown jumping from building to building and so into hero-worship are we that he kept jumping for a while; I was afraid that he wasn’t going to progress any further in the rescue mission. Under the effects of Roshan’s 80s hangover, this film morphed into a bad sentimental flick from 3 decades ago. The characters would get all mushily misty-eyed and turn to the statue of Lord Krishna for relief and help; I missed Nirupa Roy. (I wished I had a similar statue handy to deliver me from the boredom of this film).

Vivek and Kangana did decently in their villainous roles. Kudos to Kangana for carrying off the skin-tight cat-suit and making it work. Her role as a female mutant was kind of novel for the desi scene since it involved some fight sequences where she delivered a kick or two. Hrithik was better as Rohit than as Krrish himself. Two things I must mention in this regard are his hair-style and his finely chiseled abs. The latter was nice, the former not so much, unless a bad mullet is in fashion – and I hope that day never dawns. Priyanka Chopra is brainless Priya, or the ubiquitous abla desi nari in a (short) frock. All she does in this film is flutter helplessly and gawp in amazement (Oh my!) or cheer as the manly men around her (husband and FIL) do wonderful things. Priyanka has been doing so many of these roles lately that she must be able to do the “helpless nari” act in her sleep.

As an aside, I feel sorry for actors of Rajpal Yadav’s caliber reduced to taking eminently stupid roles in Hindi movies to survive in the brainless world of Bollywood. Here he plays a braggart, a rather dumb role played off for “comedy”. Pity!

And the other terrible thing about this film: the music. Atrocious is the word I’m looking for here. It could be that brothers Rakesh and Rajesh Roshan are equally untalented in everything they do, because if Rakesh can’t direct, Rajesh can’t compose music. He reminds me of Himmesh Reshammiya at the start of Reshammiya’s career when he was spectacularly tuneless.

To sum it up: Krrish 3 is a D grade film lifted to a C by the sci-fi action and Hrithik and Kangana’s screen presence. Go to the theater if you must; prepare to be bored.

Kidwise : Relatively clean. A couple of lip-locks and some talk of pregnancy/foetuses/babies, but nothing too graphic is shown onscreen.

P.S. : This is not a 3D film, but some of the desi junta in my theater had 3D glasses on; I think it had to do with the way the movie is listed at AMC : “Krrish 3” + “D”.