Indian 2 review, Rating

Story:

Chitra Aravindhan (Sidharth) runs a YouTube channel named Barking Dogs to expose the wrongdoers in society. The satirical content on his channel catches the imagination of his millions of viewers. His co-founders, Aarthi (Priya Bhavani Shankar) and Thambesh (Jagan), support him in all aspects.

Chitra is heartbroken after witnessing a series of injustices owing to corrupt government officials. He starts an online campaign to reach out to Bharateeyudu aka Senapathy (Kamal Haasan), the vigilante who ran away from India in 1996. The campaign serves its purpose and Senapathy returns to India to weed out the corrupt. He gives a call to expose the corrupt within our homes. The consequences of his clarion call and whether the police catch him are the crux of the story.

Performances:

Kamal Haasan is mostly unrecognizable. The prosthetic makeup is over the top. His acting comes through in some scenes in the second half. Siddharth is not bad. Bobby Simha, who plays the main cop deployed to catch hold of Senapathy, is good. SJ Suryah has a limited negative role. Samuthirakani is seen as Chitra Aravindhan's father.

The secondary characters don't make much impact in any way. Only Kamal runs the show but he is not seen in each and every scene. So, the void shows.

Plus Points:

1. Senapathy's mission to end corruption in India.
2. The final stretches. The last 20 minutes is good.
3. The post-credits introduction to 'Indian 3', which will be released in theatres in 2025.
4. Some visuals are good. Lyca Productions must be appreciated for mounting the film on a big scale. 

Minus Points:

1. Predictable narration.
2. No interesting action sequences.
3. Same old template of killing the corrupt, one after another.
4. Anirudh's music is a weak spot.
5. No whistle-worthy moments. None of the dialogue is memorable.
6. The first half is too slow-paced.   

Verdict:

Indian 2 is a boring sequel. It is director Shankar's only weak work to date.

Rating:2/5