AFTER the classic Salaam Namaste(2005) and the extremely likeable Ta Ra Rum Pum(2007) with Saif Ali Khan, Siddharth Anand then made the highly-successful Bachna Ae Haseeno(2008).
He changed things in 2014 when he teamed up with Hrithik Roshan for Bang Bang.
With War, the pair partner up again, and this time they are joined by Tiger Shroff as Yash Raj Films set the stage for an action-packed entertainer.
When his senior agent, Kabir (Roshan) goes rogue, Khalid (Shroff) must hunt him down, understand his motive and turn him in.
What follows is an intricately-woven plot.
We are shown the back story of how our two heroes met and we understand the mission that forms the crux of the plot - Naina (Vaani Kapoor), a single mother, becomes a civilian asset to help catch the main villain, Rizwan Ilyasi (Sanjeev Vasta).
The dialogue and screenplay work well. However, the VFX is phenomenal and the chase sequences are great too.
Despite this positive perspective on it, the action does drag the narrative at parts - some fights are prolonged and require patience, which is a slight disturbance when you are engrossed in the plot twists.
These do come thick and fast and it is impossible to predict them all. It would have been nice if the twists in the tale had a little more logic.
What I appreciated in the narrative, and something I must mention, was the portrayal of the Muslim characters.
It’s an age-old stereotype that has been shown incorrectly in so many films in recent years - this time Yash Raj Films have sent out the correct message - that not all Muslims are terrorists.
With the action sequences being the focus, something that was not permitted to take up too much time was the music, unfortunately.
Perhaps if the makers decided to slot in a few extra tracks, we could have had a more rounded entertainer.
The two tracks in the film and the background score are fantastic; the choreography is first-class and the shooting is done well.
The lack of a substantial romantic angle is also heavily missed. I guess the genre is different, though, and that needs to be noted.
What is a major plus point are the performances.
Shroff is brilliant.
He is really given an opportunity to showcase his acting skills here and never fails to disappoint.
Kapoor is good. Unfortunately, she does not have much to do here, though.
It is the legendary Roshan that never ceases to amaze. This is one of his finest performances.
Shroff and Roshan share great on-screen chemistry.
All is fair in love and war; and so, despite the lack of romance, it would only be fair to say that we really did enjoy this one.
Good dialogues, phenomenal VFX and power-packed action, coupled with top-notch performances from our heroes, makes War more than worthy of a big box-office battle for supremacy.
The movie is highly recommended, especially for its action-loving target audience.
*Gutta is a Wits University media student who takes a keen interest in sports and entertainment. He is the head writer at Bollywood Frenzy (Facebook). You can also connect with him on Instagram @razeengutta