2.0 Review: A visual extravaganza like never before in Indian cinema!

2.0 Review: A visual extravaganza like never before in Indian cinema!

Shankar has a thing for grandeur and with each of his films he has tried to push the envelope further. With 2.0, he has done something that hasn’t been attempted before in Indian cinema. A sci-fi film shot film entirely in 3D format with two of Indian cinema’s biggest superstars in the lead. Exciting, isn’t it?

2.0 is the spiritual successor to Rajinikanth-Shankar combo’s 2010 blockbuster, Enthiran. Here, Rajinikanth reprises his roles of scientist Vaseegaran, the loyal andro-humanoid robot Chitti and its devilish version 2.0. Latest addition to the cast is Amy Jackson and Akshay Kumar. Amy plays Nila, a robot that has been designed as Vasi’s personal assistant. Though Sana from Enthiran is physically missing here, she makes regular phone calls just in case Vasi (read audience) forgets her.

Coming to the plot, one fine day all the mobile phones in and around Chennai city vanish off. Ministers, police officials, telecom engineers and scientists have regular round table conferences but they fail to understand the phenomenon behind this cell phone missing. The ever-brilliant Vaseegaran cracks it and finds that it has something to do with birds and cell phone radiations. I’m not going further as the plot is wafer-thin and anything more will end up as spoilers. How Vasi and his robot gang (Nila, Chitti, 2.0 and more) put an end to this threat is the basic thread. And, along with that there’s the quintessential social message angle as well.

As we already know, Shankar is someone with the wildest of imaginations and he always tries to assemble the best team possible to turn all that he visualizes into a reality. In most cases, it has worked and 2.0 is no exception. Should say it has worked big time in 2.0. With an international technical crew like this and a production house like Lyca willing to shower crores, Shankar has made sure that he gets the best possible output.

Lately, it has mostly been Shankar, the showman and not the story-teller. That’s exactly the case with 2.0 as well as the plot is weak and doesn’t have any major surprises in store. Almost the entire story is predictable from the trailer. If only the screenplay had some brainy sequences and wow elements, 2.0 would have been a much better product. It is still a landmark film considering the grand visual treat that it offers. It is perhaps the most technically astounding film that has been made in Indian cinema; be it the awesome 3D experience, or the immersive sound design or the staggering visual effects.

On the performance side, Rajinikanth looked odd as Chitti but the moment he stepped in as 2.0, sparks flied and how! He literally owned the screen from then on with his devilish swagger and the badass attitude, something that only he can pull of with so much aplomb. The Rajini-esque moments that have been missing in his recent films are back here and all credits to Shankar for that. The director is well aware that whatever visual spectacle he comes up with, ultimately it’s a Rajini film and common audience would love to see the superstar’s trademark elements.

Akshay Kumar is solid as the antagonist and his performance in the flashback is one of the major take-aways in the film. AR Rahman’s beautifully composed ‘Pullinangal’ song helps in conveying the emotions perfectly. Amy Jackson is used as the comic relief and gladly there is no parallel robo-romance-track, though there were slight hints to it. It was an apt call to use ‘Enthira Logathu Sundariye’ at the end credits as it would have come in as a major hindrance in the film.

Overall, 2.0 is a visual marvel that you ought to enjoy in a 3D screen . It’s not everyday that films of such big scale and technical quality are made in Indian cinema. It’s not a flawless film but it still deserves a big-screen watch.