The decision of the makers to hold the release of their most ambitious film till the pandemic went into revocation was right. The sound and passion of the film demanded a theatrical release, and it’s great that the audiences were not asked to settle with two pandemics simultaneously.
Like the hero, the screenwriters were also indulged in multiple somersaults to ‘balance’ the tale but can’t save the Akshay Kumar-starrer from persistent planting seeds of suspicion against a particular community.
Ten minutes into Sooryavanshi, we know we are back in Rohit Shetty’s cop universe. RDX! Cars are being blown up! And our Hero Ki Entry as Veer Sooryvanshi (Akshay Kumar), the best Mumbai police, crisp uniforms and short Raybans, gearing up to fight the Bad Guys aka Lashkar aka Muslim Terrorists.
With Sooryavanshi, Rohit, known for deception, mindless entertainment and instinctive action choreography attempts to deal with complex issues.
Much like a huge section of politicians, the politics in the film uses the cover of our brave policemen to remove the wounds of the past and cover them with the tape of jingoism. It narrates that one section of the community has moved on; however, some members of the other faith are remained stuck in the past and are now using religion to strike back.
The film wants us to believe that many nationals of the neighbouring countries are living around us under a false identity. They conduct business and marry locals and then wait for the orders of their superiors to bleed Indians by framing a repeat episode of the cruel serial blasts in Mumbai in 1993.
Rohit has not elaborated on who is nursing them; possibly, it will be the subject of the next film in the franchise. As of now, we can do with the trivia that a prominent member of the sleeper cell in the movie is named Mukhtar Ansari.
As for nuance, the film subtly distinguishes the clean-shaven, the short bearded and long-bearded Muslims.
One who bomb cities pray religiously, those who go to Ajmer is not shown offering prayers, but each time Riya (Katrina Kaif), perhaps the conscience keeper of the film, reminds her husband Vir Sooryavanshi (Akshay), the one-person army, to have a look at what’s happening in his own ‘house’. He doesn’t listen; one feels.
If she had been given a little more voice, she might have said Simba, when he gets into a lecture mode during the climax scenes, that terrorism is not just affecting entertainment and tourism in the neighbouring countries, we also have to face the heat of this hate.
The Cast
On the ground, Rohit lives up to his strengths. The action is top-notch, jokes connect, and there is no limp in the pacy narrative. Flaunting grey sideburns and aviators, Akshay performs a series of whistle-inducing stunts, and his comic timing hasn’t aged.
Singham (Ajay Devgan) and Simba (Ranveer Singh) add cheerfulness and muscle to the climax, and till then, the supporting cast brings out the required layers in the narrative.
Kumud Mishra makes us identify with the dilemmas of Bilal Khan; Gulshan Grover shines as the evil Usmani, but it is Katrina who surprises us in what seems like a typical two-songs, three scenes kind of role, and it will go down as one of her most convincing performances so far.
Altogether, it is a Deepawali gift for the audience that lights up the sky but leaves with emptiness.
