Ganapath review: Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon are watchable but Vikas Bahl’s dystopian actioner, not so much.
Writer-director Vikas Bahl’s Ganapath is far from being an entertainer or a film that keeps you engaged. In the name of being futuristic, Ganapath presents a rather silly premise that has no head or tail, just stitches some fight scenes and dance numbers, expecting us to not only believe in it but also love it. Bahl tries to pack in a lot but fails to say anything concrete. With a weak screenplay and a wafer-thin plot, he’s all over the place, and so are you after a point.
Set in a futuristic and apocalyptic world, Ganapath starts with a voiceover by Dalapati (Amitabh Bachchan), telling us how a destructive war led to the world being divided in two parts – one with the rich and the mighty building a luxurious, high-tech Silver City being ruled by their heartless kingpin Dalini. And the other with the poor and the needy being left to rot and struggle for their survival.
Upon seeing his people falling apart, Dalapati tells them to channelise their anger in the right direction and just vent it out in the fighting ring, thereby uniting them. But soon, John English (Ziad Bakri), Dalini’s aide is sent to the poor people’s world to search for, and pick the best fighters for his wrestling matches. Switch to the Silver City and we’re introduced to Guddu (Shroff), who wakes up with four skimpily clad women in his bed, six on the floor and one in the bathtub, showering him with kisses. Yes, that’s how a hero’s entry is supposed to be. But things go downhill when Guddu and John’s girlfriend (Elli AvrRam) are caught together, and they face his wrath and are buried alive. But when has the hero given up so easily? A miracle brings Guddu back, and he is told by Kaizad (Jameel Khan), to go the other side of the world and meet Shiva (Rashin Rahman) and say, “Ganapath aala”. And that’s all. After this, whatever happens, only Vikas Bahl knows, and he miserably struggles to convey that to us.
Ganapath attempts to make a statement reflecting on the huge divide between the rich and the poor, but it falters in the execution department so much that it ends up being yet another mindless dystopian tale. Even if the story seems to come together after some time, it never reaches a point that you want to believe in it. Pre-interval, things are slightly pacy and still manage to keep you invested in knowing what lies ahead, but the second half is nothing beyond back-to-back fights in the wrestling ring. I’d rather pay to watch Tiger Shroff live doing some MMA action. But Ganapath doesn’t really hold any magic.
Yes, Shroff is in top for. His six-pack abs, dance moves, action and swag is on point in every frame, but don’t we also want to see him act? The only time you see him say some impactful lines is towards the climax, but that’s also too little too late. Kriti Sanon as Jassi is pretty good and watching her do raw action with nunchaku, is an absolute treat. Her action sequences are well choreographed, and she makes them all look so believable. Sanon and Shroff’s chemistry lend a great support to the story, and perhaps is the only high point that you genuinely enjoy.
Rahman as a virtually impaired character exudes a lot of strength and brings a lot of calm in the chaos. Palestinian actor Bakri as a mute character is ruthless and cruel and has a refreshing screen presence. But I don’t know what the makers were thinking when they decided to add a chip in his throat for him to communicate without speaking actual dialogues, and that too with an echoing effect. Bachchan’s cameo is powerful and sets the tone of the story, but you wish he was there throughout, narrating the events. Maybe, the story would have made more sense.
The best part about Ganapath is that it ends just when you feel you can’t take it anymore. But wait, part 1 only saw the hero being born. Wait for part 2: Rise of the Hero. Watch Ganapath