Kill Cast: Lakshya, Raghav Juyal, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Tanya Maniktala
Crew:
Edited by Shivkumar V. Panicker
Cinematography by Rafey Mehmood
Music by Vikram Montrose, Shashwat Sachdev, Haroon-Gavin
Produced by Karan Johar, Guneet Monga, Apoorva Mehta, Achin Jain
Written & Directed by Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Kill Movie Rating: 3/5
Karan Johar, known for making romantic films, decided to make a complete action genre film, relentless in being gore and brutal. Guneeth Monga, Oscar winning Indian filmmaker, gave necessary wings to Nikhil Nagesh’s ambition to make a gore film. Kill starring Lakshya, dancer-turned-actor Raghav Juyal in leading roles released o 5th July, promising a brutal action genre film like John Wick. Movie has received huge International acclaim prior to release and even has International remake in pipeline with John Wick makers at the helm. Let’s discuss about the film, in detail.
Plot:
An army commando Amrit(Lakshya) with his friend, tries to elope with his love interest Tulika(Tanya Maniktala) from her engagement ceremony. She decides against it and promises to him that she will cancel and marry him. She asks him to meet her in Delhi. But he proposes to her surprising her in train on their way. At the same time, Fani(Raghav Juyal) and his gang of bandits enter the train as per their routine. Fani clashes with Tulika and her father Baldev Singh Thakur for ransom and Amrit decides to enter into a bloody battle against this gang of bandits. Watch Kill to see how he fares in the gory battle.
Analysis:
Indian Cinema has been alien to genre-based films as every film needs to be brought into a “commerical formula”. Devoid of songs or cutaways to romantic scenes or some comic relief, Indian films seem incomplete or at least give such an impression to makers. Now, filmmakers started exploring pure genre based films and Kill is a good start in gore action genre. Yes, action films need not always be family friendly and they can be pure gore and bloody brutal as well.
Nikhil Nagesh Bhatt seems to have taken inspiration from John Wick films and pitted a single commando against a “family of goons”. They all hold knives, some have pistols but he is able to overpower them with his skills. His exceptional skills driven with emotion make him unstoppable. While this premise is excellently explored with stakes raising every second, the film feels like an overdrive towards the final 20 minutes.
The reason for such dip is emotional weightage. While the set up works in terms of Amrit and Tulika, Fani and his gang’s set up doesn’t work as much. They seem to be goons placed to give Amrit, an excuse to showcase his killing abilities. Kill needed more meat for us to understand how Fani is more dangerous. Had the writing concentrated on that aspect too, by not being too generic, the slick choreography and captivating action sequences would have made it even more memorable.
Raghav Juyal impresses the most among the young cast. His way of making Fani look unpredictable works for the film. He proves himself as a performer beyond being a skilled dancer, “slow-motion” King on stage, a comic anchor and a comedian. Lakshya got a suitable role for his pshysique to debut and he is good in action sequences. Tanya leaves an impression and all others are aptly cast. Technicians Rafey Mehmood and Shivkumar V. Panicker realised Nikhil’s ambition well on-screen. On the whole, Kill is a good watch for action movie lovers.
Positives:
Action sequences
Raghav Juyal Performance
Lakshya stunts
Kills
Technical aspects
Negatives:
Generic Writing
Lack of a little bit more emotional depth
Kill Movie Bottom-line: For ‘A’ction lovers
