Manu Munjal (Ayushmann Khurrana) epitomises raw masculinity as a fitness-obsessed freak who owns a gym, appropriately titled Jatts Flex It, with twin brothers Riz and Jomo (Gourav Sharma and Gautam Sharma). His life is defined by protein shakes, bodybuilding and weightlifting routines, keto diets, and he is in the running for Chandigarh’s annual ‘Gabru of All Time Contest’.
This is not one of your regular pulse-pounding thrillers with an overdose of adrenalin. This is a slow-roast, one that incorporates in it the charms of a murder mystery narrated by the fireplace on wintry nights, elements of a painstaking police procedural and nuanced character study. One of the many pleasures of the series lies in the interactions between the characters.
Midway through the film or thereabouts, there’s an interesting exchange between Bob Biswas (Abhishek Bachchan) – emerging after eight years in a coma, having lost all memory – and an enigmatic old pharmacist Kali-da (veteran Bengali film, TV and theatre actor Paran Bandopadhyay). He is a sort of conduit between Bob and the people pushing him back into his old trade as an assassin.
For some reason, improbable as it may sound, there were moments in Satyameva Jayate 2 when I was reminded of Manmohan Desai! Of course, Milap Zaveri’s torturous film has none of the lovable chutzpah of the incredible impossibilities that littered the films of that king of madcap entertainers. But picture this: One of the Johns is donating blood to his wife when hoodlums attack him.
Sooryavanshi's has to be the mother of all misleading trailers. All those expecting three stars for the price of one ticket will have to do with one star and two glorified cameos who barely manage to salvage this leaden-footed wannabe ‘entertainer’.