Review: War 2: Aspirational But Blind

 

Movie: War 2
Rating: 2/5

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Jr. NTR, Kiara Advani, Anil Kapoor, Ashuthosh Rana, and others

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Produced By: Yash Raj Films

Release Date: 14-08-2025

Story:

India's best RAW agent, Kabir (Hrithik Roshan), is on a mission to get rid of the Kali Cartel, a group of multinational individuals who want to change the Indian government and plan some big attacks on the country. Kabir does something unexpected, which makes him the target of his own department/country. Vikram (NTR) is another top agent who gets assigned the job of getting Kabir. The rest of the story is about how these two face each other and what the result of their big battle is.

Performances:

Hrithik Roshan continues the good work from the first part of War and maintains the intensity of the character. There are some moments where he gets an opportunity to showcase his acting skills, and that's about it.

NTR makes his Bollywood debut with War 2, and his character has a good introduction episode, though it might feel over the board for some, which raises the excitement. However, except for a few scenes, the character does not offer much scope or intrigue, and it gets sidelined towards the end.

Kiara Advani has limited scope to perform, and the same is true for the veteran actor Anil Kapoor. Ashuthosh Rana makes his presence felt in a short but crucial role.

What Worked for the Film:

The introduction sequences of both heroes work well for the film, and their combo song, Salam Anali, is also nice. The first fight in the second half, and the climax action episode where both the heroes also have some emotional exchanges, is good.

What did not work for the film:

The story, though it appears a bit different from the other Spy Universe films, again uses the same template as previous ones, where a hero is on a hit mission to kill some big underworld dons/terrorists, and another main character stands tall to stop him. The conflict between Kabir and Vikram is too thin for a big film like this. Never ever does the film provide the required impact of a big action drama, nor does it have any big stakes for the characters.

Also, the backstory between Kabir and Kavya and how they reconcile after such a big incident in their lives is handled very ordinarily, without any impact. Even the final showdown between Kabir and Vikram, though it starts on a good note, ends very simply, which makes the audience wonder how such a big problem got solved without any proper establishment.

The villains are like mere caricatures, as no one shows the required threat that could challenge the heroes. The film defies logic on many occasions, and though the audiences are accustomed to enjoying over-the-top action sequences, War 2's action episodes are too dragged out (especially, the VFX and action choreography in the NTR's intro scene) and over the top, except for one or two.

War 2 Review and Verdict:

Ayan Mukerji's War 2 starts off exciting, but it quickly becomes uninteresting and tiresome. Other than a handful of moments featuring Hrithik and NTR, the film just sticks to a typical storyline and unexciting action, along with the farcical emotions that make it pretty disappointing.