As simple as 2.0‘s title is, the expectations are far greater and great, is an understatement.
Post working for over 1,000 days, the Shankar film finally sees the day and releases in cinemas worldwide.
Interestingly, this Rajinikanth-Akshay Kumar starrer is the first Indian movie to be shot in Real 3D format and also the most expensive one with a budget of around 550+ crores.
Boasted of high-end technology and an interesting concept, the movie is helmed as one of the most expensive films ever made in cinema history.
2.0 marks the return of the robot named Chitti from the 2010 film Enthiran (Robot in Hindi).
South-superstar Rajinikanth plays the double role of Dr Vaseegaran and Chitti.
The film also features Akshay Kumar as the antagonist and Amy Jackson as the female lead.
After facing a threat that is beyond the current understanding of science, the Government seeks the help of scientists. Dr Vaseegaran suggests assembling Chitti to fight against it.
Subsequently, that forms the crux of the movie.
Despite the mammoth expectations and immense anticipation, how good is the final product?
Read on to find out Filme Shilmy’s final verdict.
Spectacular and Mesmerising Special Effects
Living up to the expectations, 2.0 is a visual extravaganza.
The spellbinding VFX and special effects leave the audience in complete awe at what happens on the big screen.
Whenever we see mobiles flying like a bird, it creates a sense of menace as well as amazement.
Intricate detail has been paid attention to in the effects.
Plus, it is great that the effects are not pretentious, nor is it trying to compete with Hollywood.
The VFX stay true to the film and do not become the sole highlight of the film.
As such, some of the special effects have never been seen before!
It is a relief to know that the makers haven’t just thrown money at the movie without a thorough thought process.
Everything has been planned well, especially concept-wise.
This is definitely a sign of progress for Indian cinema.
A refreshing, relevant and thought-provoking concept
2.0’s concept itself is fascinating.
The fact that the antagonist collects phones makes us really afraid.
It’s almost like Shankar captured our worst fear… If one day all our phones mysteriously vanished, what would we do?
At the same time, it cleverly tackles a debate of nature versus technology:
How much is technology annihilating our natural surrounding?
It could’ve been very easy for the makers of the film to make it preachy and a 147-minute long lecture about the downsides to technology.
However, Shankar (in his usual style) presents an entertaining yet educating venture.
He smartly avoids stereotypical tropes, including larger-than-life song sequences in the middle of the film.
As a result, 2.0 is not just limited to the special effects but it also carries a thought-provoking message.
The Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar combo oozes of awesomeness
As for the performances, the audience gets to witness two big superstars Rajinikanth and Akshay Kumar battling it out on such a huge platform – It really cannot get any bigger than this.
Rajinikanth once again dominates the screen with his ultra-heroic presence.
This time it is not just Dr Vaseegaran and Chitti, we witness… We also are introduced to other characters including 2.0 and Kutti 3.0.
Whilst portraying all of those characters, Rajini displays the various shades with such ease and perfection, after all, he’s a superstar for a reason.
But whilst there are multiple Rajinikanth, there is one Akshay Kumar and he truly proves that he is a Khiladi through his performance.
Akshay Kumar is first-rate as Pakshi Rajan.
Though his appearance initially seems ominous, when one actually watches the film, we realise that the character is more than just a ‘villain’ per se.
In fact, for the first time ever in a superhero-style film one seems to find themselves supporting the antagonist more than the hero… Watch the film and you’ll see what we mean!
When the two superstars appear on the screen there is a natural synergy between both actors and their fight sequences appear seamless.
Without being gung-ho, both superstars make their presence epic.
Amy Jackson is a pleasant surprise.
Unlike one would expect, she is not just in the film as a glamorous doll, but in turn, contributes to the movie’s narrative well.
It is so reassuring that Amy is not given a completely sidelined and secondary role.
It’s about high time that female actors get their opportunity to shine in an otherwise male-dominated movie.
Anything Wrong?
It is a given that there are a lot of strong points about 2.0.
Fortunately, there are not several particular weak points although the screenplay could’ve been tighter in the second half of the film.
Consequently, the second-half slightly lacks the oomph but having said that our attention is maintained until the credits roll.
Final Word?
Overall, it has been a lengthy anticipation for 2.0 but the wait has really been worth it.
The audience can observe the fine intricacies within the special effects and it explains why so much time has taken for the film to finally release.
It is refreshing to see that money has not been thrown at it aimlessly comparatively to some other big-budgeted debacles that released recently.
As such, this Shankar film has been well-planned and developed, proving to be a trendsetter for future Indian VFX films.
Go and witness this. Dot.
(4/5 stars)
