Krrish 3: Laugh till you cry

The film is unintentionally ridiculous, with poor performances and music.

KARACHI:

There are films that you laugh along with and those you laugh at. Krrish 3 is in a league of its own, owing to poor performances and a ridiculous plot. If you find yourself laughing  during the movie, you will leave the hall questioning your sense of humour.

The movie begins with Amitabh Bachchan’s narration of past events, accompanied by a startling revelation that Krrish 3 is in fact the fourth film of the series — Koi Mil Gaya being the first. It all started with the artificial-looking purple alien Jadoo (possibly the worst thing that ever happened to Bollywood after Anu Malik), who bestowed powers to a disabled boy Rohit (Hrithik Roshan). These powers were then genetically transferred to his son who emerged as Bollywood’s first superhero — one that has left us scarred with his recurring appearances.



Krrish 3 presents Vivek Oberoi as the heinous villain Kaal. The wheelchair-bound evil genius has invented a virus that will eliminate the human race to form a superior one called Maanwars. A combination of human and animal DNA, the Maanwar is an interesting addition to Bollywood’s sci-fi dictionary. The antidote to this deadly virus can only be made using the blood of any of Kaal’s ancestors. However, since he was adopted from an orphanage, Kaal is unaware of his family and bloodline.

Rohit, who seemed to missing from the other two versions, is working on the unimaginable and deadly combination of light and energy. He emerges with a theory that would confound both Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton. According to Rohit, light can be multiplied if you reflect it and that, in turn, can cure the health issues of mankind. While sci-fi films tend to have crazy inventions, the logic behind most of them is somewhat believable. This light theory, however, is simply bizzare.



Rohit lives a happy life with his son Krishna (Hrithik Roshan) and daughter-in-law Priya (Priyanka Chopra) until Kaal’s deadly virus hits the world, raising concerns for this family of saviours.

Apart from having an original plot, Krrish 3 is a tasteless potpourri of science fiction and comic book adaptations made in the last 20 years. It is further soured by the most unmelodious songs and sleazy choreography in the recent history of Bollywood. Even Hrithik and Priyanka’s dance moves couldn’t save the film, which is a new Bollywood low.



As both Rohit and Krishna, Hrithik does not bring any spark in his performance. Priyanka, too, is a surprising disappointment, who retains a consistent clueless smile in the first half of the film and a consistent fearful expression in the second half. One wonders whether director Rakesh Roshan spent any time with the actors or just focused on giving special effects references to his post-production team throughout the shooting process. Ironically, considering Kangana Ranaut’s unrefined accent, the actor kind of suits her role of a mutant. Oberoi might have called Rakesh Roshan “the Steven Speilberg of Bollywood”, but his praise falls as flat as his expression in the film. Krrish 3 undeniably marks yet another disappointing return for Oberoi.

Verdict: Krrish 3’s box office success casts a doubt over Indian audience’s cinematic preferences. Even though the film aims to be a hardcore superhero flick, it ends up coming off as an out-and-out comedy. If you want to have a good laugh at something ridiculous, you might want to check it out at your nearest theatre.

Score: 1/5

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2013.

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