Sayantan Adak

One line: Overall decent… good first half, second half mixed with some problems… in the first half Hrithik was outstanding, and in the second half NTR matched him well, but if the director had been Siddharth Anand, I feel it would have been better utilised. In detail: The first half was unexpectedly good… the introduction, Hrithik’s entry, and some emotional moments worked really well. Hrithik’s swag, style, and look — everything was top-notch. The story isn’t completely new, but still, the approach and treatment in the initial half felt a bit different from other spy stories, especially on the emotional side. The story is somewhat different from what the trailer suggested. The look, shades, action, and tension between Hrithik and NTR were well maintained. Kiara’s initial portions were also good. The action sequences overall were well choreographed, and some scenes genuinely gave goosebumps. In a few scenes, the VFX quality varied, but since the plot was engaging, entertaining, and emotional, the overall feel was good. There’s a surprise before the intermission, which is why it ends on a high note. The second half, I think, will appeal differently to different people depending on their taste in cinema. For me, the initial part of the second half was good (though some may not like it). While watching that, I felt the following scenes would get even more emotionally connected, but then the story seemed to lose its way. In quite a few places, the action felt monotonous, some unnecessary Kiara scenes came in, and there was a subplot that dragged on, with a twist that wasn’t that interesting. There are some Hrithik vs NTR moments where both delivered strong performances, making it emotionally well-connected, but the surrounding action sequences and story approach weren’t great, so they didn’t feel as impactful. The tension never really built up. There were definitely some good moments, but the story couldn’t hold on. The climax felt like it took too long to arrive, and it, too, will appeal differently to different viewers. For me, it was okay — some moments were quite emotional, but due to poor choreography, it couldn’t become better or the best. Overall: The movie turned out decent, but it could have been much better if the duration was shorter, the unnecessary subplot or twist was removed, and the tension and action scenes in the second half were organised better