28 years after he first appeared onscreen, Senapathy is back to rid the world of corruption again, and he is more resolute than last time, given that corruption has dug its claws deeper into society. Shankar, a director aware of his craft and known for his ability to take risks, has tried out some new experiments in this film. Unlike in the first part, where Senapathy single-handedly tries to weed out corruption, in 'Indian 2', the director is aware that times have changed and uses social media as a powerful tool. The youth, led by a group of social media influencers, also form a major part of the movie.
'Indian 2' Malayali designer Satheeshan spent 4 months to make a Rs 20 lakh costume
Corruption needs to be addressed; however, if not handled properly, the film stands the risk of becoming monotonous and preachy, an issue that affected recent films like 'Jawan'. The first half of 'Indian 2' also falls prey to this as the filmmaker tries to expose the vices in society, almost sounding preachy.
However, the fast-paced scenes and twists in the second half manage to keep the film intact, with most of the story centered on the consequences of the actions taken by the youth in the first half. Sidharth executes his role as Chithra, a young digital media activist, with so much conviction that it's hard to imagine he is 40 years old! The rest of the cast, including Priya Bhavani Shankar, Rakul Preeth Singh, Samutharakani, and Nedumudi Venu, among others, have excellently supported the movie.
Kamal Haasan's Senapathy makes his entry towards the later part of the first half, but it is not as effective as the mass entries he had in Lokesh Kanagaraj's 'Vikram'. Probably, this is because Senapathy represents the common man and needed a more grounded build-up. However, the action scenes mostly revolve around the traditional Tamil martial arts form Varma Kalai; some emotional moments and the police chase offer an effective climax to the film and make you look forward to the third part.
The songs by Anirudh are good enough but might not seep into you like how A R Rahman's magic worked in the first 'Indian'. The second part is not as futuristic as some of Shankar's previous works but scores because it is a mirror of the present times.
