An action thriller is as good as its villain, but what happens if its antagonist overshadows the hero? This is precisely what happened in ‘Commando 3’, spearheaded by Bollywood’s action hero Vidyut Jammwal. Actor Gulshan Devaiah — who plays the cold-blooded hardliner terrorist Buraq is a character that leaves the maximum impact in the bloated action extravaganza.
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The Plot: Captain Karan Singh is on call to thwart a massive terror attack in Mumbai. He’s racing against the clock. He has less than four weeks to hunt down this lethal terrorist in London. Sounds familiar? Don’t blame yourself. Almost every terrorism drama in Bollywood has a similar narrative. There’s always a fearless agent with superlative strength and grit who can singlehandedly obliterate a well-planned mission of destroying innocent lives. The story of ‘Commando 3’ is painfully predictable, but the execution isn’t particularly shabby. The first half moves at a rapid pace. If you can forgive the tropes of the hero’s introductory scene designed to make Jammwal’s character Karan Singh look larger-than-life, you might enjoy the first half. There’s a particular scene in which a young man’s mother who has been indoctrinated to harm human lives speaks to her wayward son about her struggles to raise him and that scene is genuinely touching. There’s a lot of pomp and bluster of a soldier Karan Singh saving the day and India, but it’s these sub stories that hold genuine charm. The second half is where the movie stumbles as it takes on a jingoistic slant. The religious divide and terrorists destroying lives in the name of their faith is stereotypical and fatigues you. The climax is also painfully simplistic and utopian.
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The Acting: Take a bow Gulshan Devaiah. His turn as a toxic terrorist Buraq is impressive. The scene in which he cold-bloodedly kills in front of his young son is disturbing, yet underlines his moral compass. He’s the kind of villain who doesn’t make much noise, but is pure vitriol in his actions. Jammwal is impressive in his stunt sequences, but doesn’t seem to have the emotional heft as an actor to carry through the soft scenes. Out of all the characters, it’s the women who have been given a raw deal in this film. While Adah Sharma and Angira Dhar are agents like him on the field, they harbour an inappropriate crush on Jammwal, thus reducing them to airheads who can do flips and kicks in the air. Sharma’s pronounced accent is also grating.
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What We Liked: When you sign on for a Jammwal film, you expect superlative stunts. ‘Commando 3’ doesn’t disappoint on that front. The vision of Jammwal doing multiple flips and kicks in the air is a sight to behold. His hunky looks help matters. But don’t forget that this movie which swims in mediocrity is elevated due to the nuanced performance of Devaiah. He’s a mastermind behind an impending terror attack on India and his murderous intent is well communicated. His introductory scene in which he cooks a biryani for the man he intends to knife to death is pure evil and is highly effective in setting the foundation of his character.
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What We Didn’t Like: The utopian nature of this film where everything falls into place neatly forces you to suspend belief. While the story intends to throw light on a relevant topic in today’s time such as religious indoctrination of Indian youth and the burning topic of religious divides in India, the way it plays out is scattered in Commando 3. While the triumph of humanity over terrorism is a noble idea, it hasn’t been effectively translated
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Our Verdict: Watch it if you want to see Gulshan Devaiah in his meanest avatar and if you are in the mood to see the beefy, ripped Vidyut Jammwal execute impossible backflips and hand-to-hand combat.
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