Ganapath

The first half of the film is a let down, where lack of entertainment is felt the most. This combined with unnecessary songs further impacts the viewing experience. It is true that the futuristic genre isn’t much explored in our cinema yet, but doing justice to the genre, especially in execution is one of the biggest tasks which Vikas Bahal hasn’t been able to do justice to. While the story does have potential and has what it takes, the poor VFX along with an uninspiring screenplay is the biggest drawback for Ganapath. Maybe, the filmmaker could have spent a little more time on pre and post of the movie before presenting it to the audience.

However, the adrenaline rush one expects to feel with this transformation never really comes to fruition. Adding to the fury is the shoddy VFX, which really makes the experience unbearable in certain scenes. Especially, after watching films like ‘Jawan’, ‘Pathaan’ and ‘KGF’, which have been high on post-production, settling for anything less doesn’t seem right. The characters feel like caricatures and the performances by the lead and supporting cast don’t match up either. Tiger Shroff is great with action sequences, as always, but fails to evoke an emotional chord as Guddu/Ganapath. Kriti Sanon is wasted with her limited role as Jassie. For a stellar performer like Sanon, it is almost a disservice to reduce her to a few action sequences and romantic numbers.

Sadly, the film is riddled with shortcomings. The futuristic element could have been the USP but the makers fail to do justice to it. The poor VFX further messes things up in this regard. For a film about one man fighting the system, it’s mandatory that the audience should be moved by the plight of the have-nots and be wowed by the protagonist’s heroism. Both these factors are missing. Moreover, the twist in the climax is very predictable. One can guess it from a mile away. Speaking of performances, Tiger Shroff has never looked so dashing. His performance is quite good. Kriti Sanon gives a sizzling performance. She looks convincing while doing action.

Ganapath attempts to make a statement reflecting on the huge divide between the rich and the poor, but it falters in the execution department so much that it ends up being yet another mindless dystopian tale. Even if the story seems to come together after some time, it never reaches a point that you want to believe in it. Pre-interval, things are slightly pacy and still manage to keep you invested in knowing what lies ahead, but the second half is nothing beyond back-to-back fights in the wrestling ring. I'd rather pay to watch Tiger Shroff live doing some MMA action. But Ganapath doesn't really hold any magic.