The High voltage action and drama entertainer draws huge crowds in cinema halls albeit strong criticism
Sooryanvanshi’s story is about DCP Veer Sooryavanshi, who is the chief of India’s Anit terrorism squad, and the way he will protect Mumbai from one of the worst terrorist attacks ever taken place.
Rohit Shetty continues to enthrall audiences with another well scripted character of a gallant and lionhearted cop, following the success of his previous movies Singham and Simbaa.
The film is a complete entertainer packed with star power, daring action, high drama and superb performances.
Like Simbaa, Ajay Devgan narrated this action thriller, reminding us of the multiple terror attacks Mumbai has witnessed since the 1993 serial blasts to the 2008 brazen attacks including those aimed at the Taj Mahal Palace and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.
The plot of the story revolves around the threat of yet another huge attack in the city. Certain under cover terrorists have been activated and 600 kilos of RDX from the 93′ serial blasts is being used to fulfill the target.
DCP Veer Sooryavanshi plays the role of undaunted, determined cop with a resolve to protect Mumbai from the impending danger.
Along with the sarhad paar plot, the theory of reprisal, and the usual bollywood style storyline, this action dhamaka flick emerges as a winner.
Influenced from the Carrie- Anne Moss’s bike scene with the keymaker in Matrix reloaded, the chase between Veer and John creates a highly energized scene giving the audience a visual treat.
A better job at editing, especially cutting the length of the first half, minus a few overdone clichés could have made the blockbuster even more captivating.
Post interval, the movie picks up great momentum and keeps the audience engrossed right till the end.
Akshay Kumar thoroughly entertains with his style, attitude and high energy performance justifying his character every bit. His his skillful action makes him undeniably the most accomplished action hero in today’s era.
Katrina Kaif dazzles on screen and creates an impression with her graceful dance moves in the steamy’tip tip barsa pani’, which was surely a ‘whistle worthy’ number, making one reminisce the past glory of the 90s music beats.
The entry of Ajay Devgan and Ranveer Singh boosts the the screenplay further, and electrifies the action drama to its zenith.
The three superstars (Ajay Devgan, Ranbir Singh and Akshay Kumar) stole the limelight in the few scenes where they were filmed together.
The supporting cast suited their respective roles and played their parts to perfection.
The background score unfortunately does not bag high points and the remake version of ‘Najaa’ should best be forgotten.
Dealer Mehndi’s ‘Aila re Ailla’ could get your feet tapping for a bit.
The nine day collection of the movie, crossed Rs.150 crore mark making the Akshay Kumar drama stand at 208.20 crores and with its global collection, it entered the list of Bollywood’s 200 crores grossers globally.
On a not so bright note, despite the excellent box office innings and huge moolah it has earned, Sooryavanshi has also garnered strong criticism.
Prominent journalists Rana Ayyub, wrote in an opinion for The Washington Post that Sooryavanshi was discriminating towards Muslims as it promoted Islamophobia.
In her opinion she claimed that “paint Muslim men as colluding to seduce or kidnap Hindu women or girls and convert them to Islam.”
She further objected to the “bloodcurdling” portrayl of the Hindu protagonist giving lessons in patriotism vs the Muslim antagonist who “responds with hate”.
She also pointed out that while the movie focused on the 1993 blasts in Mumbai, it “ignored the anti Muslim carnage” preceeding it.
She backed her argument by pointing out the failure of the film to acknowledge the 2002 Gujrat riots and the Malegaon Blasts where several Muslims lost their lives.
The director of the movie, Rohit Shetty has denied any accusations of the film being discriminatory in nature towards any religion.
In an interview given by him, Shetty said “In the film, we have seen how Muslims have been portrayed in a good way as well as a bad way. But it’s seen to be problematic.”
Despite having gained some negative criticism, Sooryanvanshi, with its high adrenalin stunts, robust performances and heavy duty star power, is a sure mega Diwali Blockbuster; making cinema lovers retrace back to movie halls in huge numbers post their closure during the pandemic.
