“The way this guy fights…he’s no ordinary soldier.” –Fani
Bollywood romances often follow a predictable path. Boy meets Girl; Girl meets Boy, they fall in love, parental interference threatens to tear them apart, and finally, one or both prove their love to each other and their parents. This is roughly the story of Amrit (Lakshya), an army commando, and Tulika (Tanya Maniktala), the daughter of a successful businessman.
Recently engaged against her will, Tulika and her family board a New Delhi-bound train to meet her soon-to-be-husband. Little does she know that her beloved will make a daring attempt to save her from her fate, but little do both know that this train transports a gang of thieves who will soon terrorize all the passengers. Amrit and his best friend Viresh (Abhishek Chauhan) must use their skills to protect the passengers and defeat the psychotic Fani (Raghav Juyal), who takes pleasure in creating chaos. Will Amrit manage to save Tulika twice over? Will their love endure? Maybe, but first, he needs to kill a whole lot of people to get to her.
Having premiered last year at TIFF 2023 (where it was the first runner-up for the People’s Choice Award: Midnight Madness), Kill is a well-oiled machine of an actioner. As this story is set in a singular location, the train, we need to have a variety of action sequences to keep the audience engaged and entertained. Monotony is the killer of most action films, and that is not the case here – shoutout to action directors Se-Yeong Oh and Parvez Shaikh for thinking outside the box and going all in with the morbid and comedic beats. Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s vision was executed perfectly on the action front, as there was never a dull moment, and through the action, we get the rise and fall and twists and turns through the action. Additionally, the music is on point, blending traditional romantic Bollywood scores with the kinetic beats of adrenaline-fueled action scores.
The cast, led by the delightful Lakshya, is the next most important ingredient. He is a star through and through, and his commitment to the heightened emotions of the story is what anchors the movie. Raghav Juyal’s villainous Fani is the perfect counterpart to Lakshya, as he is a classic foil to our hero. Lakshya’s Amrit is noble and capable, and Juyal’s Fani is cowardly and volatile. While both are fierce fighters, their distinct personality traits determine who gets the upper hand and ultimately wins this battle. It’s thrilling to watch as both actors are having a great time chewomg up the scenery with its over-the-top dialogue. Tanya Maniktala’s Tulika and Abhishek Chauhan’s Viresh add a touch of humanity to the story as the two speak to Amirt’s character and help the audience understand what’s at stake. Ultimately, the movie is a fun time, but there are real emotional gut punches along the way.
The writing is also a hoot. The story follows a straightforward plotline as Bhat breathes life and familiarity into his story as he deploys many Bollywood tropes and archetypes. However, the brief detours Bhat delivers shake up the formula and offer us an exhilarating adventure. To expect the unexpected is always anxiety-inducing, and that is Bhat’s goal here. However, what gets the gears going on this runaway train are the bright spots regarding Amrit and Tulika’s love story, Amrit and Viresh’s friendship, the macabre humour Fani exhibits, and the other touches to create characters that aren’t all just the genre goon #1, #2 and so on.
Kill is a bloody good time. Unpredictable, funny, romantic, and action-packed. There is little to dissuade anyone from watching it (unless you absolutely hate the sight of blood or gruesome deaths) because it plays into the classic Bollywood tropes but gleefully stabs you in the back and twists the knife because you have no idea how our beloved Amrit is going to save his precious Tulika. I imagine Bhat cackling and buzzing with excitement as he wrote this script, destroyed by fits of laughter as he filmed this project. Bhat knows that the audience will have their head spinning, and while they feel the pressure, Amrit takes on this death-defying killing spree to save his one true love. Adrenaline junkies, this is the movie of the summer for you.
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