There’s a deeply moving scene at the end of the first Kantara, when two characters, once rivals, finally join hands. An ambiguous, cliffhanger ending follows. Sadly, no such moments exist in the recent Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1—the prelude, though grander in scale, lacks the original’s focus.
The first film had a simple arc, tracking the events in a family and its wayward protagonist’s redemption. We cared about the characters. The prequel, on the other hand, feels like an afterthought. After leaving the theatre, only the spectacle lingered.
Unfortunately, this could be said of several recent tent poles. Chapter 1 at least has the advantage of splendidly staged set pieces that make a big-screen trip worthwhile. In comparison, other titles pale in most departments. Be it Coolie, War 2 or L2: Empuraan… there was a noticeable lack of focus on what is most essential—heart and soul—to make an action entertainer stand out amid run-of-the-mill offerings. Overzealous fans will, of course, bring up box-office figures, but money alone doesn’t make an enduring piece of art.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Sholay, the textbook definition of an action movie with heart. Its template has been reused in numerous films, but only a few hit the mark. Of the biggies of the past decade, the ones that aced the emotional core include RRR (Telugu), KGF (Kannada), Animal (Hindi), Baahubali (Telugu), Kaithi (Tamil), Vikram (Tamil), Thudarum (Malayalam), Maharaja (Tamil), Officer on Duty (Malayalam) and Lokah (Malayalam).
Not that these were naysayer-proof. Some still ask why these films worked while others call them “problematic”. But that’s a discussion for another day. The consensus, though, seems in favour of these handful of films that were tailored to a specific group.
One thing is certain: faster cuts, slow motion, overblown scale, unconvincing visual effects or any other gimmicks that try to compensate for poor storytelling and half-baked character development often sound the death knell for a film.
So, why do some action films work and others don’t? We spoke to a few people within the industry to get an idea. Filmmaker Nikhil Nagesh Bhat, who struck gold with Kill, starring Lakshya, Raghav Juyal and Tanya Maniktala, says it’s difficult to predict what will work. “We are students of cinema, still figuring things out,” he says. “It’s strange. At times, something resonates with a certain audience, sometimes it doesn’t—with the same audience! I feel that with not just action, but everything that’s coming out today.”
He adds that it is important for filmmakers to continuously up their game in a post-Covid environment where everyone is exposed to good films and series from around the world.
Bhat feels people will lap up anything unique and unseen. It’s a primary reason for the success of Kill. However, he is also aware that if he makes the same film again, he will most likely “bear the brunt of the same audience that showered praise earlier”.
Audiences have grown weary of recycled ideas, such as the introduction of a large machine gun during a crucial moment. When it was introduced in Kaithi, it felt new. We saw a similar visual in KGF 2, Vikram (directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, who made Kaithi), Animal and Marco.
Having said that, one has to take into account instances where more than one filmmaker is thinking of the same idea, but one of the films takes longer to reach theatres. In such cases, one filmmaker is accused of repeating—or, worse, lifting—ideas from the other. “If that happens, you’re done for,” Bhat says with a chuckle.
Having grown up on Sunny Deol action films like Ghayal, Yodha and Narasimha, Bhat believes they worked because they connected with primal emotions. “Action without emotion is useless; spectacle alone cannot sustain audience interest,” he says.
Echoing his sentiments, actor Arjun Radhakrishnan, who played the antagonist in Mammootty-starrer Kannur Squad, cites Kill, Lokah and Thudarum among the “finest examples of action filmmaking” that is not reliant on excessive slow motion and close-ups to deliver kicks. He wants to see more original, pure action films, especially those where the leads aren’t using body doubles. Thudarum and Kannur Squad, he says, are examples where the superstars did the action themselves. “I found the action sequences to be more effective because there’s no inclination to go ‘too elaborate’ or ‘fancy’ with the stunts,” says Radhakrishnan, who had a bloody battle with Mammootty in the film’s intense finale.
Kannada filmmaker Hemanth Rao, who dabbled in thriller and action elements in films like Sapta Sagaradaache Ello (Sides A & B) and Kavaludaari, and is in the middle of directing superstar Shiva Rajkumar in the upcoming 666 Operation Dream Theatre, says action movies led by older superstars will never run out of style provided filmmakers take the effort to write scripts with fresh ways of utilising the actor’s aura and ‘mass’ persona. “Clint Eastwood made Unforgiven in his 60s,” says Rao, who believes in making stories that feel right to him, instead of ticking the boxes on someone else’s checklist.
Of course, he will not fully ignore what the public wants to see from their favourite superstar, but not at the expense of storytelling. “I should be fully convinced by what I’m doing,” he says.
One such choice is the long, single-take fight sequence in the third act of Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Side B, which many say was on par with international cinema. “I shot it that way because I felt the film needed that kind of energy at that point,” recalls Rao, who has a co-writing credit on Sriram Raghavan’s Hindi blockbuster Andhadhun. “We can write a good action sequence and make it work provided there is a damn good reason for why two people are hitting each other.”
Bhat concurs. “It shouldn’t matter whether someone is young or old, a superstar or a newcomer,” he says. “At the end of the day, the story is of paramount importance. If that works, it helps everything else in the film, including the actors, irrespective of age. It doesn’t matter if it’s realistic action or otherwise, it’s about how emotionally different you or your plot is.”
S. Shiva Kumar, a veteran film journalist, says James Bond-type movies with more emphasis on “spectacle, girls and gadgets” don’t sell well here. “It’s not being lapped up, unless there’s an emotional hook—even a small one,” he says. “Which is why movies like Baahubali do wonders, because even though it’s a fantasy, in which you’re empowering people with certain powers that ordinary mortals don’t possess, it’s acceptable because we were raised on Chandamama and Amar Chitra Katha stories.”
He says the diminished quality of action movies lately has also led to a general lack of interest from OTTs and television networks. The onus, he feels, will be more on emotions rather than mindless violence going forward. “Budgets are going to spiral drastically,” he says. “The films that have done really well are the small-budget ones. Su from So, from Kannada, is an example. When a Rs3 crore-Rs4 crore film makes Rs100 crore, that’s a much bigger achievement than a Rs150 crore budget film earning about Rs170 crore. And I’m talking in terms of actual collection, not the ‘gross’ they keep talking about. I’m sure Dhanush’s Idli Kadai, also a small-budget film, did well, too, because it’s driven by emotions. At the end of the day, an emotional hook is very important. We are all suckers for emotion, aren’t we?”
