Kabzaa Movie Review

Introduction

Kabzaa is a 2023 Indian Kannada-language action drama film written and directed by R. Chandru. On March 17, The Kabzaa Movie 2023 arrived in theatres. It was also released in dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.

The film features an ensemble cast, including Shriya Saran portrays Madhumati Bahaddur, Arkeshwara's wife and Veer Bahadur's daughter. Upendra plays the role of Arkeshwara, an earlier Air Force pilot turned mobster. Murali Sharma as CM Veera Bahadur, monarch of the Bahaddur family under the British Raj and Madhumati's father. As Bagheera, Nawab Shah. Suneel Puranik portrays Sankeshwara, and Malik is portrayed by John Kokken, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Posani Krishna Murali, Sudha as Tulasi Devi, Arkeshwara and Sankeshwara's mother. As the ruthless mobster Khaleed, played by Vikram M. Kamaraj, Dev Gill as DSP Vikram, Bali is Danish Akhtar and CM Ghanshyam Pandey is played by Lakki Lakshman. Pramod Shetty as a corrupt cop,Taaha Shah as Saartaj, Khaled's son. Avinash as a jailer, Anoop Revanna as Fayaaz, and B Suresh as Varadharaj Mudaliar.

The Kabzaa Movie's editor is Mahesh Reddy, while the film's cinematographer is AJ Shetty. The soundtrack for the movie was composed by Ravi Basrur. Regarding the film's producer, R Chandru works with Sri Siddeshwara Enterprises to put the project together.

Plot

Director R Chandru acknowledged during the promotional events that the KGF brand served as his inspiration for developing the universe of Kabzaa. However, Kabzaa has its distinct character, imposing grandeur, strong cast, enormous sets, chuckle-worthy language, excessive violence, and of course... Upendra.

The movie follows the story of Arakeshwara (Upendra) and is about the emergence of the underworld. Bhargav Bhakshi (Sudeep), an encounter expert, is the story's narrator. A never-ending cast of characters, particularly various dons, make short cameos in and out of the movie.

Set between the 40s and the 80s, we are introduced to, Amareshwara, a north Indian maharaja and independence warrior, who the British brutally assassinated during the British reign in 1945. His wife Tulasi Devi & boys Arkeshwara and Sankeshwara move to Amarapura to start a flag business . Arkeshwara joined the air force in 1971, but Sankeshwara forgoes his desire to take revenge for his brothers' murder. For a brief vacation, Arkeshwara travels back to Amarapura, where he spends moments with his mother and lover, Princess Madhumati.

If and when his sibling is killed. Arakeshwara, who is typically mild-mannered, exhibits aggressive behaviour as he unintentionally enters the underworld. Will he be able to maintain his position of power for a long time, or will he face a worthy opponent? Bhargav Shivarajkumar's participation in this installment simply sets up a future battle among all three of these superstars in Kabzaa 2, while Bakshi makes up for the first installment.

The second part of Kabzaa establishes the main plot, which is laced with bloody action scenes with swords, firearms, and other deadly weapons. Points for providing the adrenaline rush go to stunt directors Ravi Varma, Vijay, Chethan D' Souze, Vinod, Vikram Mor, and Thriller Manju.

In addition to the bloodshed, Arakeshwara includes a romance subplot with Madhumathi (Shriya Saran), the Bahaddhur family's queen, who marries against her father's desires. Through different incidents, the cost of her marriage to a mobster is made clear, opening the door for the introduction of many more characters in the sequel. Can a movie ever be considered complete without some motherly sentiment? There is plenty of conflict, but romance and action.

Kabzaa is entirely Chandru's brainchild, which he mounts using the three stars' superstardom. However, the film's technical team, who create a compelling spectacle, clearly owns the piece. The enormous sets are expertly crafted by art director Shivakumar to realise Chandru's vision for Kabzaa. Ravi Basrur maintains his distinctive approach while balancing the music needed for commercial potboilers with the star power of the movie. Although the background music may appear overbearing, it supports the movie's very sombre story. AJ Shetty, who previously worked with Bhuvan Gowda on KGF, applied what he learned from that project to Kabzaa. Editor Mahesh Reddy, a fellow KGF alumnus, follows a similar strategy while yet maintaining his own style. However, the VFX leaves a lot to be desired for the people who will be gonna watch this movie.

One of the best lines in the movie is when Upendra says, 'If you want to win. I will play the game. If you want to kill, I will end the game. The actor stands tall in Kabzaa as he gets to show off his super-heroic side. He does a great job of portraying Arakeshwara's metamorphosis from a regular guy to a feared don. As the Queen, Shriya exudes majesty and is a perfect fit. Sudeep's narration enhances the picture and aids in navigating the various characters and timelines. His portrayal of a tough police officer will delight his supporters. Shiva rajkumar's introduction makes you eagerly anticipate the follow-up.

Numerous characters, including Danish Akhtar Sait as Baali, Nawab Shah as Bangera, Kamarajan as Khalid, & John Kokken as Malik, are seen in various confrontations with Upendra. Murali Sharma and Anup Revanna both perform admirably as Target Fayas. Additionally, Ashwath Ninasam & Suresh play blink-and-miss roles in the movie. In reality, a large number of the movie's characters are ultimately unmemorable.

While Kabzaa's story does not directly follow KGF, it does share some of the same themes, such as the underdog becoming an underworld don. Everyone who likes action drama, excellent technical production, and, of course, the rush from seeing three of Sandalwood's finest performers on the big screen should see this movie.

Conclusion

Due to the absurd language, the 2 hours and 16 minute running time of Kabzaa in Tamil feels considerably longer. The movie immediately makes you think of Yash's KGF. Every aspect of the film starring Prashanth Neel, from the colour scheme to the editing style, is modelled after it. A two-hour-long movie called Kabzaa, features dead men, slo-mo shots, and glossy visuals.

The movie by Chandru takes itself extremely seriously. It presents itself as a movie with a lot of information, but in observation, the plot is really weak. The voice-over informs you of what is previously known, though. The movie serves as an illustration of when a voice-over should not be used to help a story that is already drowning. A common man's ascension is shown in Kabzaa in the most horrific way conceivable.

Every 20 minutes, Arkeshwara is given only targets to kill. Numerous villains are introduced to us frequently, and Arka quickly dispatches them all. Either he carries the skulls of the guys who were decapitated, or he carries guns. We are hardly invested in the story as a result of the quick resolution of every single conflict. As part of his romance with Madhumathi, Arka is also attempting to win our hearts. However, you inevitably find yourself astonishedly gazing at the screen. Nothing really excites you, not even romance or action.

Kabzaa is plagued with predictability. It follows a conventional path, and the caricatured villains' portrayals don't enhance the narrative in any way. Additionally, Nawab Shah's portrayal of one of the villains includes a tattoo that says "cruel." Interested in its meaning? It serves as a cue for you to fear him.

Less is more when it comes to Upendra, Sudeep, and Shriya Saran's performances. Except for the surprise in the end, which serves as a lead for the sequel, Kabzaa has no redeeming qualities. Despite being somewhat predictable, the scenario is well executed.

With Kabzaa, Ravi Basrur, whose mesmerising music in KGF turned heads, will deafen you. I am allergic to noise, says Upendra's character Arka in a scene. I'd rather be silent. We sympathise with Upendra!

And the movie has choppy transitions. The intention is to mimic KGF's editing style, but what actually results is a collection of disparate scenes that have been pasted together. The tedious love song between Arka and Princess Madhumathi (Shriya) adds to the ordeal. The less that is said, the better.

Kabza's title tune resembles KGF Sultan in an eerie way. Even the movie's background music follows the same theme as the Yash beginning. The song also includes an item number with Tanya Hope, but even it fails to impress.

KGF was a success all over India as a result of the work put into making the movie look and sound native to any language in which it was released. The music and the dialogues worked big time in all dialects since there were subtleties even in the dubbing. This is why Kabzaa is a fraud. The dialogue frequently sounds funny where it shouldn't and appears to have been translated using Google Translate.

Insipid films like Kabzaa are sure to be inspired by the success of KGF, a significant moment in Kannada cinema. This was inevitable, and it is safe to assume that such dreary events will follow. Kabzaa is only the start of this period, which will implode after crores of dollars have been wasted on such duds and when the name KGF begins to evoke unpleasant memories due to such pointless endeavors.

With a follow-up already planned with a shallow plot, dreary soundtrack, and uninteresting characters, Kabjaa is at best an OTT watch that too if you're curious to see how KGF would have turned out. Additionally, you can easily skip much of the movie to find out when the pain will stop. You may avoid sitting through Kabza in theatres.