I updated my list of Bollywood movies on Netflix with one new addition to the catalog. Last year’s action sequel Force 2 — starring John Abraham and Sonakshi Sinha — is now available for streaming. It’s a fun followup to a really terrific thriller. It’s also the sixth 2016 release added to Netflix this month. Let’s hope Netflix’s renewed fondness for recent mainstream Bollywood fare continues.
For everything else new on Netflix, check Instant Watcher.
The Shah Rukh Khan-Alia Bhatt comedy-drama Dear Zindagi hits Chicago area theaters on November 23, 2016 — two days before it releases in India! It’s a Thanksgiving miracle!
Dear Zindagi opens on Wednesday at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago, MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 31 min.
The South Barrington 30 and Cantera 17 hold over Force 2 for a second week.
MovieMax hasn’t released its full schedule at the time of publication, so check the theater’s website to see what other Indian movies it will carry over the weekend. The only other Indian film showing in the Chicago area over the holiday weekend is Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada (Telugu w/English subtitles) at Cinemark at Seven Bridges in Woodridge.
Force 2 got off to a powerful start at the North American box office, especially considering its small theatrical footprint. From November 18-20, 2016, Force 2 earned $115,762 from 46 theaters ($2,517 average). Its theater count ranks 35th out of 46 Hindi films released here this year — tied with Mastizaade — yet it performed well enough to rank 27th in terms of opening weekend gross and 17th in opening weekend average. Here’s how star John Abraham’s other 2016 releases fared in their opening weekends in North America:
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is really slowing down. In its fourth weekend of release, it earned $69,873 from 66 theaters ($1,059 average), bringing its North American total to $4,169,240.
Also in its fourth weekend in theaters, Shivaay earned $3,440 from eight theaters ($430 average). Its total stands at $694,900.
Things didn’t get any better for Rock On 2 in its second weekend. Its business fell by 96%, earning just $2,829 from twelve theaters ($236 average). Its total after ten days is $101,782.
Source: Rentrak, via Bollywood Hungama
3 Stars (out of 4)
Buy the DVD at Amazon
Buy the soundtrack at iTunes
John Abraham’s Inspector Yash returns for Force 2, a more straightforward action flick than its romance-heavy predecessor. Intriguing international locations and a solid cast make this a fitting follow-up to 2011’s terrific thriller.
Five years after the murder of his wife Maya (Genelia D’Souza), Yash is drawn into another conspiracy. Someone is assassinating agents of RAW (India’s CIA, essentially) working in China, using information from within the organization to locate targets.
One of those agents is a childhood friend of Yash’s who managed to send an encoded message to his buddy before his death. The leak within RAW works at the Indian embassy in Budapest. The call to action jars Yash out of his vivid hallucinations of Maya and back into reality.
RAW isn’t about to let Yash tear apart Hungary on his own personal revenge mission. He’s assigned to work under the supervision of agent KK (Sonakshi Sinha), who has contacts in Budapest.
There’s some back-and-forth about the superiority of investigation methods preferred by each law enforcement branch — patient data collection by RAW versus gut feelings by the police — but this ends quickly. KK showcases her reliable instincts and Yash his observation skills, even if some of his investigation methods are unorthodox. KK describes her hair-triggered partner as “a bit wayward.”
Maya’s presence in the story — if only in Yash’s mind — precludes a romance between Yash and KK, allowing their relationship to develop based on professional camaraderie and trust. Abraham and Sinha have a nice rapport, and it’s satisfying to watch their characters learn that they are more effective working together than independently.
For as important a character as KK is, it would’ve been nice to see more of her backstory. At one point, I thought a subtitle read that the film’s villain was her fiance. It’s never mentioned again, so maybe I misread it. Subtitle pacing is a periodic problem, and some crucial voiceovers aren’t subtitled at all.
Sinha acquits herself well in the action sequences, and her character’s casual wardrobe in the second half of the film is killer. Abraham looks great at all times (one of the perks of his being a producer on Force 2).
Undoubtedly, the most compelling performance is by Tahir Raj Bhasin, who plays the villain Shiv Sharma. Bhasin has a threatening stare that he uses liberally, whether Shiv intends to convey his murderous intent overtly or disguise it behind a benign expression. There’s always something chilling about him.
Director Abhinay Deo of Delhi Belly fame has fun with the action scenes. He has Yash swing KK around as a weapon in one close-quarters fight. During a ballroom shoot-out, Deo films the events from Yash’s perspective as if it were a first-person-shooter video game. It’s really well-executed.
Though not as uniquely memorable as Force, Force 2 is still fun, violent action fare. I’d be happy to watch a third Force film.
Links
The sequel to the super-fun action flick Force hits Chicago area theaters on November 18, 2016. John Abraham returns for Force 2, this time teaming up with Sonakshi Sinha against a villain played by Mardaani‘s Tahir Raj Bhasin.
Force 2 opens on Friday at MovieMax Cinemas in Niles, AMC South Barrington 30 in South Barrington, and Regal Cantera Stadium 17 in Warrenville. It has a listed runtime of 2 hrs. 4 min.
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil gets a fourth week at all of the above theaters, plus the AMC Loews Woodridge 18 in Woodridge. Shivaay carries over at the South Barrington 30 and MovieMax, which also holds over Rock On 2 for a second week.
Other Indian movies showing in the Chicago area this weekend: