'SPY', produced by K Rajasekhar Reddy, was released in theatres today. In this section, we are going to analyze the movie in detail.
Story:
The RAW is shocked to learn that a global terrorist named Khadir Khan (Nithin Mehta) who was believed to have been killed is very much alive. Jay (Nikhil Siddhartha), who is known for his daredevilry in the intelligence system, is asked to mount a secret mission to nab Khadir against all odds. At stake are the lives of millions of Indians in the event of a nuclear attack on our soil. Then there is Abdul Rehman (Jisshu Sengupta), an evil Pakistani genius who is seething with rage.
Performances:
Even in a big-range story like 'Kartikeya 2', Nikhil Siddhartha showed vulnerability and wonderment. In 'SPY', he is expected to behave like a hardened spy who knows better than his bosses. The characterization remains underwritten, thereby watering down his performance considerably. He fails to sell his straightforward character. It doesn't help that he has got Abhinav Gomatam as his buddy. The comedian is in a constant 'Ee RAW Ki Emaindi' mode, cracking silly jokes as if he is a college student and the mission is a school skit.
Nithin Mehta, Jisshu Sengupta and Ravi Varma were expected to look scary. They don't. The brief romantic track is shockingly bad. Rana Daggubati's cameo was used to reel off WhatsApp-level gyan about the relative importance of Bose. Makrand Deshpande, Iswarya Menon and Sanya Thakur look either too stone-faced or too relaxed. Sachin Khedekar and Posani Krishna Murali have been miscast.
Technical aspects:
The film's production values are rich enough. And the whole production design, the broad ambiance, and the familiar soundscape of 'SPY' remind us of some of those famous Adivi Sesh movies. Vishal Chandrasekhar's songs and Sricharan Pakala's background are okayish but not distinct.
The cinematography by Vamshi Patchipulusu and Mark David is good. The action choreography by Lee Whitaker of 'Saaho' fame and Robert Leannen is run-of-the-mill. The execution is not bad, but we don't buy into the mood of it.
Analysis:
Whenever a spy/espionage drama revolving around the RAW, IB, Mossad, CIA or some other agency is made by Bollywood, commentators have a field day making fun of them on social media. An intelligence enthusiast once said that Hindi cinema has barely made one or two believable spy thrillers. 'Madras Cafe' is one of them. The rest of them take creative liberties to the extreme.
'SPY', the film under review, doesn't even attempt to raise the bar. It throws around terms like cryptocurrency, sleeper cells, the dark web, and nuclear bomb liberally. The audience are expected to love the whole tension-building exercise even as the hero's sidekick continues to conceive insufferable humour.
All the strain and stress at the RAW is limited to uttering phrases like 'We don't have much time', 'Declare red alert' and 'Let the media not know the truth'. The audience member feels cheated to learn that the so-called mystery around the disappearance of Subhas Chandra Bose has been used as a cheap marketing gimmick. In the epilogue, Nikhil's character shuts a file saying that some secrets best remain unknown. Wish the director of this movie told the same to himself and desisted from making the movie!
Closing Remarks
'SPY' doesn't even make a try at breaking new ground in the spy genre. It's all about foiling a deadly attack, the hero achieving impossible things after the system ditches him, routine gun fights, and so on and so forth.
