'SPY', produced by K Rajasekhar Reddy (who is also its story writer), was released in theatres today. Editor-turned-Director Garry BH has wielded the megaphone. Does this pan-India release stand a chance? Here we answer the question.
Plot:
Khadir Khan, a feared terrorist, is presumed to be dead. RAW learns that he is very much alive and is planning to launch a nuclear attack on India. Jay (Nikhil Siddhartha) is assigned the job of foiling his plans. The heroic agent now teams up with an NIA agent (Iswarya Menon) and a fellow agent (Abhinav Gomatam) to traverse geographies and wage an adventurous assault. Can he save India?
Performances:
Nikhil Siddhartha approaches the spy character with a limited range. In his first action sequence, he gets a slo-mo introduction in the style of a mass star hero. Initially, he appears to suit the role well. By and by, the inherent weakness of the script drags his performance down. By the climax, we are done with the lack of urgency in his body language.
Makrand Deshpande as a RAW head is routine (and mildly irritating). Aryan Rajesh is seen in a cameo as the male lead's late brother. Jissu Sengupta as a nuclear scientist gone rogue is passable. Iswarya Menon and Sanya Thakur were not supposed to be in a spy thriller.
One can only have a problem with Abhinav Gomatam. His jokes dilute the impact and his strictly average performance doesn't help. Sachin Khedekar, Ravi Varma, Tanikella Bharani, Posani Krishna Murali, and Suresh are wasted in sketchy roles. Rana Daggubati's cameo is unimpactful.
Technical Departments:
Vishal Chandrasekhar's songs are lost in the bland fabric of the movie. Sricharan Pakala's background music is nothing like what we have seen of him in the past. Vamshi Patchipulusu's and Mark David’s cinematography is not intimidated by the globe-trotting nature of the screenplay.
The production design by Ravi Anthony and the art direction by Arjun Surisetty are template-ish.
Merits:
Production values.
Technical aspects like cinematography and, to an extent, sound design (by Sync Cinema).
Demerits:
Convenient scenes that throw logic to the winds.
Obvious inspirations from other spy movies.
Superficial engagement with Subhas Chandra Bose's mysterious disappearance and some so-called declassified files.
Laughable portrayal of warfare, intelligence operations, etc.
Silly dialogues involving Abhinav Gomatam and the hero.
Unbearable depiction of RAW's capabilities.
Vox Verdict:
'SPY' is not only over-ambitious but also over-pretentious. Throughout, it comes across as a cheap imitation of other spy movies. Devoid of logic and emotional connection, the film falls apart.
Rating: 1.75 / 5
