'War 2' Box-Office: Hrithik Roshan-Junior NTR's film crashes on Monday by 75%, multiplexes cancel shows

The reason why War stood out was because, unlike a lot of other vanity vehicles that reek of hollowness and are content with their pretentious set pieces, this one didn’t forget to grab the vulnerable edges of their superhuman creatures. Hrithik Roshan and Tiger’s Shroff’s chemistry is for the ages. The sequel failed to live up to the hype, with Junior NTR taking charge.

War 2 collected only approx Rs 8 crore on Monday and the collections have crashed by 75%, with multiplexes cancelling a few shows due to no audience. The reported budget of the film is Rs 450 crore and the lifetime collections will be far lesser than part one of the franchise.

The problem is the uneven pacing. The problem is the expectation set by part one. The problem is to take giant leaps and still be at the same place where you were. The problem is how somebody keeps the world at your feet and you’re still not entirely and effortlessly swayed. The problem is you want things to happen but nothing moves.

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The problem is how your movie moves from one stunning locale to another so rapidly that none register. The problem is a flashback so random that belongs to an entirely different film. Also, this is the third time, after Agneepath and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, that a wrong actor has been cast to play the younger version of Hrithik Roshan. Are we supposed to believe and buy into the fact that this man, who lets his smouldering aura do the talkin,g belonged to the streets?

War 2 showed promise, not as a coherent story, but at least dumbed-down, cheerful fun when it began. But just like Tiger 3, it began to take itself way too seriously when all it needed to do was guffaw at its silliness. Some endless conversations and combats barely serve any purpose. The sheer disappointment of the enterprise fails its two competent leading men, that have shone in masala stories before.