Karthikeya 2 Movie Review: This mystical adventure engages despite its shortcomings
Cast: Nikhil Siddhartha, Adithya Menon and others
Director: Chandoo Mondeti
Run-Time: 145 Minutes
Rating: 3/5
The first hour of ‘Karthikeya 2’ cobbles together seemingly disparate ideas. The screenplay is somewhat haphazard too. In Greece, an accomplished archaeologist figures out a solid finidng that dates back to Lord Krishna’s times. He is being shadowed by a secretive cabal, whose gangster-like malevolent chief (Adithya Menon’s character is typically written) doesn’t want humanity to progress. A backstory unfolds in glorious animation, explaining the origin story of a glowing ornament hidden away in India. Somewhere, an Archaka is attacked in a scene set to loud background score (in a film enriched by measured score from the talented Kaala Bhairava, this and a couple of other moments are an exception). Then there is the talk of an impending environmental calamity. But the story essentially belongs to Dr Karthikeya, the destiny’s child.
Karthikeya 2 Trailer ⬇️
Chandoo Mondeti’s script is populated with high-sounding ideas and eclectic happenings. Everything looks hunky dory (especially because of the BGM and Karthik Gattamaneni’s first-class cinematography) untilt he film enters the children’s fantasy zone. Once it becomes that, Karthikeya makes accidental discoveries. Being the blessed one, he becomes a beneficiary of unreal coincidences. Even the attacks don’t seem too fatal after a point. And even when danger clearly looms large, he tides over them in a flash.