- Date of Release: 23 February 2024
- Genre: Action, Sports
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Crakk
Introduction
To make a great film, all you need is stylized action with two biceps bulging heroes with six packs each, having a go at each other. This, while the writing can just go for a toss without any qualms….right? ….right? And with that, I finished watching the new Hindi film Crakk starring Vidyut Jammwal whom I regard as the best action hero produced by our country. This is in contrast to the other talent Tiger Shroff that doesn’t have variety to his moves, making Vidyut the frontrunner for me. However, the script choices of Vidyut Jammwal has been a real suspect even as he has transitioned from the antagonist to now shouldering his most expensive film yet in the ‘Maidaans’, Internationally and Nationally. Previously, Vidyut Jammwal has been phenomenal with the action set-pieces even though there hasn’t been an out and out action film like The Raid that would put his action prowess to good use. That seemed to potentially change with his new film Crakk – Jeetegaa Toh Jiyegaa which was touted as an action extravaganza featuring extreme sports. So then, does Crakk manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
Crakk follows the story of a man from the slums entering the world of extreme sports while trying to imitate the path of his dead brother. Will he succeed? The story is divided into two parts for me – good action(although patchy editing) and everything else ridiculously bad and cringe worthy to a point that I felt like ‘crakk’ing my skull open. It is so frustrating to watch a drama that is so bad that it had be cracking up due to its unintentional humour through the proceedings that are yawn-worthy. The screenplay standing at a whopping runtime of 150 odd minutes shows promise in its action sequences but dies a dog’s death on either side of it. I just wished that if there was a little effort invested in the writing, this drama could have been so much different. Sadly, it is all but frustrating to watch this yawn-fest.
The premise of the drama is similar to that of Welcome To The Jungle, Death Race, Squid Game and much closer to home like Luck. But the writing here is a masterclass on how to take a good concept and completely ruin it with an unnecessary revenge plot, a cringe-worthy romantic angle and a group of dimwits that are referred to as the cops. The drama begins on a promising note with the introduction of the protagonist who flaunts his moves effectively on a moving local train. Some of the stunts performed here are actually good, although some are VFX induced(with respect to the background) but it sets the tone of the drama rather well. But sadly, the drama just doesn’t build on the early momentum by slowly sinking to rock bottom, only partially elevating in a couple of the elongated action sequences.
The proceedings are uneventful and one reason for not building on any momentum is because the screenplay tries to incorporate everything along the way – from a half-hearted and cringe-worthy romance to a needless revenge plot. Had the focus been just on the action while briefly filling it with the characterization of an ‘underdog’ then things would have been so much different. But the writing oscillates between events that are so illogical that you can’t help but crack up every now and then. After a point, the drama gets so taxing that you don’t really care about who is after who, and what the protagonist wants out of the competition. This while you are barely at the end of the first hour.
The second half is a whole new cringe-fest with random events transpiring one after another while the parts of comedy will literally want to slap yourself for putting up with this mess. But atleast those slaps did help me stay awake in the drama that was nothing short of a disaster. The events leading up to the final act are unbelievably hilarious and illogical while the final face-off between the protagonist and the antagonist takes center stage. And you don’t feel for either due to poor characterization of the highest order. The twist at the end was so convenient that accurately summed up the screenplay which was a hot mess while being a strong contender for the worst piece of writing in 2024 already!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are so cringe-worthy and just so bad that it almost made me retch. Lines like, ‘Here is your chip, open my zip’ or ‘Bomb unke upar hai, but fatt meri rahi hai’ will make you squirm in your seat for all the wrong reasons as the rhyming lines just do not end. The music is below par although the BGM adds the much needed energy during the action set-pieces. The action set-pieces are good and so is the camerawork behind them with the use of drones. But what I fail to understand is that what was the reason to opt for multiple slow-mo shots when you had Vidyut Jammwal at the helm of things. Slow-mos are used only for actors who aren’t agile but when you use it on Vidyut, it nullifies the impact by a huge margin. Even the editing is so patchy that you don’t get a single take of the action set-pieces which would have created a towering impact. The jump cuts only add to the woes of the drama. Director Aditya Datt focuses all on style but absolutely ignores the substance. The direction is so poor here that it made me wonder on what the creative decision was in staging the drama rather poorly. It is an epuc misfire of epic proportions.
Performances
The lesser said about the performances the better. While Ankit Mohan as Nihal and Bijay Anand as the head honcho of ‘Maidaan’ are passable, Jamie Lever is unbelievably bad by literally hamming her away through the act. There are two truths in the world – the sun rises in the east and Nora Fatehi and Amy Jackson just can’t act to save their lives. The performances by the ladies are so bad that you will be left speechless by their acts. Arjun Rampal as Dev shows promise but is rather underutilized while not showcasing his menacing side much. Vidyut Jammwal is a great talent as far as action is concerned but his acting has seriously dipped after his impressive act in Khuda Hafiz 2. While he impresses with his moves, his dialogue delivery is cringe-worthy while also overacting in almost every scene. He really needs to visit the drawing board to understand his strengths while also looking to consider roles of an antagonist that he once left a sterling mark with. Time to buck up boy, you are better than this!
Conclusion
Crakk is Vidyut Jammwal’s Heropanti 2, a drama ridiculous bad and so cringe-worthy that it made me slap myself to keep myself awake from the yawn-fest. The tagline for the film should be – ‘Dekhegaa…Toh Maregaa..’., you are warned! Available in a theatre near you.
