- Date of Release: 20 October 2023
- Genre: Action, Drama, Sci Fi
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: OTT
GanApath Part 1
Introduction
Ok, let’s smash this piece of sh*t shall we?? Onto the next release of the weekend, and in a week when I managed to watch some amazing content like Kaala Paani, the universe has conspired to balance things out with a film so bad, that any film in front of it would be nothing less than a masterpiece. With that, I finished watching possibly the worst film of the year by a countrymile, Ganapath, and this is just effing part 1 of 2. There are days wherein I absolutely love my job with the different kinds of films that I do get to watch. And then there are days that so give me a splitting headache, making me question if I am sane enough to continue this job of reviewing films. And while watching Ganapath, it made me want to slap myself for putting my sweet sole through this mess of a film.
The trailer of Ganapath did promise to be a dystopian drama and while its trailer gave ‘solid’ vibes of a futuristic version of Heropanti 2(what a ‘masterpiece’) featuring the ‘Sabko Aati Nahi, Meri Jaati Nahi’ guy Tiger Shroff, my only little hope lay with the director Vikas Bahl who did have some notable films in his repertoire. But almost nothing prepared me for how bad this film was going to be, so much so that it would leave me angry and wanting to continuously slap someone to get my frustration out(I am a non violent person). And so, I decided to write a no-holds bar review which will not only point out the flaws but also roast the film, constructive criticism gaya tel lagaane(to hell with constructive criticism). So is Ganapath – Part 1 worth your precious time, no, ofcourse not, but stay tuned, you are in for some fun.
Story & Screenplay
Set in 2070(for reasons best known to the makers), Ganapath Part 1 is a futuristic Heropanti 2 drama featuring the rich and gareebon ki basti(the poor) that begins to infuse parts of the Baaghi franchise(in terms of its absurdness) while also paying a homage to WWE in a dystopian world. Confused? Don’t be, because there isn’t any noteworthy story there at all. The story is so poor and absolutely trash that I wonder, why would any sane person even agree to make this film. What was the USP of it, other than setting the story in a Bandra gym and lacing it with poor VFX(which would make the makers of Adipurush proud), and pass it off as a futuristic drama?? Absolutely ridiculous! The screenplay standing at a 130 odd minutes was 130 odd minutes too longer than it ought to have been, and it lingers on and on and on and on and on(ok, I’ll stop). But if I had to search for its purpose, the drama would end after the ‘Nandu-ad’ of Akshay Kumar at the beginning.
If you are interested, the drama opens in the year 2070 wherein there is a demarcation made in the form of a wall that separates the rich and the poor, with the latter having to fight for their resources as their daily routine. And to change the fortunes of the poor, an elderly character begins training them in fighting, while also alerting the clan that a messiah will soon rise to rescue them. What was the correlation, I do not know. Soon, you are introduced to the protagonist who finally wakes up after making love with 12 women in a scene wherein he says ‘Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela, Kal Raat Apun Bohot Khela’. Cringe! I would like to cite examples of Jailer and Leo, or even Jawan wherein the makers had presented their protagonist in such enigmatic fashion, as opposed to this trash wherein you instantly wish to dislike the protagonist.
The proceedings are down right ridiculous and almost a joke in the manner in which they were written. If Kaala Paani was a masterclass in screenplay writing, this is an effing masterclass on how not to write a screenplay. Firstly, the story itself was bad but what was that screenplay? It did not evoke a single emotion inside me, other than wanting to put a bullet in my head to end my misery. It was absolute dogsh*t at its peak while multiplying that by 10. It was hard for me to fathom that a good writer like Vikas Bahl was behind this(oh, he had written Shaandaar too, hmmm….justified). Neither the love angle worked, nor did the drama, hell atleast the training montage could have been well presented. You had the template of Sultan or Brothers, or even Chandni Chowk To China!
The twist in the tale(no, not that of the viewers choking in the theatre) could be seen from a mile away. Even the fight sequences are so caricaturish and unintentionally funny that it made me want to literally heckle the players. I mean if the protagonist is dancing in the fight-ring and an opposition player is eating a banana(futuristic Ibu Hatela, Khayega Kela), then you know that you are doomed. And the arena felt like a playstation one with fake crowd in the name of poor VFX. The final act is abysmal to put it in a good way thus setting up things for part 2 which should NOT be made. Overall, there is absolutely no redemption for this outrageous film, but my roast will continue in the next sections as well.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are cheesy and ridiculously bad. Not one line stood out and why was the protagonist mouthing tapori lines?? No effing justification at all! The music just doesn’t blend with the drama, and I don’t know whom to blame here. The BGM starts off well but tapers off very soon. The cinematography is decent but the VFX is so bad that even the video game graphics would look better. There was absolutely no vision with the same and in some parts even the green screen was visible. The editing is a bloody joke. When you have Tiger Shroff at the helm of the sequences, why would you need multiple jump cuts given that the man has agility. And the action sequences are tiresome as well. For how long can we root for the same fly kicks and jumps! The version of Vikas Bahl that has turned up for direction isn’t the one with the likes of Queen, Super 30 or even Goodbye to his filmography. In fact, it is the Shaandaar version of himself that takes up the mantle here. And boy, was the direction bad! There wasn’t head or tail to the same, and not once did I feel that the film was even remotely interesting. Onto, the remake of Vash now and hope that is better than the hot mess created here.
Performances
The performances are ridiculously bad here. I wonder why the likes of Amitabh Bachchan and Gauahar Khan agreed to be a part of this trauma. And it also doesn’t help when some good actors like Jameel Khan gets bumped off early, and an actor like Girish Kulkarni has nothing to do. And if you have a villain called John the Englishman(essayed by Ziad Bakri) then you know that there aren’t any rules here. Rahman as Shiva is at best mediocre. Kriti Sanon is a talented actor but her choices has been abysmal after Mimi. It almost made me want to go ‘Chhoti Bachchi Ko Kya, Samajh Nahi Aata’, everytime she picks a bad script. Wake up girl, you are better than this! And lesser said about Tiger Shroff, the better. It has been a decade for him in the industry and I do know he can dance, flip and kick with so much agility. But when will he learn to act? All his dialogues were spoken in his mouth that made me go ‘Mu Mein Se Tambaaku Nikal Ke Baat Kar'(remove tobacco from your mouth before speaking). And his choices have degraded from bad to worse, making him almost overrated in every aspect. Buck up Tiger, this is a huge wake up call. Lesser time in the gym, more focus on polishing your acting skills! And please, be smarter with your choices, else the slide which has started may soon take you down!
Conclusion
Ganapath – Part 1 is an excruciatingly futuristic Heropanti 2 drama that made me go ‘Ae Ganapath Chal Disprin La'(get me some medicines Ganapath) following a splitting headache that I had after watching the film. It is the worst movie of the year by a countrymile and if the makers are reading this, please do not invest money in its second part. We don’t give two hoots about this crap, better utilize your resources elsewhere and do not take the viewers for granted next time! Lesson learnt? Available in a theatre near you but you are warned!
