In Ayan Mukerji’s War 2, science, math and emotions are missing in action

The irony is that the film tries to present itself as modern and tech-driven, with its villains—an organisation called Kali—appearing only as holograms, their faces hidden in shadow. But instead of feeling fresh, it looks borrowed. The masked, faceless rich villains feel inspired straight out of Squid Game, while the rhetoric of Kali’s Indian head, played by KC Shankar, recalls Special Ops. “Wahi purani desh bhakti jinhe nayi duniya ke naye rules nahi pata,” he declares, echoing the cynicism of global-citizen villains like Tahir Raj Bhasin’s character in Special Ops.

Like in Squid Game or Hunger Games, Kali is portrayed as a collective of ultra-rich, power-addicted individuals who exploit chaos, not for politics or patriotism, but simply because they can. “Nasha hai”, says Gulati to Kabir when he asks them their goal. Members come from across India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, Russia, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Myanmar. Instead of originality, what we get is a messy cocktail of familiar tropes without the punch of those originals.

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If the villainy feels second-hand, the science is outright laughable and stretching suspension of disbelief to the point that it rips and tears. Consider Jr. NTR’s grand entry: introduced with a tiger’s roar, he clings to an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) as if it were a city bus, effortlessly flying to his mission. Just before takeoff, one of his teammates warns him that the UAV can’t handle his weight. Raghu’s solution? He sassily begins throwing away his weapons, then his shirt, then other accessories—until he even gestures at removing his pants. A fellow soldier finally stops him with, “This won’t make a difference, let it be,” and off he happily flies. Perhaps Ayan Mukerji thought audiences would laugh at the pant joke, but not a single giggle echoed in the theater. If anything, the silence proved the audience wasn’t as foolish as the filmmakers assumed.

Later, Raghu casually dodges a howitzer shell with his bare hands, volleying it away as if it were a beach ball. The absurdity peaks when Raghu and Kabir fight atop a private jet mid-air—wearing ordinary clothes, unaffected by air pressure, wind, or even turbulence. They smash the door open mid-flight, the cabin stays steady, and Raghu even stands at the edge of the plane like he’s on his balcony—hair intact, shirt unruffled.

And then there’s the train sequence, which feels like a deleted Fast & Furious storyboard. Kabir and Raghu chase, jump, and fight across compartments like it’s child’s play. At one point, Kabir even drives a car on top of the train. Physics takes another leave of absence as both heroes escape without so much as a limp, reducing what could have been a thrilling set piece into cartoonish spectacle.

The lapses in logic are as glaring as the lapses in physics. Anil Kapoor, playing RAW chief, addresses a media briefing about a covert mission—something unimaginable in real life. In another stretch, timelines make no sense. Kabir, recruited for soldier training at 14, reunites with Raghu after 20 years, making them both 34. But his love story with Kavya is shown as having happened 15 years ago, which would make him 19 at the time. At 19, she proposes marriage, but somehow this is woven into a timeline that contradicts itself at every turn. Instead of adding depth, this “15-year gap” only makes the film look careless.

None of this is the actors’ fault. Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR bring charisma, Kiara Advani does what she can with her limited role, and Anil Kapoor tries to lend gravitas. But when the writing lacks emotion, research, and logic, even the best cast can’t salvage the wreckage.

For ₹400 crore, War 2 gives us swagger without science, style without soul, and patriotism without pride. In the end, it’s not the villains but the filmmaking that betrays the nation.