Bruce Lee Review – Starring GV Prakash and Kriti Kharbanda. Directed by Prashant Pandiaraj.
Five films on, GV Prakash Kumar’s “hero” status still inspires incredulity. Short of stature and with that wooden face still intact, Prakash somehow gets himself cast in films as the lead actor.
This year alone, the actor has lined up roles in several interesting projects.
Which might be a good thing for him, career-wise.
Not so great for the audience. Because GV Prakash Kumar doesn’t really get better with every film he makes.
Conversely, he becomes even more of an irritating, misogynistic jerk.
***
It’s an image that has come to stick with Prakash. Ever since his debut with Darling, the actor has played insecure young men with a strong bias against women, stronger men, and the world in general.
With Bruce Lee, this trend continues. The director, Prashant Pandiaraj, says he is ‘inspired’ from all movies ever made. That this is shown onscreen as a correction of Quentin Tarantino’s famous quote about stealing stuff is just meta on so many counts.
True to his declaration, Prashant peppers his film with references to cult films. There’s Don Corleone in an extended cameo on TV, actor Muniskanth as every cult villain Hollywood has ever produced. This script is different, that much one can tell. It’s got some style in there somewhere, buried deep underneath sleazy dialogues and overwrought performances (by Anandraj, GV Prakash and Kriti Kharbanda).
The story as such, is about a coward who gets caught in the middle of a murder. Which is a scenario Tamil cinema has regurgitated for us millions of times.
The lone difference with Bruce Lee’s script is perhaps PV Shankar’s clean-cut cinematography, and some attempts at making it different from the rest. Like the villain who is called ‘villain’, and a climax portion that happens at a place called ‘Climax Location’. These are the quirky touches in an otherwise dull film.
Recommended
Prasanth Pandiaraj could have used a better set of actors who are ACTORS. Instead of music directors and models moonlighting as artists. As such, he is stuck with a motley group of characters who do him no good, and a whole lot of bad.
***
At the end of the day, this comedy of errors meets ‘black humour’ film is unlikely to ever inspire anyone. Prasanth may rest assured too, for no one will be willing to steal this idea. Not with GVP in it.
*****
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