Why would you make a tribute film and then ensure that your lead character has nothing to do with the icon, save a tattoo and some vague fight sequences? This is a question only Srinu Vaitla can answer. What starts off as a Bruce Lee tribute, ends up more like a tribute to great Tollywood choreographers. We’ve always wanted to say this, but now we just have to: Ram Charan is a very good dancer. Period. His acting isn’t very interesting and with a 100% formulaic script like Bruce Lee – The Fighter, we don’t think he had much scope…
Bruce Lee – The Fighter Movie Review
Bruce Lee – The Fighter Movie Review
2015-10-16
Vaishnav
Rating
Why would you make a tribute film and then ensure that your lead character has nothing to do with the icon, save a tattoo and some vague fight sequences? This is a question only Srinu Vaitla can answer. What starts off as a Bruce Lee tribute, ends up more like a tribute to great Tollywood choreographers. We’ve always wanted to say this, but now we just have to: Ram Charan is a very good dancer. Period. His acting isn’t very interesting and with a 100% formulaic script like Bruce Lee – The Fighter, we don’t think he had much scope anyway.
Young and smart, Bruce Lee/Kartik sabotages his own life as a good student, to ensure his sister Kavya (Kriti Kharbanda) gets an equal and fair chance at an amazing education. Shifting the hopes of his father to his sister, he grows up to be a stuntman, ensuring his father’s dream of seeing his sister as a Collector comes true. He is mistaken for a cop in between, falls in love and uncovers a diabolical plan of a double-faced ‘supposed’ do-gooder.
The story is new but it doesn’t surprise. What weakens the narrative are the strange song sequences that distract you almost every 15 minutes. The songs are shot well and have some high-intensity music to keep you relatively entertained. The problem is the lack of a tune that stays. While most songs are dance numbers and the choreography is impeccable – the melodies are lost in the chaos and S Thaman‘s magic with melody is missed.
The performances are average. Seeing Nadiya after a hiatus was nice and Rakul Preet Singh (as Riya) and Kriti manage to pull off looking pretty, and being bubbly and sweet very well. Tisca Chopra, if that really was her, shocks with her screen presence in a negative role and we do believe – if that was indeed her – that a lot of potential was wasted. Amitash Pradhan manages to steal your attention for a bit, but otherwise the several roles essayed by the comic regulars are borderline annoying.
The movie is nothing to write home about, but it does manage to keep you entertained. Don’t be surprised if you do not remember a single scene once you leave the theatre. Oh yes, before we forget, papa dearest Chiranjeevi also makes an appearance for his sonny boy. From imitating his father’s mannerisms to dancing better than he’s acting, to fight sequences that do not relate to the supposed icon of the film – Ram Charan in Bruce Lee is disappointingly mediocre.
That said, this is masala cinema at its best, and so the film is the best option for a leave-your-brains-at-home kind of experience. Also, it’s definitely not boring. Srinu, however, disappoints, failing the bar he created with films like Aagadu and Dookudu.
Why You Should Watch This Movie: Because it entertains and is family-friendly.
Review By Romal M Singh