Aug 14, 2025 | New Delhi : Released on August 14, 2025, War 2 arrives a day before Sholay’s 50th anniversary, inviting inevitable comparisons. While Sholay was a timeless tale of friendship, revenge, and justice, War 2 positions itself as a “curry Western” spy actioner where Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR step into the Jai–Veeru dynamic, only here, they’re frenemies Kabir Dhaliwal and Vikram Chelapathy, representing Bollywood and Tollywood in a paper-perfect image of national integration.

Hrithik’s Major Kabir, RAW’s flawless warrior, returns fitter and fiercer. Jr NTR’s Vikram, aka Raghu is equally formidable, a fellow intelligence officer and Kabir’s childhood friend from a Mumbai slum. The backstory, served via a Slumdog Millionaire-style flashback, paints Raghu as a street-smart survivor and Kabir as a fallen “gentry wala” who once relied on Raghu to survive. But years later, Kabir deserts him to join Colonel Luthra (Ashutosh Rana). Their reunion? A brutal face-off in an ice cave in Davos during an assassination attempt on India’s Prime Minister.

Raghu’s near-death confession “Tere baad main kisi ka nahin ho saka. Tu Colonel Luthra ka aur desh ka ho gaya” aims for Sholay-level bromance but lands in the zone of overlong melodrama.

Directed by Ayan Mukerji, the film globe-trots through at least ten countries, saving six for the post-credits sequence. The 2019 War sequel runs close to three hours, testing patience despite its exotic backdrops and VFX-heavy spectacle. The plot kicks in when Colonel Luthra orders Kabir to infiltrate the Kali cartel, a shadowy organisation that topples governments. Kabir “goes rogue” for money, only to cross paths with a bare-chested Vikram leading an assault on Somali pirates.

Kiara Advani joins as Wing Commander Kavya Luthra, Colonel Luthra’s daughter, awarded the Vayuveer medal. She gets a few action beats alongside scenes by the pool in a lime-green bikini, stretching as long as a music video.

Ayan leans heavily on the star power and the eyes of his leads. Hrithik even manages to make you believe a CGI wolf is real. There’s also a much-hyped dance-off, Janaabe Ali, between Hrithik and Jr NTR, though it pales against NTR’s Naatu Naatu in RRR. A bar scene in Spain tips its hat to Dhoom 2, while stray references to Zanjeer and The Dark Knight feel decorative.

Not all choices land well. A key ambush scene unfolds in the basement parking of Noida’s The Great India Place complete with product placement undercutting tension. The screenplay avoids truly high-stakes risks, such as killing off a major character, leaving little emotional residue.

Ultimately, War 2 is a glossy but exhausting sequel more style than substance, more global postcards than gripping storytelling. Like war, filmmaking is about choices. Here, the makers chose spectacle over soul.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆