Inspired by graphic novels, Amar Chitra Katha comics and rooted in Indian mythology, the opening of Drona leads you to believe it’s a large-scale children’s movie.
Drona
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra
Director: Goldie Behl
**
Inspired by graphic novels, Amar Chitra Katha comics and rooted in Indian mythology, the opening of Drona leads you to believe it’s a large-scale children’s movie, in the vein of Harry Potter. But with ‘inspirations’ like Arthur’s Excalibur, Gandalf from the Lord of the Rings trilogy and a half-hearted love story, you wonder where this film is headed. Drona’s tone and tracks change so often, it leaves you grappling for a grip on proceedings. This is a case of opportunity lost — when you have the resources, but waver in conviction and execution, the result is a film that is unsatisfying for any age.
Abhishek Bachchan plays Aditya who, at age 25, suddenly discovers why he is ‘special’ and after two decades of separation, is reunited with his mother (Jaya Bachchan should sue her stylist immediately). That moment of reunion presented a perfect set-up for building the emotional graph, but the director opts for the wrong device as we see the heavily adorned Queen Jayati break into a kind of lullaby to her grown son, thus killing the moment. Sadly this emotional vacuum permeates the film.
Kay Kay Menon brings in flash and dash, infusing the evil sorcerer Riz Raizada with lip-licking madness. However, since his character does not rise to the level of extreme evil or convincingly convey his lust for immortality, the villainy dies with him on screen. The styling and production design around Riz, especially the scene where he interacts with his blood-soaked clone, help create a visually inventive world around him. But like the performances, the production design (Tania Behl) is inconsistent, excelling in Riz’s den or in the creation of Raazpur, but faltering with the burial ground and the Colaba Causeway-style bejewelled box and conch shell.
Erratic describes other technical departments too — like camerawork (Sameer Arya) and editing (Shyam Salgaonkar). Onscreen razzle-dazzle is limited to certain action sequences and special effects scenes, but in a time of slick SFX, why does a drop of blood look like red drops of Camlin paint? And the climax battle between good and evil, shot against a green screen, appear too amateurish. On the plus side, action scenes (Shyam Kaushal, Tom Delmar), like the fight on the train, are well-executed, and the soundtrack and score stand out.
Priyanka Chopra as Sonia, Aditya’s bodyguard, looks terrific and displays dexterity in the action sequence, however, her dialogue delivery remains monotonous. Abhishek Bachchan’s Aditya looks uncertain throughout, stunned by the revelation of his true identity as a protector the ‘amrit’, and therefore the universe. But he never fully rises to the occasion, partly owing to a flaw in the script, which does not deal with his training in his powers and skills. Further, his white and gold flowing costume (Anaita Shroff-Adjania) appears an encumbrance for the action scenes, hampering his movement.
Goldie Behl embarks on an ambitious journey, but has been unable to translate his vision on to screen. With talks on a sequel in the pipeline, maybe he’ll be second time lucky.
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