As a genre, action has had a fascinating, if inconsistent, history in Indian cinema. Often times, what looks like an action film on its face will turn out to be what is known as a “masala film” – a mishmash of genres lasting up to three and a half hours.
Kill, director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat's third feature-length outing, is no masala film. Rather, it's probably the closest India has got to its own John Wick.
The film is being globally released – with a major push in the United States – in an era of resurgence for the Indian action film. It follows global recognition for both Hindi films (Jawan, 2023) and regional cinema (RRR, 2022) over the past few years.
Co-produced by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions and headlined by television actor Lakshya in his feature-length big screen debut, the film also stars Tanya Maniktala (Mumbaikar, 2023), Raghav Juyal (Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, 2023) and Ashish Vidyarthi (Netflix film Khufiya, 2023).
The film is light on plot. It feels as simple as its monosyllabic title. Lakshya plays Amrit Rathod, an army commando who boards the same train as his love interest Tulika (Maniktala), whose influential father, Baldeo Singh Thakur (Harsh Chhaya), has arranged her marriage to someone else.
The lovers' plans to elope stall when a group of bandits hijack the train to rob its passengers. The gang's key member, Fani (Juyal), sets his sights on Tulika as a potential hostage to be held for ransom. Cue chaos, a bloodbath, and a lot of sharply choreographed action that's as brutal as can be.
A simple story has traditionally worked for the genre's heaviest hitters internationally. In Chad Stahelski's aforementioned John Wick (2014), a former feared criminal goes on an all-out rampage when his car is stolen, and the life of his pup comes to an untimely end.
In Taken (2008), a man's daughter is kidnapped, forcing him to use his “set of skills” to mow his way through a seedy trafficking ring to get her back. In Extraction (2020) and Extraction 2 (2023), Hemsworth stars as an army-man-turned-merc who has to safely extract and transport people, with a lot of danger around the corner.
The story in Kill is simply used as a vehicle for the action that makes the movie worthy. Each set-piece is a masterwork of bloody, brutal efficiency in a setting that almost feels like The Raid (2011) on rails. Lakshya moves through his set pieces like he's been doing it for years and convinces viewers that he's an angry, unstoppable beast on a mission to end his nemeses.
It's a fight between good guys and bad guys, but Bhat does invite viewers to consider where the line should be drawn when bloody retribution is exacted on enemies.
Kill's revenge subtext is quite effective – especially in the film's final act, where both the viewers and the bandits come face to face with the gory detritus of Amrit's rampage.
While the film humanises its antagonists and allows viewers to empathise with them in a small way, it doesn't turn that empathy into sympathy.
The bandits are vile, morally repugnant people who feel no need to justify the lengths they will go to rob and plunder. One of the most unhinged says: “If you haven't got it through your head, we're the bad guys. We don't have morals or principles.”
Bhat's aim here isn't a commentary on how violence is bad. His intent, made clear in the film, is to deliver a breathlessly paced, sharp and unrelenting action-thriller. He achieves just that, showing that he's at the top of his game.
The action set pieces are top-notch, thanks to stunt choreography by Se-yeong Oh (Parasite, 2019) and Parvez Shaikh (War, 2019). Accompanied by a suitably squelchy sound design and Shashwat Sachdev's (Attack, 2022) high-octane electronic fusion soundtrack, the movie feels immersive and, barring some slightly exaggerated melodramatic moments, holds viewers' attention throughout.
Kill's biggest USP, though, is how it succeeds in making a genre film that's grounded in a very Indian setting while also making the action as gritty, gory, and downright bloody as all-time favourites like The Raid: Redemption and Park Chan-Wook's Oldboy.
With Lionsgate (The Hunger Games) acquiring distribution rights across North America and the UK after an enthusiastic critical response at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, and a potential remake in the works, there is no better time for the film to arrive.
Kill is in cinemas now across the Middle East
