Writer: Brian J. Chong

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Watch this if you liked: Superhero movies, "Koi Mil Gaya"

Look up in the sky! It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's...Krrish? Yes, in this age of blockbuster movies filled with superheroes, Bollywood has finally caught the superhero bug. An unorthodox move from filmmakers in India, "Krrish" is actually a very brave and worthy project.

Hrithik Roshan plays Krishna, a country boy who has never experienced city life in his 20 years of living. Brought up by his grandmother far away from the bustling life in the city, he has lived a sheltered existence. Not making many friends growing up due to his 'powers', he has managed to make friends with nature and wild animals.

Being a continuation of "Koi Mil Gaya", the first movie tells the tale of his father, Rohit Mehra, who was a mentally challenged turned brilliant scientist with superpowers which were granted to him by an alien being known as Jadoo. However, after the events of "Koi Mil Gaya", Rohit is murdered due to his knowledge on a project which he was working on for the evil mastermind, Dr. Arya. Knowing this, Krishna's grandmother Sonia (Rekha) takes the new born and raises him by herself. Krishna's mother passes away soon after his birth due to the shock of Rohit's death. Confused? Hmm...maybe just a little. But the three hours packed into this movie will ease your mind on all these details.

The special effects in this movie are pretty good for Bollywood standards. Using "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" like wire and cables for the action sequences, and some CGI thrown in the mix, makes "Krrish" pretty stylish and fun to watch. The music score is also pretty noteworthy. The "Krrish" theme is grand and will make you want to cheer for the Bollywood superman. The songs, however, are not really memorable, but serves it's purpose for the movie.

Krrish's powers are a bit confusing. Super strength? Check. Ability to leap high places? Check. Super brains? Check. Invulnerability? Nil. Super speed? Hmm.. there were some contradicting scenes for this ability. In earlier scenes he seems to be able to outrun a horse but nearing the end, his speed suddenly increases ten-fold like Popeye after eating a can of spinach. This part was never really explained.

Hrithik was the perfect actor to be cast as Krrish. With a physique and looks to match, he makes the perfect Indian superhero. One may think of Neo from "The Matrix" as a template for Krrish due to his outfit (without the mask) and the tub-thumping jumps he makes whenever he leaps. Don't be fooled by the poster, this movie is still true to it's Bollywood roots and the movie is 70% Bollywood and 30% superhero flick.

The rest of the cast were pretty okay as well. Priyanka Chopra, who plays the love interest of the superhero, provides eye candy and was perfect in her role as the misguided girlfriend of Krishna. The villain, Dr. Arya was good as well. There was a little comedy in his character that didn't make his character as sinister as it should be.

Half of the film was shot in our neighbouring country Singapore and the other half was shot in the beautiful mountains of India. Beautiful scenery and the lush city landscape of Singapore made this movie invigorating to watch.

I would definitely recommend "Krrish" to the general audience and not just fans of Indian movies. This one is definitely worth checking out. "Krrish" in a way, may have found a way to cross borders in the movie industry. Look out for the Malaysian helicopter that ferries the Dr. Arya around Singapore!

Cinema Online, 23 September 2008