When you hear the words “dystopian” and “Bollywood” in the same sentence you feel equal parts hopeful and horrified. Hopeful because maybe under director Vikas Bahl, who has given us films like Queen and Super 30, Bollywood just might be able to pull it off. Horrified because there is always the possibility of Bollywood making a mess of the genre.
Unfortunately for everyone concerned, Ganpath: A Hero is Born, starring Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon, has more to be horrified about. The story had potential. In a post-apocalyptic world there is division between the poor and rich, with the rich living in the walled, futuristic Silver City run by a mysterious criminal overlord called Dalini. The poor work for the rich and survive on their waste, often going hungry because of a lack of resources. They all live in hope of a foretold leader, Ganpath, who will break down the walls and end their suffering. Except, the portended hero, Guddu (Shroff), has no idea that he is supposed to be the saviour and instead works for one of Dalini’s henchmen and is enjoying the life of the rich. His journey from playboy Guddu to saviour Ganpath is the crux of the film.
So far so good, except for the poor execution, predictable plot and terrible VFX that completely let the audience down. Everything on the Silver City side of the wall looks so fake it makes even some of the computer wallpapers look real. The futuristic city seems entirely devoid of people other than in one nightclub, where Guddu dances, and in the fighting ring, where Guddu chooses fighters to win or lose matches for John the henchman. Sometimes even there you can make out that the audience is fake.
The story progresses along predictable lines — Guddu incurs the wrath of his boss and finds himself on the other side of the fence with just a name, Shiva, to guide him. He is either a spoilt brat or an idiot to behave like one of the rich when he is among the poor who have every reason to hate him. He is saved by the badass Jassi (Sanon) who takes him on a motorcycle ride (the sound editing is terrible) to meet Shiva (Rashin Rahman), who tries to train him to become the saviour he is meant to be. Of course Guddu flirts with Jassi and Jassi falls for him (quite clearly men who act like entitled brats and don't take no for an answer are hard to resist).
The cinematography on the poor side of the wall fares much better with dusty landscapes and actually dystopian-looking settlements. But you fail to appreciate the authenticity of the setting because you are too busy wondering how, when there are people going to sleep hungry, there is a Chinese restaurant!
What currency do they use when one has to pay someone? Why, if the poor are made up of people all over the world, is there only a Shiv temple? How did Dalapati (Amitabh Bachchan), an Indian sage, become the heralder of portends for all the people?
Maybe the actors could have saved the film but none of them are able to create characters one could root for. Shroff is great when dancing and in every single action sequence — in fact the film only shines during the action sequences — but his tapori act just doesn’t cut it. Sanon is pretty badass and looks natural doing all the action but there is no depth to her character. Amitabh Bachchan is wasted in an extended cameo as Dalapati, a soothsayer and the leader of the people who gives them a reason to keep living. None of the other characters make an impact worth writing about.
The film ends with Guddu making the transition to Ganpath and standing up for his people with the promise that he’ll be back in the next film saving his people from the evil overlord. Unfortunately, the idea is more horrifying than hopeful.
