It is the year 3000. There are flying cars and alien settlements on earth. Robots have taken over most painful jobs (but not that of a film critic). A Nagarjuna film releases in theatres. In the introduction scene, he kisses the heroine who is half his age.
Because whatever changes, some Tollywood rules will never change.
Directed by Praveen Sattaru, The Ghost is about an Interpol agent called Vikram who is known as ‘the ghost’. Yes, Lokesh Kanagaraj’s blockbuster film Vikram (2022) also had an agent by the same name and moniker. It would appear that the severe lack of originality that has led to too many people being named ‘Babu’ or ‘Karthik’ in the ordinary world, also exists in the secret agent world.
We’re introduced to Vikram as he is engaged in the middle of a terrorist operation somewhere in Arab country. With him is fellow agent Priya (Sonal Chauhan) – the two of them liberally spray bullets, performing a sort of dance choreography with guns. After all living humans have been turned into mulch, they turn to each other and kiss. This would be psychopathic behaviour on Mindhunter, but it passes for heroism in The Ghost.
Vikram is haunted by his past (we get a shot of a murderous Muslim man rushing towards him in a riot – but of course), and he’s constantly making bad decisions on field. He is dismissive of therapy, but when he finally goes for a session, it is to say his long lost foster sister called him. The film then launches into a new plot thread about this sister – and one is left wondering what on earth happened to the poor therapist.
The Ghost is earnest in its attempt to look stylish. It jumps from city to city, country to country. One minute we’re in the Maldives and the next minute we’re in Goa. Sometimes we’re in Ooty, sometimes we’re in Dubai. Were they running around in search of the missing script? That would be a good explanation for why everything is such a mess.
Gul Panag, who is 43 years old, plays 63-year-old Nagarjuna’s older foster sister, Anupama. The flashback detailing the reason for their estrangement is unconvincing, and before you know it, the highly trained agent is in Anupama’s home as a babysitter-cum-security-guard. Anupama is married into a ‘Nair’ family that only speaks in Telugu. Why couldn’t it have just been a Telugu family? But that’s the problem with The Ghost. This is a simple local story about a succession battle within a family-run business. It does not require all these national and international trappings. Unfortunately, though, the director is determined to make things as complicated and unreal as possible.
Vikram is a weird man, to put it politely. Despite being trained by Interpol, he seems to have a Baahubali hangover. His favourite weapon is a sword that he happily uses to slice anyone and everyone in sight. When entrusted with the care of a teenager, he uses a stun gun to discipline her and we’re meant to go “aww” that he cares so much. To her credit, Anikha Surendran does well as the tantrum-throwing Aditi.
Sonal Chauhan as Priya gets a few action scenes but she’s largely the Bond girl to a should-have-retired Bond. The villains don’t have much to do other than quake and shake at the thought of super agent Vikram. One of them is called ‘Scorpion Man’ by the officers because he has the tattoo of a scorpion on his neck – so literal-minded, these law enforcement people! Considering everyone under his protection either dies or almost dies, one can’t quite fathom the reputation that Vikram has.
The second half of the film is so violent that you only see red mist flying across the screen to pulsating background music. There is also a VFX human head zooming towards you, courtesy Vikram. Happy Dasara, folks.
The Ghost desperately wants to be a cool thriller, but this gun simply doesn’t fire. If only Agent Vikram had taken therapy seriously, we might have all been spared this assault on the senses.
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