In recent years, films have shown immense potential only to be dragged down by subplots that feel more like distractions than narrative tools.
These “tools,” ranging from forced comedy and unwanted sexual innuendos to tone-breaking sequences, at times completely derail what otherwise would have been an enjoyable experience.
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For Jailer, with a viral hit like Kaavaala, anticipation rose far beyond Rajnikanth’s fanbase, but unfortunately the film’s second half succumbed under the weight of poorly integrated comic relief.
Characters like Blast Mohan (Sunil) and Redin Kingsley existed solely for gags that neither landed nor added any substance to the story.
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With a near three-hour runtime, the film’s pacing was off, and the creepy sexual innuendos disturbed the audience rather than entertaining them.
In KALKI 2898 AD, the film’s epic Mahabharat-inspired lore and Amitabh Bachchan’s stellar performance were completely overshadowed by a tonally off first half.
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Disha Patani’s character, Roxy, felt like she belonged in a different movie altogether. Her dance-offs and beach scenes with Prabhas, backed by a jarring action sequence on a Diljit Dosanjh song, added nothing but noise to the film.
Then there’s Animal. The film’s first half, which had the audience gripped with its intense family dynamics and blood-drenched conflict, instantly lost all steam post-interval. Instead of advancing the plot, the film abruptly shifted to an unnecessary romantic track with Triptii Dimri’s Zoya.
The audience was left baffled by how a full-fledged gang war extended to intimate sequences and unnecessary symbolism like Ranbir gifting Zoya a Rolls Royce matching her hickey.
The film industry’s obsession with inserting “masala” into already strong narratives that could’ve worked might just be its biggest self-sabotage ever.
Interestingly, all three directors have major projects lined up—Sandeep Reddy Vanga with Spirit, Nag Ashwin with Kalki Part 2, and Nelson Dilipkumar with Jailer 2. After these major missteps in their previous films, let’s just hope they don’t make the same mistakes,twice.
