Kazhugu 2 review: A mild entertainer that barely resembles its prequel

Direction: Sathyasiva

Cast: Krishna, Bindu Madhavi, Kaali Venkat, MS Bhaskar

Kazhugu 2, written and directed by Sathyasiva, is a thriller-comedy featuring Johnny (Krishna) and his friend Kali (Kali Venkat) playing as petty thieves. Stealing away stuff without any concern in Theni, the duo is forced to move to thick woods of Kodaikanal and the local folks who there think that these new kids in the block have arrived seeking employment as hunters to wade away the wild dogs.

Johnny comes across Merly (Bindu) daughter of the supervisor (MS Bhaskar), and the latter falls for him instantly. Meanwhile, there’s a local MLA (Hareesh Peradi) in search of gold, which he believes is buried deep in the forest. Eventually, all of these themes converge to connect Johnny to this MLA, with greed and money perhaps being the central motive.

Kazhugu 2 has a very slow first half that veers away from its premise rather quickly. The film even begins with a scene featuring a wild dog attack on a forest labourer, however, that is left halfway. The romance and attempts at comedy fall flat for the most part. The love story's progression feels less organic. The script provided little for the actors to showcase their talents. Nonetheless, Krishna and co have given their best. Bindu Madhavi in a de-glam role tries to justify whatever is offered to her. The second half thankfully picks up some pace before eventually stumbling once again due to predictable plot-twists.

Yuvan Shankar Raja’s music is decent and combined with Raja Bhattacharjee’s cinematography; the ‘look and feel’ of the film is thankfully immersive. Overall, Kazhugu 2 is a mild entertainer that barely resembles its prequel.