‘War’ could have been named ‘Bore’

Film: “War”; Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Vaani Kapoor; Direction: Siddharth Anand; Rating: * * (two stars) Strictly speaking, “War” is not a film. It is a smart product manufactured to gyp you with hardsell, tempt you to splurge on the multiplex tickets in a festive season when the spirit of indulgence runs high. “War” was always about a catchy title, and about crafting a set of irresistible teasers that promised two of the industry’s hunkiest heroes in full-on action mode, at some of the most gorgeous locations across the planet.
They spent hundreds of crores all of the above. Who needs an engaging story? I know what you are thinking. Commercial products as “War” are never meant to be about engaging story. Bollywood would rush to defend such ridiculous filmmaking as dutiful efforts to deliver ‘entertainment, entertainment and entertainment’. The operative word used to defend such stuff is ‘timepass’.
With “War”, however, that is precisely where things go all wrong. Despite the hype and hoopla it has arrived with, there is very little entertainment in the film. Time simply doesn’t pass. “War” could have been named “Bore”.
For obvious reasons of commerce, the saleable package is entirely set up around the film’s two heroes – Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff – reducing everything and everyone else including heroine and villains to essential props.