A much-anticipated film, the Rakesh Roshan directed and Hrithik Roshan starrer Krrish 3 had its worldwide release on 1 November 2013. The film has done well at the box office - for good reason. It is an impressive contribution to the Krrish series and the science fiction film genre. (You can find summaries of the first two films in the Krrish trilogy here.)
Thank u!!RT @taran_adarsh: Nothing resonates more than BO records and the stupendous, record-shattering biz of #Krrish3 proves it.
— Hrithik Roshan (@iHrithik) November 5, 2013
Huge Congratulations @ihrithik...on the stupendous Box office!!! #Krrish3...More power to Dad and you!!!! and many more milestones ahead...
— Karan Johar (@karanjohar) November 5, 2013
As expected, and predicted, #Krrish3 is emerging as the game changer.
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) November 4, 2013
Synopsis: Having been reunited with his father Dr. Rohit Mehra (Hrithik Roshan), Krishna Mehra (Hrithik Roshan) is now married to news reporter Priya (Priyanka Chopra) and the three of them live in Mumbai. Krishna unsuccessfully tries to hold down a day job while also helping those in need via his secret superhero identity Krrish. When Rohit and Krishna find an antidote to a deadly virus unleashed in Mumbai by Kaal (Vivek Oberoi), the evil genius sends his mutant henchmen to find out how. With lives on the line, Rohit, Priya and Krishna must face an enemy who has the power to destroy them all.
The Evil Genius. Lurking behind corporate walls is the bad guy who manufactures problems just so he can sell the solutions. This, in turn, fuels the growth of his mutant empire and his self-serving experimentation with life. Saying Kaal is narcisisstic is like saying Ulysses is impenetrable - it's obvious from the start. What makes Kaal deadly is that he is hyperaware of his potential and that perception drives him to use, abuse, and bruise whatever hinders his schemes.
The Mutants: The mutants themselves are well-played, with Kangna Ranaut a.k.a. Kaya a.k.a. Chameleon doing an outstanding job as the femme-fatale-bad-gal-with-a-conscience. In a ZoomDekho interview, Hrithik Roshan said of Ranaut's character, "You don't know whether to desire her or just be afraid of her. That's a lethal combination. I think she's done brilliantly well in this film."
While the idea of the mutants with names such as "Antman", "Cheetahwoman", and "Rhinoman" seems a bit far-fetched, the explanation for why these mutants exist allows you to more willinglly suspend your disbelief.
The Superhero: India's first superhero has stepped into the role with passion and pride. He is ready at a moment's notice to drop everything to rescue someone in need. Here the special effects of the film really shine as you see him perform deeds of strength, speed, and agility. You get a taste of what Krrish is capable of by watching him in action on a daily basis before you see him take on the mutants. You also experience his helplessness when he faces a situation where strength, speed, and agility are useless.
The film benefits from the strong connection that Hrithik Roshan has with the Krrish character. "I have been impacted by the character of Krrish in the most exceptional way," he explained. Despite having several slipped disks in his back, he when he played the role of Krrish, he did things no one could have anticipated. "Whenever I used to put the Krrish cape on, my pains disappeared. I felt unstoppable. I felt unbreakable. Empowered. And it kept happening. ...I realized all that happened was a mental shift in my mind ... where you decide to be a superhero. When you do that, you actually become invincible. "
The Love Story: Now married, Krishna and Priya are settled down though there is definitely a romantic spark between them. This relationship ultimately provides some interesting plot twists. It also seems a bit of Krrish has rubbed off on Priya as she has matured a bit from the previous film. When the final showdown comes, she has the courage to step into her husband's superhero shoes and fight for what's right.
Father and Son: One of the most striking special effects came through the on-screen interactions of Krishna and his father, Rohit. Since these roles were both performed by Hrithik Roshan, it was important to get the characterizations just right and the performances to match up. In this case, the acting and direction works well. While you know in your head it is the same actor, you easily see the two characters as separate and unique.
For Hrithik, the character of Rohit was the most difficult, yet important, role to bring to the screen. "Rohit is all love, he's vulnerable, he's a child a heart, which was the toughest of my characters. On the other hand he's Krishna's father ... so how do I get someone who's like a mentally challenged child at heart and mind to give strength to his son? So how do I play him as a father and as a child at the same time? Which was the difficult part. But Rohit is where all the emotional things radiate and it always has from Koi... Mil Gaya to the previous Krrish. So he was a very, very important part of this film. In fact, he's the most important role in the film."
Final Thoughts: The evolution of the Krrish series reflects the evolution of the science fiction genre in Indian cinema. Krrish 3 easily meets the expectations of the superhero genre we've come to appreciate. With an action-packed story, the special effects are stunning and are woven into the story seamlessly. The film easily stands alongside other superhero action films such as Iron Man 3, Superman and The Avengers.
But what sets Krrish 3 apart from these other superhero movies is that it has the heart of an Indian film. Director Rakesh Roshan notes:
Western civilization has always had a very strong comic book culture. And it has been around so long that it has almost attained the status of mythology. It is no surprise then that every summer Hollywood sees a spate of superhero movies. In India, there isn't source material like that to fall back on. So a superhero had to be created.
When Koi Mil Gaya released in 2003, and the novel concept of Jadoo and his powers was so widely accepted, I knew that the stage was set for the birth of a very special hero. Krrish was created as a result. No stone was left unturned in making sure that we gave our audiences a fantastic state-of-the-art superhero. It worked. And Krrish became a household name.
Now we had our own little mythology. Jadoo, Rohit, Krishna, Krrish. Set in a world of science fiction but very easy to relate to and connect with. In the last film, we creaed the character. Now it only made sense to move ahead with him. The challenge was to make it even bigger and better, yet with the strong emotional core which defines the cinema that I create.
In an interview in August 2013, Hrithik Roshan said, "The competition is, of course, incredible. And why not compete with them? Why not find out what we are about?" He explained that director Rakesh Roshan made the decision that all of the special effects for Krrish 3 would be done in India "by our artists, by our team, to encourage them and instill that motivation and back them."
Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies VFX studio was responsible for creating the special effects for the film - though the staff kept their work a closely-guarded secret even from SRK until the film was released. Based on his comments and smile at the special viewing of the film, the boss was pleased.
If you enjoyed this post, check out 5 Science Fiction Films to Watch if You Are New To Bollywood. You can also see a collection of videos, tweets, and posts about Krrish3 via Storify.