Bollywood’s latest release “Kill” stands true to its name, in every sense of the word — the film is pretty much blood and gore galore. After its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, “Kill” became known as one of the most violent action films to have been made in the Hindi film industry.
With no unnecessary family drama, and the quintessential song and dance sequences that usually run parallel to a Bollywood film’s plotline, “Kill” is action-packed with stunts that will leave its audience in shock of the wild ride it is. Let’s just say, it’s not for the faint-hearted!
The film jumps into action from the get-go, with blood covering the screen and skulls smashed within the first 30 minutes of the film. But make no mistake, this is still a love story.
“Kill” focuses on the lives of two main characters — the protagonist Captain Amrit (played by Lakshya), a commando, and antagonist, Fani (played by Raghav Juyal), a local bandit — both on board a train headed to New Delhi, but for completely different reasons.
The film begins with Amrit returning from a mission only to learn that Tulika, the love of his life, is being forced to marry someone else. He then follows her family on their train to convince them to stop the wedding. Fani, on the other hand, boards the same train with his family members with different intentions: to rob it.
What begins as a story of love and safety, quickly becomes a story of vengeance when a passenger on board is suddenly killed prompting Amrit and his college mate Viresh (Abhishek Chauhan) to spring into action. Captain Amrit, who initially comes across as a starstruck lover boy, transforms into this herculean protector of sorts. But this is just the beginning of his transformation.
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What makes the story even more exhilarating is that it takes place entirely on a moving train, with people who look like ordinary passengers. Outside of his skills, Amrit, too, looks like any gym-going Indian man with a muscular build you may see in a crowd, and that’s what makes his ability to kill 40 men alone shocking and mind-blowing throughout the film.
Driven by love, Amrit is depicted as a man of little words but great resilience. He takes blow after blow with utmost strength and though I’ve never really been in a fight myself, I can imagine it takes a lot of stamina to keep going as he did for the number of hits he took. In terms of performance, even though Lakshya doesn’t have a great number of dialogues, his eyes convey and express a range of emotions and that is quite a remarkable feat given the fact that this is his debut feature film.
Throughout the film, I sat on the edge of my seat waiting for the end to be near but alas he kept going, persisting despite several stabs and gunshot wounds. Seeing bystanders, who initially refused to be involved, get up and help also makes one think what would you do in such a situation?
What was most interesting about the film was the arc and character development of the villain. Fani’s character had an angle that most villains don’t; he was humorous, relatable yet completely hatable. As director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat hoped to convey, he reminded us that evil does not always have a “sinister mask” and can often look rather “ordinary.”
When he is first appears on screen, he looks like any ordinary misogynic character would. I certainly was not expecting Fani to murder anyone the way he did. And as the film continues, you see that he is more than meets the eye; he is obsessed with power and wealth, and willing do anything to preserve that.
Fani and his family also makes one realize that murderers and villains may have emotions too. Their interactions shed light on how bandits and criminals are ordinary individuals, and may see themselves as the victims given how Amrit went on a killing spree of their gang members. In one specific scene, a gang member whose father is killed asks Amrit why he killed him? To which a passenger then asks that gang member why he killed her teenage son? The scene is tear-jerking and powerful to say the least.
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“Kill” isn’t about just one love story, it’s about several, and how love can motivate people to do things they never thought they could before. It’s about how love transforms you; about what it’s like to be selfish and selfless.
While Fani and Amrit’s characters are complete opposites, they compliment one another, which makes the film worthwhile. Without these stark differences, the storyline would not have been the same. One of the most memorable lines of the film has to be when Fani witnesses Amrit’s transformation and questions his motives “Aise kaun marta hai bey” and calls him a monster “rakshak nahi rakshas ho tum (“who kills this way? You’re not a protector, but a monster).”
This scene takes place after Amrit has killed about 40 of Fani’s family members, while Fani notes that he has only killed 4 people total on the train. The villain calling the hero a “monster” is a shocking twist for sure.
For fans of “John Wick” or “Bullet Train,” this film is for you.
“Kill” releases in international cinemas on July 4 and has recently been confirmed for an English-language remake.
