Avatara Purusha 2 review: Sharan impresses, but the thrills are a tad underwhelming

Avatara Purusha 2 sees Sharan, who was initially introduced as the overly dramatic junior artist Anil, reveal his true identity to Siri and the Jois household.

He comes back to save them from the dark practitioners of black magic and help them safeguard the Trishanku Mani from the evil Daraka. But why is Anil aka Karna doing all of this?

Analysis

There has been nearly a two-year gap between the two parts of Avatara Purusha. The first part (2022) saw little black magic, most of which was only in the second half, and was mostly a comedy with a few thriller elements.

The second part begins with a recap of the major goings on in the first part.

Director Suni has kept this rewind portion short and thereafter begins the main story of protecting the magical Trishanku Mani that lies in the Jois household.

Suni is known for his witty dialogues and also for being in sync with some of the trending items on social media. Fans of the filmmaker can find all of those in this film, too, and some of which are rather quite entertaining.

There is a quip about dust and every junior artiste being called for KGF 3, which is quite funny.

The same sequence also has the popular social media reel dialogue “Nam manasu namge olledu madidre devru…” (the viral social media dialogue “If our hearts do good for ourselves, then God…”) being cleverly incorporated. These little touches are nice.

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Has its flaws

But one did go to watch Avatara Purusha 2 for the drama of black magic and the different realms. This aspect seems a tad underwhelming when compared to the lighter moments, which are Suni’s stronghold.

The other factor that seems a little amiss is the editing that is abrupt and many things happen so quickly that you aren’t ready with the necessary emotions.

One wonders if these scenes were not shot and the makers tried to tie the story with what they have.

The lead-up to the climax is interesting, and the ending, which is left open-ended with points for people to ponder, is interesting and salvages the other elements.

The film also has some loose ends in Avatara Purusha: Part 1 being tied up with different shots and recalling.

While some of the portions, especially those that showcase Anil’s back story and motives, are impressive, there is one major track that seems force-fitted.

This is the comedy track involving Sadhu Kokila, which does have a tie-up to Sharan’s story but does not make any difference even if it were to have been taken out. And the gags shown here do not evoke laughter either.

Avatara Purusha 2 majorly belongs to Sharan, who has given his all for this role and done a good job.

There are interesting touches to everyone’s character — be it Ashika Ranganath, Saikumar, Bhavya or Sudharani — which blend into the narrative and take it forward and they do a good job.

Among the villains, Balaji Manohar and Srinagara Kitty impress with their limited screen presence, but Ashutosh Rana’s mismatched lip sync and one-tone acting are far from being as menacing as the makers intended him to be.

A special mention must be given to the production design and sets by Ullas Hydur.

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Verdict

Avatara Purusha 2 does have some good moments and can make for a reasonably good one-time watch in the cinema halls for people who do not have expectations that are sky high. And it definitely will impress Sharan’s fans.

(Views expressed here are personal.)