Opinion | Kabzaa ending — a new low for storytelling, a high point for fans (spoiler-free)

The ending of a movie is as important as the opening. The movie has the total attention of the audience at the end. And how it makes the audience feel at that moment would make or break the movie. Did the ending make the journey that I took with this movie worthwhile? Or it just added to our distress? 

Filmmaker R Chandru pulls off a cinematic scam at the end of his movie Kabzaa. The film starring Upendra in the lead role opened on Friday in cinemas amid a huge hype. The film was promoted as "the next big thing" in Kannada cinema. The filmmakers never hesitate to admit that they wanted to recreate the success of director Prashanth Neel's KGF franchise. And they were very serious about it. So much so that they have mimicked every aspect of the coal-dust-covered universe of KGF . Well, that's a subject for another analysis. 

Also Read: Kabzaa review: Time to sue R Chandru for the brain damage caused by his KGF copy 

The makers of Kabzaa may not live up to the expectations when it comes to storytelling. But, they have delivered on one promise. The movie is big. But, because it's bigger that doesn't mean it's better. The scale of the movie is massive but its driving elements lack coherence and a strong emotional component. 

Chandru has taken only all the wrong lessons from the success of the KGF series and turned Kabzaa into a monstrosity that's filled with mindless violence. I dread the thought of the event films all becoming blatant cash-grabbing attempts. Movies with bigger budgets are supposed to push the boundaries of cinematic storytelling and technology. Now, it seems all about recycling the same old tropes and problematic ideas on a bigger scale, where the blood looks thicker than the brains that made them. 

Chandru employs incoherent editing techniques to trick the audience into believing that they are watching a fast-paced action movie. And he uses the deafening background score to scramble our thought process. And he brings in the top stars of Kannada cinema, including Sudeep and Shivarajkumar , to fill the narrative void. 

Also Read: Kabzaa box office prediction: Can Upendra-Sudeep starrer beat the odds of a dull weekend? Trade experts weigh in

At the climax, Chandru hits the audience with all the star power that he can muster to keep them distracted from the fact that he simply doesn't have an honest story that could appeal to their senses. The end is a fusion of sheer scale and star power. Chandru brings out all his big guns and lets them go at each other. It gave the unsuspecting fans an adrenaline rush and make them experience a sense of euphoria. The climax of Kabzaa is a new low for storytelling but a high point for the fans. 

The question we need to ask ourselves is: what role can I play in raising the quality of cinema?