PremiumYatra 2 Review - Mammootty and Jiiva impress in this political biography high on drama and emotions
Yatra 2 Review - Though a propaganda film, the engaging drama and performances hold your attention till the end. Jiiva's performance is the biggest highlight.
Last Updated: 02.30 PM, Feb 08, 2024
Yatra 2 Story
Yatra 2 is the sequel to Mahi V Raghav's Yatra which was released in 2019. While Yatra showcased the rise of the late APM CM YS Rajasekhar Reddy played by Mammootty, Yatra 2 showcases how his son, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy (Jiiva), rose to greater heights after his father's demise, formed a party and formed government in AP.
Yatra 2 Review
Yatra 2 is based on the life of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and how he went through hardships and formed government in the state of AP in 2019. Mahi V Raghav, who directed Yatra is on point in the sequel as well. His narrative is sincere and showcases how Y S Jagan rose to power in AP without any deviation. The director has penned the story in such a way that you don't get a feeling that you are watching a propaganda film.
The best part is that Mahi V Raghav did not negatively showcase the opposition party or praise the current AP CM YS Jagan to the sky. Mahi took the emotional route in the film and managed to narrate the key aspects of the political happenings of AP in the last ten years in a very sincere manner.
While the first half deals with Mammootty dominating politics in Andhra, his passing away, and YS Jagan's fight with the Congress party, the second half is about Jagan becoming a dominating force in AP politics. All this is showcased in a very gripping manner without any deviation.
The best part of the film is that though everyone knows the happenings, director Mahi V Raghav showcased things in such a way that one does not get bored in the narrative. Mammootty plays a cameo in the sequel, his screen presence elevates the film quite well. The Malayalam star is a very strong driving force in the film and his impact creates a nice atmosphere in Yatra 2.
Jiiva gets the role of a lifetime and delivers one of his best performances. Be it getting the look and body language of YS Jagan right, Jiiva performs with a lot of ease and shows maturity in his performance. All his scenes in jail, the Pada Yatra he takes, have been emoted so well by Jiiva. One was very skeptical about him playing YS Jagan but he pulled the role effortlessly.
Ashrita who plays YS Jagan's mom is also impressive in her role. Mahi V Raghav has cast actors in such a way that they not only look the part but also perform well, Mahesh Manjrekar plays Chandra Babu Naidu and he too was effective.
But the real hero of Yatra 2 is music director Santhosh Narayanan. He breathed life into the narrative with his spelling-binding background score. His score lifts the emotional moments of Jagan's political journey to another level. The production design is amazing and the camera work by Madhie is superb as he showcases the political setup solidly.
Dialogues play a key role in any political drama and are decent in Yatra 2. But one gets a feeling that they should have been a bit more effective to appeal more to the masses. The editing is perfect and not one episode feels having a lag in the narrative.
Having said all this, Yatra 2 also has a few issues. A key character of YS Jagan's sister, YS Sharmila is ignored in the film and is not present in even a single scene. The film does not highlight other characters in the film. Some popular leaders were crucial in YS Jagan getting back into power and they all have been ignored.
When compared to the first half, the second half is a tad slow. One gets a feeling that the director had too much to showcase in the final part and had to rush the proceedings a bit and in all this, the emotional content goes down a bit.
Mahi V Raghav is a sincere director and knows his actors well. He extracted superb performances from his stars and narrated the film in such a way that Yatra 2 does not look like a straightforward propaganda film though it is. One gets a feeling that Yatra, the first part had more meat to savour. But Yatra 2 has drama and performances that hold your attention till the end.
Yatra 2 Verdict
On the whole, Yatra 2 is an engaging political drama that is high on emotions and drama. Though the plot is known to all, the performances and sincere approach without making it sound like a straightforward propaganda film make this film a decent watch this weekend.