A Perfect Cocktail of 90s' Magic and Gangster Swag - Good Bad Ugly Review | Ajith | Trisha | Adhik Ravichandran

Ajith Kumar in Good Bad Ugly

Good Bad Ugly starts and ends with a blast as AK played by Ajith Kumar, surrenders himself to the police for all the crimes he committed over a decade. But can a gangster truly change his colours and embrace a domestic life? AK lives a life engaged in punches and colourful printed shirts even after he ties a bow on his old life. Good Bad and Ugly is the life of AK battling between his alter-egos - a gangster and a doting father.

As audience lose themselves in the retro magic of GBU, the director brings them back to reality by fusing the sentiments of a family drama at the most unexpected places. The special appearances and the sudden appearances of forgotten characters from the first half did the trick of keeping the audience engaged throughout the film. There is someone making a banging entry at every scene with music that can puncture DTS speakers. We refrained from asking how and why.

Arjun Das in Good Bad Ugly

Jackie Shroff adds the Pan-Indian touch and Arjun Das in a quirky avatar steals the show with his reckless personality. Having seen Arjun Das playing intense negative roles in Master and Kaithi, "Jammy" was a refreshing breath of fowl air.

The flashback, presented as an ode to the Gangster and Ajith Kumar the actor, also has unexpected special appearances. While Adhik kept dropping cues about what made Ajith Kumar larger than life, the "fans" drift away from the storyline willfully whereas the general audience remain unperturbed with a question mark.

Ajith Kumar

Though the story hangs on a very thin line, director Adhik Ravichandran amps up all the fight sequences with his signature 80s' and 90s' hit songs. A storytelling manoeuvre introduced by Lokesh Kanagaraj in Leo has been adopted by new age directors and the audience cannot get enough of it. Though the fight sequences are choreographed with a basic layout, the music, costumes and the sets make up for the creativity lost.

The film is saved by the underlying end goal that drives the main character - a father's urge to be a superhero in his son's eyes . As Ajith is all about "right" messaging" Adhik Ravichandran finds the softest nerve to sear in a context to this make-believe world.

Jacki Shroff in Good Bad Ugly

Director Adhik Ravichandran has no time for lags and kept the weak storyline on Redbull and horsepower until a viewer looks back and wonders about logic and narrative. Ajith Kumar and his dry humour works well with an audience entering the cinemas to take a break from reality they are familiar with. This is not a gangster film embroiled in a bloodbath with adrenaline pumped face-offs. Good Bad Ugly is a loud comic relief.