Since 2014, action movies have increasingly looked to the “John Wick” franchise as the perfect template for assassin movies to follow, but of course they need not be a ‘boy’s only’ club exclusively.
The new assassin action movie “Dhaakad”, out in theaters now in India, looks ready to bring the “John Wick” formula to Bollywood, with an action-packed flick that, judging from the two trailers below, is ad explosive as it is uncompromising!
In “Dhaakad”, Kangana Ranaut stars as Agent Agni, on a mission to put an end to a human trafficking ring. Arjun Rampal stars as the criminal mastermind behind the operation, Rudraveer. Both the above trailer and the one below show how much work Ranaut put into training for the film’s extensive, and pulse-pounding action sequences.
Both trailers put plenty of elbow grease into selling Agni as a versatile and formidable warrior adept with any weapon and well-equipped to improvise some on the fly with tools like handgun magazines.
Agni’s hand-to-hand fighting skills are also energetic and powerful with Ranaut’s committed performance in the role. The blend of gunplay and martial arts also makes the “John Wick” comparison a thoroughly worthy and complimentary one.
Once occupying a spot in the upper echelon of every action fan’s 2022’s calendar, “John Wick: Chapter 4” unfortunately would end up vacating its May 27, 2022 slot (itself a COVID-related delay from the previous May) to March 23, 2023. With an ensemble that includes Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, Scott Adkins, and Marko Zaror on-board, “John Wick: Chapter 4” abdicating its 2022 spot was quite a tough pill for action fans to swallow.
“Dhaakad” presents what is, by all indications, an excellent recompense until the next stay at the Continental. Hopefully, news of a Western release on streaming platforms won’t be that long incoming for “Dhaakad”, with action lovers surely eager to see what Ranaut can do with the basic John Wick toolbox!
