Bollywood martial arts action plus a post-apocalyptic background sure sounds like a recipe for an action-packed blast, and the upcoming “Ganapath” has both in spades.
Led by Bollywood action star Tiger Shroff, “Ganapath” hits theaters in India and other parts of the globe this today, October 20th. In the meantime, action lovers outside of India can whet their appetites with the high-octane “Ganapath” trailer below!
Under the direction of Vikas Bahl, “Ganapath” takes place in a dystopian future of crumbling cities, speeding hovercrafts, and MMA showdowns in the biggest arenas around.
Tiger Shroff portrays Guddu, a.k.a Ganapath, a solitary warrior who rises to oppose the villainous Dalini, whose sinister organization is gaining more and more power in the new world.
Tiger’s “Heropanti” co-star Kriti Sanon also stars as Jassi, Guddu’s love interest and close ally in bringing down Dalini.
“Ganapath” Looks Like a “Fury Road” with MMA
The “Ganapath” trailer shows that the movie is as enamored with sci-fi as it is with action, and the influence of quite a few sci-fi classics can be seen prominently in the trailer.
The more high-tech portion of the Mumbai cityscape shows giant holograms of Guddu and a more affluent part of the city that has seemingly adapted to the downfall of civilization.
While that has something of a “Blade Runner”-type feel to it, “Ganapath” also seems to be basing much of its post-apocalyptic, futuristic setting on the look of “Mad Max: Fury Road”.
With the more rundown, decrepit sections of the city shown to be in a desert setting, Guddu and Jassi also floor it into their missions on Guddu’s motorcycle.
The vehicular action and desert environment seen in the “Ganapath” trailer feels distinctly “Fury Road”-esque in its heavy metal energy, and bringing the MMA action of “Ganapath” into such a style just makes for an even more electrifying presentation of the world of “Ganapath”(with Tiger’s real-life MMA promotion Matrix Fight Night possibly providing something of a template.)
“Mad Max: Fury Road” is an undeniable action and sci-fi classic, and injecting some MMA into the mix is an exciting pitch to make to martial arts fans, especially with who “Ganapath” has on hand to put it all together.
Tim Man Works His Magic as Action Director
The flashy MMA fights seen in the “Ganapath” trailer are, of course, being brought to life by Tiger Shroff, Kriti Sanon, and the movie’s dedicated team of stunt performers, while Tim Man is the one to orchestrate it all.
Tim Man has gradually become one of the most beloved and respected fight choreographers among martial arts fans, thanks in large part to his impeccable talent for making his fight sequences both as flashy and eclectic as possible, a whirlwind of Taekwondo, wushu, and grappling into the best blend of traditional and contemporary fighting techniques for the modern MMA age.
Tim Man’s past work as fight choreographer includes such modern martial arts hits as “Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear”, “Boyka: Undisputed”, “Eliminators”, “Accident Man”, “The Hard Way”, “The Marine 6: Close Quarters”, “Triple Threat”, “Never Back Down: Revolt”, and “Castle Falls”, among many others.
For many action aficionados, “Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear” was likely their first big introduction to Tim’s skill not only as a fight choreographer, but an on-screen martial arts performer, as well.
With the great Isaac Florentine at the helm, Tim not only helped assemble perhaps the pinnacle of ninja movies in “Shadow of a Tear”, he even was able to actively contribute on-screen in his blazing fight with ninja Scott Adkins’ protagonist Casey Bowman.
That and the aforementioned samplings of Tim’s work portend no shortage of on-screen martial arts magic in “Ganapath”.
Additionally, fans will also soon be able to see Tim’s action fireworks again in the upcoming “One More Shot”, the sequel to the 2021 Scott Adkins military actioner “One Shot” with James Nunn returning as director and Michael Jai White coming aboard, as well.
Tiger Shroff has Become an Engaging Action Movie Lead
When it comes to Tiger Shroff himself, the “Ganapath” trailer really shows just how far he’s come from his debut in 2014’s “Heropanti”. Holding a 5th dan in Taekwondo, Tiger brings his all and then some to every fight scene, and his kicking skills are truly out of this world.
Tiger also furthered his skills in showcasing India’s indigenous martial art Kalaripayattu in 2016’s “Baaghi”, essentially a mash-up of “The Karate Kid” and “The Raid” with action scenes every bit as spectacular as that combo suggests.
Moreover, Tiger has cultivated a charming, likable screen presence (no doubt bolstered by his undeniably striking resemblance to the late Brandon Lee) to pair with his skill as a martial artist, which has made him well-equipped to grow into a fun, action movie leading man to follow into another adventure.
With “Ganapath”, Tiger seems to be dialing everything he’s done before up to 11, and he’s clearly not alone, as seen in the fight coordination of Tim Man and Kriti Sanon’s own committed training to her action scenes.
With the action duo lead of “Ganapath” entering an epic showdown, action fans around the world evidently have nothing but a blast of MMA and Bollywood action fun to look forward to when the movie hits theaters this weekend.
If “Ganaptah” gets the world one-step closer to that long overdue team-up of Tiger Shroff and his fellow Bollywood action star Vidyut Jammwal, that’s also another plus!