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Brad Curran December 6, 2023
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Post-apocalyptic martial arts flicks aren’t exactly a scarcity, and even the specimens that stand out from the rest do so for the flair and energy they bring to the table.
“Ganapath: A Hero is Born” excels at exactly that endeavor. It puts a just fresh-enough coat of paint on the classic “haves vs. have nots” tale found in many futuristic sci-fi actioners.
That said, know that “Ganapath” brings the heat in superb visual style, with Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon’s engaging romantic chemistry, and the best Bollywood martial arts smackdowns in recent memory…
Trailer
Cast
Tiger Shroff leads “Ganapath” as Guddu, with Kriti Sanon playing his ally and love interest Jassi.
Rahman portrays Guddu’s blind mentor Shiva, with Amitabh Bachchan playing Guddu’s grandfather Maharishi Dalapathi.
Ziad Bakri portrays the villainous John English, while Brahim Achabbakhe plays the fearsome MMA fighter Bloodbath.
Tiger Shroff as Guddu with Kriti Sanon as Jassi
Tiger Shroff got in amazing shape for Ganapath
Plot
In the year 2070, post-apocalyptic Earth is sharply divided into the rich and the poor. In India, that divide is literal with a wall separating the high-tech, wealthy side of Mumbai from its poor outskirts.
Guddu is one beneficiary living in the former, working for one of the city’s big gang leaders, John English, until Guddu’s flirtation with John’s girlfriend leads his former employer to order his execution.
Guddu survives and escapes outside the wall, where he is taken in by Shiva, who presides over a small community of warriors training outside the wall.
As Guddu develops a romance with Shiva’s associate Jassi and begins training as a martial artist under him, they come to believe that Guddu is the prophesied warrior known as “Ganapath”, who will bring down the walls separating rich and poor to bring prosperity to the land again.
Action
Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon previously established themselves as a fun on-screen romantic couple to follow in 2014’s “Heropanti”, and it’s a chemistry neither of them have lost touch with since.
Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon Pour on the Charm and Charisma
“Ganapath” puts the two in a wholly different scenario, this time with Kriti Sanon’s Jassi already a seasoned warrior with Tiger’s Guddu having to pick up her skills in a trial by fire while doing everything he can to woo her affections along the way.
Only in Bollywood can audiences be treated to a romantic martial arts training montage of a co*cky ne’er do well gradually winning the admiration of a lovely female fighter while he pours all his blood, sweat, and tears to reach her level of combat skill. And on that very topic…
Ganapath is a sci fi martial arts spectacular
Guddu lands a powerful flying side kick on this opponent
Tiger’s Dance Skills are Out of This World!
For Western audiences, Tiger Shroff is best known as one of the premiere martial artists in Bollywood action films, but “Ganapath” is proof positive that that commendation alone falls short of capturing the full extent of his physical talents.
With the requisite Bollywood song and dance numbers in “Ganapath”, Tiger is simply a marvel on the dance floor, bringing the musical interludes of “Ganapath” to captivating life even by his usual dancing skill standards.
At once emcee and dance floor lead, Tiger leads some amazing musical numbers in “Ganapath” to include “Time 2 Shine”, “Lafda Kar Le”, and most especially “Jae Ganesha”. Bollywood fans are most certainly in for a treat on the musical side of “Ganapath”.
Tiger Makes an Unexpected Heel Turn
While Tiger is known for embodying dashing, youthful heroes, Guddu’s story also takes a major twist with his abrupt turn into a much darker character.
With both Jassi and Shiva heartbroken and angered, Guddu’s shifting alliance is also testimony to Tiger’s versatility and ability to shift from protagonist to antagonist on a dime and within the same movie.
Even with the darker turn Guddu takes in “Ganapath”, Tiger still makes him a charming and charismatic punk who has become a warrior to be reckoned with in Mumbai’s “Blade Runner”-style arena. Jassi determines to reawaken the prophesied hero within Guddu for herself as well as the audience.
Without going into spoilers, “Ganapath” has a very clever explanation for Guddu’s about-face that plays right into the established legend of the Ganapath as a mythological figure.
Guddu and Jassi form a special bond
Guddu is all psyched up going into his next fight
Tiger Shroff does a song and dance number in Ganapath
An Electrifying MMA Bonanza!
As for the fireworks that audiences have come to see in a martial arts-filled sci-fi movie like “Ganapath”, either from Bollywood or abroad, they have come to the right place.
The training montages and fight sequences in “Ganapath” are pure Bollywood action glory, and some of the best of Tiger Shroff’s career.
Under the action direction of the great Tim Man, “Ganapath” is palpably excited to amaze, astonish, impress, and astound with each fight scene.
Tiger Shroff with Tim Man the fight choreographer et al
Guddu begins to believe he could become more
Given the nature of the rebel’s desert encampment, “Ganapath” starts its action out relatively grounded with smaller scale fights in the base, with interstitials of Guddu’s training under Shiva and Jassi.
Admittedly, “Ganapath” does arguably play fast and loose with the timeframe of Guddu reaching the level of a nigh-unbeatable fighter, but it works in the interest of capturing Tiger’s impressive jump-spinning back kicks slamming into punching bags in picture perfect snapshots without waiting unnecessarily long.
Kriti Sanon also clearly put in a lot of work to train for her fight scenes in “Ganapath”, and her use of spinning kicks and a pair of nunchaku in her big action scene is as well-executed as the skills of any “John Wick” assassin.
“Ganapath” really saves its biggest martial arts spectacle for the final third when Guddu returns to Mumbai to become the most feared MMA fighter in the ring.
Like a futuristic spin on “Gladiator” with all the scintillating spinning kicks, somersaults, and grappling maneuvers of Yuri Boyka’s “Undisputed” saga, the ring fights of “Ganapath” bring the movie’s outstanding fight choreography to the largest scale possible with (occasionally shoddy green-screen work aside) thousands of cheering spectators.
“Ganapath” fully goes for “Best of the Best 2” meets “Blade Runner” glory in its final showdown, which packs a wallop in more ways than one.
An Amazing Finale with a Massive Twist Awaits Viewers
Guddu’s final adversary in “Ganapath” is a mythical fighter in his own way, the universally feared Bloodbath, played by Brahim Achabbakhe.
Fitting for the larger-than-life stakes of “Ganapath”, Bloodbath’s fearsome appearance evokes the legendary Emperor of Muay Thai Sagat of the “Street Fighter” franchise, and naturally, with the distinctly Taekwondo-based fighting styles they mutually espouse, Tiger and Brahim’s final showdown is exactly the action-packed, crowd-pleasing smackdown that “Ganapath” deserves.
It also gives way to the most unexpected twist of all in “Ganapath”, one that speaks to Tiger’s aforementioned versatility as an on-screen presence in a decidedly Yin-Yang-style revelation.
Guddu is ready to achieve glory in the ring
Ganapath is a dystopian Bollywood action epic
Summary
“Ganapath” is Bollywood martial arts fun at its most spectacular.
The warrior romance chemistry of Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon simply can’t help but bring a smile to every viewer’s face, while the movie’s marriage of dystopian sci-fi and “Bloodsport”-level martial arts tournament power makes it an epically fun time for fans of both genres.
“Ganapath” is Tiger Shroff’s finest hour yet as a martial arts star, an absolute blast of a martial arts flick, and one that brings plenty of Bollywood’s home grown musical and romantic fun to its tale of a prophesied savior rising to his greatest challenge.
Amitabh Bachchan as Maharishi Dalapathi
Guddu enters the ring with renewed confidence
Favourite Quotes
- “I love you!” – Guddu (to Jassi)
- “We just met yesterday!” – Jassi (in reply)
- “How long does it take to fall in love?” – Guddu (in reply to Jassi)
- “A hero is one who doesn’t fight for himself, but for his loved ones.” – Guddu.
Favorite Song: Jai Ganesha
Trivia
- Kriti Sanon also appeared briefly alongside Tiger Shroff in 2017’s “Heropanti 2”.
- Brahim Acchabakhe previously worked with Tiger Shroff on 2016’s “Baaghi”.
- The movie was originally intended to be split into two parts, but was ultimately released as one movie. However, Guddu’s next story is teased before the end credits as “Ganapath: Rise of the Hero”.
- Some of Tim Man’s other movies as fight choreographer include “Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear”, “Boyka: Undisputed”, “Accident Man”, “Triple Threat”, “The Hard Way”, “Never Back Down: Revolt”, “One Shot”, “Castle Falls”, and the upcoming “One More Shot”. Check out KFK’s in-depth interview with Tim Man on the making of “Ninja II: Shadow of a Tear” here!
Tiger Shroff gets shredded for martial arts epic Ganapath
Guddu and Jassi are a true power couple
