A Gentleman is that rare film from the Hindi film industry that feels like you’re watching a live-action comic book. The idea itself might not be as unique; Anubhav Sinha’s disjointed Cash and Suresh Krissna’s Aalavandhan—the latter, it is believed, inspired Quentin Tarantino to reference its visual stylistic elements for Kill Bill—pushed the boundaries with their cinematic storytelling, regardless of either’s qualitative virtue.
Like David Leitch’s Atomic Blonde, however, director-duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D. K.—now also known by their admittedly cool moniker Raj & DK—incorporate its many elements into their overall image-system. The exaggeration of boredom or heightened sense of danger, by pushing its hyper-real universe through split-screens and slow-mo action, clearly sets a tone of the world it wants to build.
Clearly in love with widely recognized film technique, A Gentleman is Raj & DK’s open love-letter to creators Max Landis, Adam McKay, Edgar Wright, and author Robert Ludlum. Allow us to make things slightly clearer: if Max Landis picked up Ludlum’s The Janson Directive or The Prometheus Deception and turned its tone and storytelling style on its head while adapting it to screen, the result would be somewhere in the spectrum of this movie.
Raj & DK’s expertise and understanding of […] setup and payoff […] are to credit here.
However, that is not all: the film is filled with the skillful utilization of irony and foreshadowing in its subtext. Whether it is a falling banner, a self-aware parody of the famed Abu Dhabi set-piece in Furious 7, a quasi-random car accident in its opening minutes, or even graffiti, their narrative indulges in the kind of humor that implores their viewers to read between the lines.
And that is precisely how the whole film works. The little things its many characters do can be massively important by the end, and Raj & DK’s expertise and understanding of the setup and payoff of its many plot-devices are to credit here. Included in the mix, of course, is A Gentleman’s dynamic narrative style. Pre-intermission, the film is almost able to trick you into complacency, despite the red-herrings they provide leading up to its big reveal.
There are other revelations too; for one, Jacqueline Fernandez—as with Roy—proves that all she needs is the right space and a decently written character arc. Kavya is not any passive prop; she boasts both resourcefulness and agency, while still being one who is not your everyday Mary Sue. Working in tandem with her is Sidharth Malhotra, who plays two diverse people with essential ease. Be it the comically safe Gaurav or the sharp-reflexed agent Rishi, Malhotra moonlights between the personalities with absolute ease.
A Gentleman may be many things—between a mainstream action-comedy, a fun parody, and a love-letter to filmmakers and film technique, there’s a lot to take your pick—but within the bracket of its mainstream filmmaking, it is about escape. Moreover, if this is what wish-fulfillment looks like, we are all for it. Raj & DK’s latest might be an unapologetically fun time at the movies, for some, and a punching bag for some others. Look harder at the verisimilitude of its universe and attention-to-detail, however, and you will know that it is precisely the kind of movie they intended to make.
This writer rests his case.
