Three Dimensional Visuals, One Dimensional Story...
By MovieTalkies.com, 02 August 2012
1.5 / 5
Krishna Aur Kans 3D Review - In Brief
Director Vikram Veturi and Reliance Animation team up to rehash the age-old Krishna and Kans mythology with a bit of glitz and glamour to turn out India's first full-fledged stereoscopic release.
Krishna Aur Kans 3D Review - Verdict
An archetypal animated kiddie flick, complete with anthropomorphic animals and a cartoon-ish look to the visuals, Krishna Aur Kans doesn't offer much by way of novelty, apart from the well rendered 3D effects.
Krishna Aur Kans 3D Review - Story Plot
By way of story, Veturi is happy to go back to one of the most popular mythological tales in India, that of Krishna and his slaying of his evil uncle Kans. The story begins with a depiction of how crown prince Kans (Om Puri), has taken to oppressing the people of his kingdom Vrishni and the people of Mathura, all in a bid to establish himself as the most powerful ruler in the universe. When his crimes reach their heights, his arch-enemy, Lord Vishnu, vows to be born as Kans' beloved sister Devaki's (Supriya Pilgaonkar) eighth child, and end his tyranny. To counter this, Kans imprisons Devaki and her husband Vasudev (Sachin Pilgaonkar), and kills every child they birth, in an effort to prevent his own slaying. However, as the story goes, Vasudev manages to sneak the eighth child, Krishna (Prachi Save Saathi), out to Vrindavan, to be raised by Nanda (Manoj Bajpai) and Yashoda (Juhi Chawla). After an idyllic childhood, where he still manages to slay demons like Putana and Trinavarta, Krishna returns to Mathura, and fulfils his destiny of slaying Kans.
Krishna Aur Kans 3D Review - Performances
In terms of the voice performances from the cast, it is Prachi Save Saathi who steals the show as the young Krishna, with perfect modulations. Juhi Chawla and Om Puri are the other two big characters as Yashoda and Kans, respectively, and do a fair job, the latter channelling menace perfectly.
Krishna Aur Kans 3D Review - Direction
Veturi's Krishna Aur Kans is a fine balance between dated and cutting edge technology, featuring some of the best 3D effects seen on Indian shores till date, yet packaged in the flat, straightforward flash animation style that can be seen on any kids' cartoon channel every day. In terms of story decisions, Veturi goes into a fair amount of detail about Krishna's run-ins with Kans' demons as a kid, even to the extent of using what can be termed as 'shuddh hindi' for most of the dialogue, but eschews some of the most popular episodes of the mythological tale, like Krishna's taming of Kaliya the snake, and his lifting of Govardhana, instead incorporating them into the many montages that litter the film. The decision is a bit odd on Veturi's part, given that he ill-times the pacing of the film anyway, taking far too long to get to the crux of the story by inserting unnecessary montages and songs, and then rushing through to the final confrontation to just get done with the job. There are a couple of flashes that spark interest, like the black and white sequence of Kans rending a lotus flower, to signify his killing of Devaki's children, but these hopes come to a nought as the film progresses.
Krishna Aur Kans 3D Review - Music
Veturi peppers his film with far too many songs, few of which hit the mark, primarily because of how anachronistic composer Shantanu Moitra makes them sound, occasionally even getting the heavy guitar riff in. One track that must be mentioned though, is the "item number" featuring Putana, sung by Sunidhi Chauhan. The very fact that Veturi manages to fit a song as senseless as this into what is otherwise packaged as a simple children's flick, should tell you something of the commercial interests the film has.
Krishna Aur Kans 3D Review - Final Word
All in all, Krishna Aur Kans can only be watched for the fact that it does bring genuine stereoscopic 3D to the classic Indian mythological tale, and perhaps some of the voice performances on offer. That apart, director Vikram Veturi manages to drag out this affair so much, that even the kids that he's made the film for are liable to fall asleep…