Maderc..d. That’s the last word we hear Nagarjuna utter in the breakneck paced trailer of Wild Dog. Nag, we are told, plays the title role. So called by his colleagues because his bit is most definitely better than his bark. And his ‘bawl’ definitely hits out of the park.
This is a full-on action film. A few weeks ago, in an interview with me, Nag had promised me the kind of action I had never seen in Telugu cinema. He is right. The trailer of Wild Dog features the kind of stunts not seen in Telugu cinema before. The action is relentless. And the message is timely. Don’t arrest terrorists. Shoot them.
My favourite moment in the trailer is when a suspected terrorist cornered by Nag asks him to arrest him.
“Huh?” goes Nag, and shoots the sociopath pointblank in the head. Encounter over.
Of course, the human rights commission will disapprove. But it's okay. As Nag’s angry character says, “Feeding terrorists biryani, giving them Z security…I am not okay with that.”
Neither are we. Wild Dog is Nagarjuna’s most topical actioner in years. The trailer is filled with sound fury and the sound of furious retaliation. Nag is lithe lissom and panther-like in his moves. At 60, he looks like Rajinikanth’s son. He jumps buildings, fells the bad guys falcon-like, and leaps across the screen with a flair and ferocity that go well with the topic of eradicating terrorism.
Nag is surrounded by some good Bollywood actors. Dia Mirza, in her first post-marriage screen appearance, is his wife. Atul Kulkarni as his senior is credible when the camera has no patience with his talents. And Saiyami Kher is right up there as an anti-terror commando, kicking ass as though it were grass.
There isn’t enough of Saiyami’s kick-ass jinx in the trailer. There is room here for only three actors: Nag, Nag and Nag. And unlike Nag who is not okay with terrorists being given VIP treatment, we are okay with Nag being given the VOP (very omni-present) treatment.
Image source: IMDb