Title: Wild Dog
CBFC Rating : UA
Run-Time: 2 Hrs 09 Min
Release Date: 02-04-2021
Banner: Matinee Entertainment
Cast: Akkineni Nagarjuna, Dia Mirza, Saiyami Kher, Ali Reza, Mayank Parakh, Prakash Sudarshan, Pradeep, Bilal, Atul Kulkarni, Anish Kuruvilla, and others
Background Music: Thaman
Cinematography: Shaneil Deo
Editing: Shravan Katikaneni
Producers: Niranjan Reddy, Anvesh Reddy
Written and Directed by Ahishor Solomon
Story:
Vijay Varma (Nagarjuna), an ex NIA officer, is called back to nab a terrorist behind bomb blasts. Vijay Varma, with his team, tries to catch the terrorist Khalid Bhatkal in Mumbai, but the operation fails.
After finding that the terrorist flew to Nepal, Vijay Varma initiates undercover operation Wild Dog to bring back the terrorist. How Vijay, along with his team, manages to get into Nepal and what happens to operation ‘Wild Dog’ forms the story.
Performances:
Nagarjuna is the main highlight of ‘Wild Dog’. He is super fit and did superbly in action scenes. It helps in the role of an NIA officer, as the action scenes look amazing on screen. His character has been portrayed realistically, and it is quite good.
Ali Reza did well in the role of a commando. Sayami Kher is good in action sequences and adds glamour quotient. In a relatively small role, Atul Kulkarni and Dia Mirza made their presence felt by adding a little bit of drama to the proceedings.
Highlights:
Nagarjuna
Action Sequences
Background Score
Second Half
Drawbacks:
Slow at times in First Half
Analysis:
Ahishor Solomon, known for his work as a writer for super hits like Oopiri and Maharshi, made his debut as a director with this film. He chose an interesting subject with a thrilling setup as his first film.
The first half deals with the series of bomb blasts and finding the culprit behind those blasts. The director interestingly deals with them, and the turn of events towards the interval raises curiosity about the second half.
The second half is loaded with action sequences that are choreographed in a terrific manner. The engaging narration holds the interest of the audience, and the climax is dealt with superbly. The whole thing gives a thrill, which is necessary for a single-track narrative like Wild Dog. It is a huge risk, and the director delivers with an edge-of-the-seat action.
Background music by Thaman enhances the mood and further elevates the thrilling scenes. The cinematography by Shaneil Deo is good, especially the Himachal Pradesh’s sequences were captured very well.
Production values by Matinee Entertainments are laudable. Producers Niranjan Reddy and Anvesh Reddy deserve appreciation for selecting and engagingly backing content-driven films on their Matinee Entertainments banner. The films from their banner are different and yet entertaining. Kudos to them for maintaining the right balance.
Rating: 3 / 5
Bottom line: Engaging Thriller
