Review of the film Crakk | An adrenaline junkie’s manual
Bollywood has a tendency to favor scenes with thoughtless action that occasionally lacks any punch. And Crakk: To stand out from the pack, Jeetega Toh Jiyegaa doesn’t do any unique actions. The film incorporates a lot of extreme sports with action to add novelty value and set itself apart from other action films, but the storyline never feels totally credible and the narrative lacks depth.
Crakk struggles most of the time
Too many clichés are used by director Aditya Datt to have any real effect, and ultimately none of them connect. Crakk makes it apparent right away that its goal is to dazzle rather than make a lasting impression. But even so, it stumbles for the most part. Furthermore, Crakk should flash the disclaimer if viewing action and stunts on screen came with any kind of warning because there are enough of heart-pounding sequences to choose from. Some end up seeming VFX-poorly augmented, while others are truly pretty thrilling and give you chills.
The storyline
In the first scene of the movie, Mumbai slum resident Siddharth Dixit, sometimes known as Siddhu (Vidyut Jammwal), attempts risky, potentially fatal acts on a moving local train. He leans out of the door, sprints like a cakewalk from one compartment to another, touches poles, and climbs to the top. “Crack” is what his pals nickname him—crazy in the mind. Although the term “crack” is frequently used to describe extremely skilled and trained athletes, I’m not sure if Crakk was genuinely trying to evoke this same feeling. Here, the main plot points revolve around Vidyut’s peculiarities, his love of trying out possibly lethal feats, and extreme sports.
The narrative also includes a flashback in which the parents of Siddhu don’t want their son to follow in the footsteps of their older brother Nihal (Ankit Mohan), who died in Maidaan, an underground survival sports tournament. Siddhu, though, could not give a damn. He keeps filming himself performing these risky exploits, frequently getting apprehended by the police, but eventually he manages to reach Maidaan and, after leaving the streets of Mumbai, is shortly smuggled into a Polish sports venue.
Here, Siddhu has to overcome equally talented competitors from other nations as well as Maidaan’s showrunner and strong champion, Dev (Arjun Rampal). His motivation for discovering the truth about Nihal changes from simply winning the tournament till much later in the narrative, when he suspects foul play in his brother’s death. Along the way, he meets Alia (Nora Fatehi), a Maidaan influencer who thinks she is “out of his league,” but she succumbs too quickly to his corny antics and chapri lines. The narrative then proceeds in the manner that the filmmaker sees proper.
What is the intention of the film?
I was perplexed by Crakk on several levels. It’s not a straightforward narrative of revenge in which one brother seeks retribution for the other’s passing. It’s not just about this impoverished man who wants to win the race money in Maidaan and become wealthy. It’s also not about him making a name for himself or winning a championship by using his natural affinity for sports. Basically, we as viewers are never quite sure what the film intends to express because Siddhu’s motivation for trying out survival sports is never made obvious.
I was pleasantly surprised to witness the action-packed, high-adrenaline scenes after the tale reached Maidaan, but the thrill was short-lived as the battleground became a do-or-die situation. After that, the story resumes its lameness and meanders until it finds a footing. You’re never allowed to stay in one place for long in Datt’s co-written screenplay with Rehan Khan, Sarim Momin, and Mohinder Pratab Singh; instead, you’re always moving on to the next scene without ever knowing the answers to the previous puzzle.
To make matters worse, Sandeep Kurup’s poor editing further detracts from the entire experience. It is erratic and spotty, and it doesn’t hold your interest. What’s the deal with the movie’s duration? It drags entirely too much at two hours and twenty-six minutes, and boredom creeps in quite easily.
Various performances
For those who are addicted to adrenaline, Vidyut Jammwal’s thrilling action scenes, daring stunts, and extreme sports provide a visual extravaganza. No matter which peak or cliff Sidhu leaps off of, we never witness him break a bone or even just receive some bruises. Crakk gives Vidyut a larger playground and his followers an opportunity to swoon over his toned muscles even more for those who have been watching his workout videos at the gym. However, it’s clear that the actor struggles a little in the areas of speech and emotion.
Next up is Arjun Rampal, who portrays the antagonist admirably and delivers a strong performance while carrying a lot of weight. Amy Jackson, who plays Patricia the police officer, has a strong on-screen presence, but her dubbed Hindi lines—some of which are frequently out of sync—make it impossible to look away. Even though Nora’s character growth advances the plot, she is once again treated as merely a prop and isn’t given any room to shine. The much-needed comic relief is provided by Jamie Lever’s sharply crafted one-liners and punchlines, which never come across as forced.
Concluding Remarks
It’s clear that Crakk wants to appeal to a specific segment of people who have a taste for these extreme sports and action, rather than just inviting all adrenaline addicts to experience the thrill. But in the process, it overreaches and diverges numerous times.
I’m not sure if Crakk will encourage young people to try extreme sports and pursue them as a career, but his fans, known as Jammwalions, will undoubtedly not want to miss this mind-numbing experience that prioritizes physical strength over intellect on the big screen.
