Creative Quotient:

Super-heroism runs in this royal family that poor, lonesome Aditya (Abhishek), living incognito somewhere overseas with his oppressive aunt and her bratty son , must redeem. The sole indication of his special status so far, is the dancing blue rose petal that humour him through his troubled childhood and youth. On his birthday when he is accosted by his nemesis, the notorious magician Riz Raizada (Kay Kay), things gather pace and suddenly Adi finds himself being safeguarded by an unknown squad of personal security led by the lissome Sonia (Priyanka) whose “babuji” has instructed her to shadow the super hero.

The super-villain Riz, in the mode of a Batman-esque Joker, is a bizarre combination of the absurd and evil. His lifelong pursuit of nectar of immortality comes to an end when he comes face-to-face with the traditional custodian, Drona. Aditya travels back to the sandy dunes of his Rajasthani palace where his mother (Jaya) awaits his return for years and years. But when she is reunited with him, the first thing she does is sing a lullaby! Of course, Riz is hot on their heels and he turns the queen mother into a statue before she can divulge more details.

We are halfway through the film and Aditya hasn’t yet donned the superhero mantle. Through a maze of riddles and puzzles, Drona finds his divine steed, Devdutt - the same that he’s seen riding ahead of a steam-engine. He rides the horse across the tracks to jump onto the train to fight Riz’s hooded soldiers. The whole exercise seems stretched and pointless. From here on the story just meanders meaninglessly, till Drona finds his sword of power with which he vanquishes the comic evildoer Riz. It’s a fantasy that defies the realms of entertainment and ends up becoming unmitigated source of ennui for the viewer.

Writers Jaydeep Sarkar and Rohini Killough let down the director and the creative resources totally with their messy screenplay.

Technical Expertise:

Those 1500 VFX, the exotic locales of Prague, Tom Delmar and Sham Kaushal’s stunning action sequences, Anahita Adjania’s period-pertaining styles, Sameer Arya’s deft cinematography, Priyanka Chopra’s Gataka (Sikh martial art) training, Kay Kay’s comical menace and Abhishek’s super hero avatar - are all wasted in a fantasy that lacks fairytale appeal and magical intrigue. The writers are unable to vest superpowers in Drona and villainy in Riz, thereby never building up the conflict. The female characters in the film are equally purposeless. Some smart storyboarding and sincere directorial effort could perhaps have rescued this droning saga.

How can director Goldie Behl have his superhero assume a hunched stance instead of squaring his shoulders squarely? Alas! The Drona enterprise fails right there and then.

Rating: