NOTE: This article contains spoilers and gives away important plot points of War (2019 Hindi film) and War (2007 Hollywood film)

The October 2 release, War, has emerged as the biggest grosser of 2019 so far. Starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff, this Siddharth Anand directorial opened with a bang and continued to do rocking business with each passing day. The word of mouth too has been very positive. War tells the story of Kabir (Hrithik Roshan), a senior secret agent of India who goes rogue all of a sudden. His protégé Khalid (Tiger Shroff) is assigned the task of finding and eliminating him. Most of the film establishes the bond between Kabir and Khalid in flashback and then cuts to a cat-and-mouse chase between the two in present day. In a shocking twist, it’s revealed in the pre-climax that Khalid had died two years back and a corrupt agent, Sourabh, had been impersonating Khalid all along. Sourabh also surgically altered himself to assume Khalid’s identity flawlessly.

As soon the film released, it came to light that War was eerily similar to a 12 year old Hollywood film. What’s more, this Hollywood flick is also titled War! Thankfully, the Hindi film is not a scene-to-scene copy or a cut-copy-paste job. The Hollywood film, starring Jet Li and Jason Statham, also uses the element of spy gone rogue, plastic surgery etc but in a different manner. While the Bollywood film showcases a criminal taking up an officer’s identity, in the Hollywood movie War, it’s vice versa. Here, Tom Lone (Terry Chen) eliminates a ruthless assassin called Rogue (Jet Li) when the latter enters the former’s house and kills his wife and child. Tom then sets the house on fire and everyone believes that he died along with his family. Tom however goes for plastic surgery, gets Rogue’s face for himself and then infiltrates two warring gangs, one of which had told Rogue to attack him and his family, and starts in-fighting among them. Meanwhile, Tom’s partner John Crawford (Jason Statham) is unaware that Tom survived and is busy chasing Rogue to avenge Tom’s supposed death.

In the Hindi movie, the character of Tiger Shroff is revealed as the villain in the pre-climax. In case of the Hollywood movie, Jason Statham, believed to be a good guy, emerges as the baddie who was hand-in-gloves with one of the gangs and who was responsible for the murder of his partner’s family. The climax fight between the two takes place in an abandoned location, just like in the Bollywood movie.

Obviously, the Hindi flick is different in other ways. The bigger villains are the terrorists who want to carry out such a huge attack in India that’ll make people forget Osama Bin Laden. These terrorists are aided by four people occupying key positions in various departments related to the security of India and are nicknamed after chess pieces – ooth, haathi, ghoda and pyada. The track of Naina (Vaani Kapoor) gave the film an emotional touch and this too was missing in the 2007 starrer. However, at the same time, one can’t also deny that the similarities between the two films are quite too many.

Sidharth Malhotra in Miami switches gears from intense lover boy to high octane maar-dhaad
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 16, 2016) 

Sidharth Malhotra who is currently shooting for the next Bang Bang film, in Miami has been squeezing time between breaks to take in everything the seaport city has to offer. "It has been a busy schedule with little free time but I have been visiting nearby cafes and experimenting with local cuisine on my days off. I also explored the South Beach and Hollywood Beach recently," the actor informs Mirror, adding that he's also indulging in water sports with his leading lady, Jacqueline Fernandez.

The duo has previously featured in Karan Malhotra's 2015 action-drama, Brothers, but this is the first time they're paired opposite each other. "We hardly interacted during Brothers since we didn't have any scenes together. She is a fantastic actor and I'm thoroughly enjoying working with her. The shooting has been intense but we manage to find some time to just catch up and relax," reveals Sid.

Switching gears from downtime to their new film, the 31-year-old actor admits he's enjoying the switch from intense lover boy roles to high-octane maar-dhaad. "I have never stereotyped myself. I'd rather experiment with versatile scripts and characters, portray different shades as an actor," he reasons, going on to praise Brothers co-star Akshay Kumar's action credentials. "He is the true action hero in Bollywood, his dedication to fitness is amazing. Jason Statham, who has a fit and lean physique as well, is the quintessential action hero in the West. Also, the action sequences in the Liam Neeson-starrer Taken series are a visual treat for action junkies."

Sidharth and Co who embarked on the film's Miami schedule on June 2 are looking ahead to the month-long shoot. Is he homesick yet? "I miss my dog, Oscar, and home-cooked food. But I have started enjoying my outdoor training sessions, they gives me an adrenaline rush," he says, adding that meeting fans away from home has been a pleasant experience as well. "There was this one girl who flew in all the way from Tampa; I was really touched."

BOMBAY TIMES (June 19, 2015)

Wild Card disappoints and how! The film begins well and has some very interesting moments involving Jason Statham, Dominik Garcia-Lorido and Milo Ventimiglia together. However, after a point, nothing quite happens in the second half. The villain turns out to be loser who is anything but menacing and hence totally fails. As the end credits roll, one can’t help but wonder what the film was actually all about and what why such a thanda product was made in the first place. Performances and action scenes save the day to an extent.

My rating - ** out of 5!