Actor-director Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroopam 2 has finally hit screens. Kamal will once again play the character of RAW agent Wisam Ahmed Kashmir. Alongside Kamal, the film also stars Waheeda Rehman, Rahul Bose, Shekhar Kapur, and Andrea Jeremiah in pivotal roles. The long-awaited follow-up to 2014's Vishwaroopam (Hindi title: Vishwaroop 2) is an empty shell. As tiresome as the first part was exhilarating, it is an incoherent muddle that is not even middling in terms of quality. Sexagenarian superstar Kamal Haasan, also the writer and director of this bloated mess, clearly used up all his ammo in the first go. Vishwaroop 2 is left working with low-yield leftovers.

Kamal Haasan’s Vishwaroop 2, adopts a unique screenplay that tries to tell a story that presents both, before and after, scenarios of the original Vishwaroop movie. The plot is choppy, carelessly hopping continents (India, US, Afghanistan) and time zones. When the characters—spooks and traitors, forgetful mothers and sentimental sons, and pretty women making up to the great spymaster— are not killing each other, either via hand-to-hand combat, knives, and guns, they are busy flitting about in all manner of transport and deploying weapons. Helicopters are whirring away, missiles are being launched, grenades are being flung, and Vis, armed and dangerous, is on top of everything, saving India’s capital from being bombed out of existence.

Performance wise, Kamal Haasan leads the way and the other actor who leaves quite an impression is Jaideep Ahlawat as Salim. It has two songs but the one between Kamal – Pooja is unnecessary. There is none of the jingoism that creeps in most nationalistic films, which is a relief. About the only one who has a few good moments is Waheeda Rahman as an elderly woman struggling with Alzheimer’s disease: her grace is immense and lights up her scenes. Along with Tamil, the film has also been released in Telugu and Hindi.