May 10th: K.G.F. Chapter 1

Mama’s Boy: The Movie

K.G.F. Chapter 1

Released: 2018

Directed by: Prashanth Neel

Starring: Yash, Srinidhi Shetty, Vasishta N. Simha, Ramachandra Raju, Archana Jois

Heroic epics worldwide try to cram as much as possible into a story to represent a broad swath of the culture they represent. Many tropes are found in these stories all over the world: parenting by sacrificing for their children, working to become the best, being betrayed by superiors or friends, standing for the downtrodden, becoming a symbol of good or strength, walking into the figurative lion’s den, etc. We have seen these stories told everywhere. K.G.F. Chapter 1 is one of those stories as we follow Rocky, played by Yash, a multi-faceted figure whose rise is legendary.

As a child, Rocky watches his mother sacrifice for him to the point where she get sick and die. His last promise to her is to become a wealthy man, but also to help those like her, the weak and those who need help. Living on the streets of Mumbai, he learns that the best way to gain wealth and power is to fight for it and not necessarily legally. He becomes a hero to those around him and a useful tool to the people ranked above him in the criminal underworld. Little do they know that he is using them almost as much as they are using him. He is a man of pure focus who is willing to commit extreme violence to reach his goals.

When his superiors aim him at a rising leader within the local political faction, he descends into the pure hell of slavery. He sees the weak and those needing help his mother spoke of. He observes the structure of exploitation of by the wealthy and powerful. He becomes the hero that the people need, and in doing so, gains an army.

Small Observations:

• This story is told third hand. It is narrated by a reporter who was told of it by someone else years after it occurred. That is what helps make this mythic hero story even more epic. It’s like the game of telephone. Every time it is retold, the myth grows.
• As is common with Indian movies, there are multiple musical dance sequences, but they feel almost organic. To be honest, many of the scenes, even those without dance, feel like a musical. Especially the fight scenes. Of the songs, “Salaam Rocky Bhai” is an epic one that fits so perfectly.
• Rocky is certainly his own kind of hero, but there are elements of so many other heroes that Americans would know well that fit here also: Robin Hood, Zorro, Batman, the Punisher, and so many more.
• MCU actors: 0

Overall Rank: S

This movie has everything — drama, comedy, music, action, heroes, villains, beauty, and ugliness. It shows humanity at its worst and best while also telling a compelling and mythic story. Strongly recommended.