the ghost movie review 2022

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The ghost (2022), common sense media reviewers.

Overlong epic action movie is extremely violent.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Indian movie set in India, Dubai, and Maldives, fe

Extremely violent action movie. Stylized action mo

Kissing, touching between romantic partners. Gratu

Strong language throughout, including "f--k." Also

Character mentions Pizza Hut by name.

Teens shown drinking and smoking from hookahs at p

Parents need to know that The Ghost is a 2022 Indian action movie in which a former Interpol officer goes to war against criminals who are trying to kidnap his sister and her daughter. It's a two-hour-and-18-minute epic action movie with constant stylized violence. Fighting with sniper rifles, assault rifles,…

Diverse Representations

Indian movie set in India, Dubai, and Maldives, features Indian actors playing the lead and supporting roles.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Extremely violent action movie. Stylized action movie violence throughout. Constant fighting with assault weapons, sniper rifles, guns, knives, swords, punches, kicks. Characters shot and killed at point-blank range; blood splatters. A child is shot and killed. In a flashback scene, a young boy is nearly killed by a man wielding a bloody sickle. A teen girl and her teen friends are kidnapped after being drugged at a party -- the villain suggests selling her to sex traffickers instead of killing her. A car is run off the road and explodes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Kissing, touching between romantic partners. Gratuitous scenes of the female lead relaxing on a yacht while wearing a swimsuit.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Strong language throughout, including "f--k." Also: "pr--k," "a--hole," "s--t," "damn," "crap," "hell," "wanker."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Drinking, drugs & smoking.

Teens shown drinking and smoking from hookahs at parties and nightclubs -- wine and shots. Teens are given bottles of cola that are laced with hallucinogens that make them drowsy, resulting in them being kidnapped. Lead character shown binge-drinking whiskey. A villian snort cocaine. Cigar smoking. Talk of teen daughter's cigarette smoking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Ghost is a 2022 Indian action movie in which a former Interpol officer goes to war against criminals who are trying to kidnap his sister and her daughter. It's a two-hour-and-18-minute epic action movie with constant stylized violence. Fighting with sniper rifles, assault rifles, guns, swords, knives, punches, kicks. Characters are shot and killed at close range, stabbed, and decapitated. A young boy is killed during a hostage standoff. During a flashback scene, a young boy is nearly killed by a man wielding a bloody sickle. Teen girls are drugged and taken prisoner, with the lead teen girl almost sold to sex traffickers. Villains use cocaine. Teens are shown drinking shots and wine and smoking from hookahs. The lead character binge-drinks whiskey. Cigarette smoking. Cigar smoking. Strong language throughout, including "f--k." In Telugu, with English subtitles. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

In THE GHOST , Vikram (Nagarjuna Akkineni) and Priya (Sonal Chauhan) are romantic partners who also work together as Interpol agents. But when a hostage standoff results in the death of a child, a distraught Vikram decides to leave his life behind in the hopes of destroying the criminal underworld that thrives on kidnapping the children of wealthy family members. Five years into his disappearance, he receives a call from Anu (Gul Panag), his sister from when he was adopted by an officer in the aftermath of his parents getting killed during the Hindu-Muslim riots of the 1980s. Anu has been receiving death threats and ultimatums from unknown sources and her security detail and the police are unable to help her. These threats are also being directed at Anu's teen daughter Aditi -- whose spoiled and entitled behavior is causing problems. As Vikram works to protect Anu and Aditi, he learns that the men behind the threats are the same he has been pursuing all this time, and as he fights desperately to stop them, he also finds help from a source from his past.

Is It Any Good?

This is an action movie that is way too long and way too violent. The Ghost is an Indian movie that clocks in at two hours and 18 minutes, and it could easily be 45minutes less than this without sacrificing any important story points. There's an excess and bombast to this that's so over the top and obnoxious, even Michael Bay would blush at it. Killing, shooting, stabbing, decapitation, blood, and explosions. This movie "has it all," but what it doesn't really have is a worthwhile story.

It's a lot of excess for what amounts to a run-of-the-mill action movie story about a hero trying to make things right after a tragic incident during a hostage standoff. After that, it's more or less a story of said hero going after the villains and taking them down, one at a time, with each battle more detailed and "satisfying" than the one that preceded it. There are side stories and story threads that do little except make a long movie even longer. The result is too much of everything, resulting in over two hours of not much.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about action movies like The Ghost . How was it similar to and different from other action movies you've seen?

This movie has a ton of violence. How does the violence compare to that in other action movies, and how much of it was really necessary for the story?

If you could edit this movie, what parts would you cut? Why?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : November 1, 2022
• Cast : Nagarjuna Akkineni , Sonal Chauhan , Gul Panag
• Director : Praveen Sattaru
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Run time : 138 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : May 19, 2023

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The Ghost movie review: Some never-seen-before slick action makes this predictable Nagarjuna-starrer engaging watch

The ghost movie review: nagarjuna's action thriller has a predictable plot but is salvaged by some never-seen-before action sequences and the actor's charisma..

Filmmaker Praveen Sattaru truly established himself as a filmmaker with great action sensibilities when he made PSV Garuda Vega a few years ago. The film gave a new lease of life to yesteryear star Rajasekhar, who turned out to be a revelation in a project that truly felt international in spite of its limited budget. With his latest outing, The Ghost, Sattaru pushes the boundaries to present a slick action-thriller that’s largely engaging, despite a very predictable plot. If not for anything, you could just watch the film to see how handsome Nagarjuna looks while wielding the Yakuza sword. It’s a sight to cherish. Also read: GodFather movie review: Chiranjeevi's charisma makes this thriller enjoyable

Nagarjuna plays Vikram, a former Interpol agent with anger issues. When his recklessness ends up costing the life of a young boy on a rescue mission in Dubai, the guilt eats him up and he decides to fix it by taking on the underworld. The story quickly cuts to five years later and we are introduced to Vikram’s sister Anu ( Gul Panag ), who reaches out to him after 20 years. The call takes him to Ooty where the siblings put their bitter past behind them. Anu informs Vikram about the life threats she’s been receiving and she doesn’t want anything to happen to her daughter. As Vikram takes charge of protecting the family, he crosses paths with some men from his past in Dubai. What happened five years ago in Dubai when Vikram swore to clean up the underworld and why he’s called The Ghost forms the crux of the story.

The Ghost delivers what the promos promised, which is slick action with a lot of bloodshed. The attempt to make an ultraviolent action film without dumbing down its impact for the masses deserves special praise. Sattaru takes a very predictable plot and shifts all his focus on delivering solid action stretches. The film takes its own time to take-off, quite literally, but the pay-off is worth the wait. The film does take inspiration from Hollywood blockbusters like Taken and John Wick but never tries to mimic what these films achieved in terms of action.

Nagarjuna is cool as a cucumber in the role of a former agent turned mean killing machine. He uses his charisma effortlessly to make every frame look stylish on screen. Sonal Chauhan gets a meaty part and has quite a few scenes where she gets to flaunt her action skills. The film works to a large extent because it presents action like never seen before in Telugu cinema. The climactic fight in a church with a yakuza sword and a Gatling gun is easily the film’s biggest highlight that’s worth every buck.

Director: Praveen Sattaru

Cast: Nagarjuna, Sonal Chauhan, Anikha Surendran, and Gul Panag.

• Sonal Chauhan

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Where to Watch

Nagarjuna Akkineni (Vikram Naidu) Sonal Chauhan (Priya) Gul Panag (Anupama Naidu) Anikha Surendran (Aditi Nair) Manish Chaudhari (Lala) Ravi Varma (Pankaj Nair) Srikanth Iyengar (Harish) Keith Dallison (Curtis Warren) Vaishnavi Ganatra (Hrithi) Simmi Ghoshal (Shikha)

Praveen Sattaru

An ex-Interpol officer wreaks havoc and sends shock waves across the global underworld but goes missing in action, only to remerge years later, for his beloved family.

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The Ghost (2022)

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The Ghost Reviews

Praveen Sattaru’s action-drama, starring Nagarjuna, is a case of multiple misfires from point-blank range, and there’s very little to take back.

Full Review | Nov 17, 2023

This movie "has it all," but what it doesn't really have is a worthwhile story.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Nov 15, 2022

The Ghost Movie Review: High on body count, low on originality

Rating: ( 2.5 / 5).

2022 seems to be the year of swashbuckling spies, guns, and dead kids. While watching  The Ghost  it is hard to shake off the memories of  Vikram  and  Beast  in multiple instances. Similarities to one of these films should be leading to enjoyable results, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case here. Every time we feel the film shows some promise, we are almost immediately given a reality check and told to keep our expectations under control. We keep rooting for the film to go a notch higher but it keeps refusing.

Director: Praveen Sattaru

Cast: Nagarjuna, Sonal Chouhan, Gul Panag, Anikha Surendran

Nagarjuna plays an Interpol officer named Vikram (his first film in 1986 was named Vikram, allow me to remind you) and he is introduced in an Arabian desert, taking down a battalion of a suspicious, unnamed group of militants. He is joined by Priya (Sonal Chouhan) and together they wipe the hell out of the bad guys. They take down the last man and instantaneously begin kissing as the action sequence segues into a romantic montage song that plants information about Vikram’s struggles with trauma and his dear relationship with his adopted family. It is a bit jarring and it assures you to gain momentum. The actual action begins—or you think so—after the song when Vikram and Priya are on a mission to rescue a kid from a bunch of kidnappers. It starts with an uninspiring chase and ends with a tragedy, propelling Vikram to take down the whole underworld. When the film’s title appears, we are brimming with excitement, but the pleasure is only momentary with our curiosity being put to rest almost immediately with a text, ‘5 years later’. What happened to Vikram’s rage and the mission he set out on? We have to wait for that. This, I believe, is the biggest problem with the film: its refusal to focus on the amusement—violence and action—and insistence to meander on a rather generic plotline for an excessive runtime.

We hope to see Vikram hunt down thugs of the underworld in style, but before we get to that, we have to sit through a painfully long and generic set-up that features the protagonist double up as a guardian for his sister-like Anu (Gul Panag) and her reckless daughter Adithi (Anika Surendran). The conflict is not just bad guys after their lives but boardroom politics too. I would be lying if I say I wasn’t reminded of Trivikram’s recent films where the conflict is all about shares and stocks in a company. These portions of the film make you restless to see the action we signed up for.

When the film eventually enters the action zone in the final 35 minutes, it is entertaining, despite lacking inventiveness. The reveal about the origin of Vikram’s sobriquet, 'The Ghost’ is strongly reminiscent of the Babayaga story from  John Wick (2014). It is a concerned father warning his son about the repercussions of the grave mistake the latter has committed in both films. The highly hyped-up Katana sword is put to terrific effect here with dozens of glorious kills in the second half. The final 30 minutes of the film, suffused with bodies, blood, knives and guns, serve as a much-needed departure from the generic-ness that pervaded the set-up and the pay-off is indeed a treat to behold. 

Dharmendra Kakarala’s editing complements the action choreography by Dinesh Subbarayan and Kecha Khamphadkee superbly in the effective flashback sequence, collectively infusing energy into the overall mood. Mukesh G’s choice to punctuate red in an action sequence—featuring a blood red moon—set in a boat with neon lighting, darkness, and silhouettes in other action sequences lend a wonderful style to the whole origin story. The wide image of a hooded man holding a sword in the rain while dozens kneel before him, begging for mercy, is perhaps the best frame in the film. I wish  The Ghost  was actually about… the ghost and less about Vikram and boardroom politics. 

The action sequences are delightfully violent—bodies are chopped into pieces with the sword, a thug is beheaded and then his head is shot, making it explode like a watermelon, and there are countless headshots—and almost rescue the film. However, I wish there was a stronger purpose to the action here. The climactic action sequence, set in a church, is superbly shot but you can’t help but wonder about the futility of the whole sequence. The need for action and violence is barely registered, reducing the sequence to a deliberately crafted set-piece for the sake of spectacle. 

While we naturally accept to suspend our disbelief when we walk into a movie theatre,  The Ghost  expects a tad too much from us, barely trying to care for the reality. Physics is secondary; it is fine if the hero dodges all the hundreds of bullets. Emotions are primary; shouldn’t a person who is raging with sadness and anger at least attempt to take a shot at someone when he is in a position to, instead of waiting for the hero to finish off every man standing? Such glaring direction errors break the interest the film just managed to grab from us.

If there’s someone in the cast who gets the best deal after Nagarjuna, it is Sonal Chouhan, who puts up a surprisingly effective show in the action sequences. She is believable and moreover, not once does her character seek help from the man here. She always saves herself and others. Sad that she couldn't save the whole film though. 

The Ghost  is, in a way, a quintessential revenge drama that’s packaged with the flourishes of a modern-day actioner. To rehash a classic review line—just like the film is a rehash of many films—The Ghost is an old bullet in a new gun. It could have been what  Vikram  was to Kamal Haasan, but ends up being what  Beast  was to Vijay. 

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Gulte Telugu news

The Ghost Movie Review

Article by Nanda Gopal Published by GulteDesk --> Published on: 5:09 pm, 5 October 2022

2 Hrs 18 Mins   |   Action   |   05-08-2022

Cast - Nagarjuna, Sonal Chauhan, Gul Panag, Anikha Surendran, Manish Chaudhari Others

Director - Praveen Sattaru

Producer - Suniel Narang, Puskur Ram Mohan Rao, Sharrath Marar

Banner - SV Cinemas, North Star Entertainment

Music - Mark K. Robin, Bharatt-Saurabh

After doing an author-backed role in Brahmastra, Nagarjuna returns to the lead role with The Ghost for which he teamed up with director Praveen Sattaru. The film promises to be an action thriller laced with family emotions. His previous attempts – Officer and Wild Dog – weren’t fruitful enough. Did Nagarjuna deliver this time around?

Vikram (Nagarjuna) is an interpol officer who wiped out the underworld mafia in Dubai. He is called The Ghost by the crime syndicate. After getting retired, he learns that his closed ones in India are in danger. Anu (Gul Panag) and her daughter Aditi (Aniksha Surendran) are important to Vikram since he was raised by Anu’s father (Jayaprakash). Vikram is on a mission to save Anu and Aditi who’re chased by their rivals for their company Nair group. Did he save them? Did he find the culprits?

Performances:

Nagarjuna is not new to cop roles. But his role Vikram in The Ghost is different from his previous ones. Nag carries off the film on his shoulders. It is his show. He does the action scenes with ease. Sonal Chauhan as Preeti is alright despite limited on-screen presence. She is glamourous and also fights goons when the protagonist needed. Vikram and Preeti’s relationship look unconvincing where she disappeared initially and later lands up in the latter half. Gul Panag as Nagarjuna’s estranged sister gets noticed with her acting. Aniksha Surendran gets meaty role as the film revolves around her character and she does justice to her part. Manish Chaudhari as villain leaves no impact. He looked weak. Srikanth Iyengar gets another typical role. Ravi Varma is okay. Praveen got good cast on board but he couldn’t offer roles with depth.

Technicalities:

The Ghost gets decent marks with the writing. Though nostalgic, the best part of the writing is it doesn’t deviate from the main story. Yet the film suffers with its execution. Director Praveen Sattaru offers not fully developed film. He couldn’t go deep enough that is required for such RAW films. Cinematography and background score elevate the film. Production values are rich. The action episodes are lavishly shot. The Goa song should be scissored mercilessly since it obstructs the flow.

Nagarjuna Stylish Elements

Thumbs Down

Predictable Story Lack Of High Moments Climax

First things first, Nagarjuna’s The Ghost is not novel in terms of its plot. In fact, it has several nostalgic moments where it reminds us some erstwhile RAW/cop films. From characters to body language to their characterisations, there is typecast and cliches. Yet, the film has subtle treatment that makes it sustain for large part. On the surface, Praveen Sattaru’s idea of The Ghost seems pretty decent. But it failed in the execution. The film lacked high moments. Barring some gunfire scenes, it has no appealing action blocks either.

The problem with The Ghost is in its first half where it is all hastily set-up for the bigger challenge, but when it does, it turns out to be ordinary, nothing exceptional. It is all predictable. Vikram has a haunted past involving mental trauma. But it doesn’t add any value to the film despite the backstory. There is a dialogue of Nag in the film where he says he wouldn’t had reached the stage hadn’t his father took his profession personally. As the story progresses and dots get connected, it gets better.

It is the second half where the real story lies in. There are moments that saved the film. Particularly, there is honesty in Vikram’s motive and operation. He is fighting for a cause and he has personal connection. The film manages to sail through, thanks to Nagarjuna. The liberties are taken – Vikram lands up in saving Aditi in Goa and also none of the bullets fired at Vikram and Aditi touch them whereas goons drop like flies. Scenes like these make one disconnect and expect superior thinking, writing.

The film is full of guns, goons, glamour and gunfire. But no, not all the films that boast action episodes, merciless gunfire and wastage of bullets would become Yash’s KGF 2 or Kamal Haasan’s Vikram. Director Praveen Sattaru comes up with very average and okayish film. The climax is routine. Having said all the above, The Ghost is nothing but old wine in new bottle. It falls short of expectations.

Bottom line: High Style, Low Substance !

Rating: 2.5/5

Tags Nagarjuna The Ghost

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The Ghost Movie Review : Nagarjuna and Sonal Chauhan shine in this half-baked film

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Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive . Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.

moses jay 387 days ago

Rishitborra 12 409 days ago.

Felt like watched a parody of John wick (2014). And cringe worthy climax...

Suhas Jinka 95 431 days ago

best movie but no much thriller and gud climax

deepu rockzz 5 476 days ago

Best action film ever

Karthi User 510 days ago

Strictly for action movie lovers. No strong story line. Screenplay was good. Cinematography is nice. Nagarjuna’s show from beginning to end. Simran and Anikha gets crucial roles but doesn’t create the emotional impact. Action scenes are top notch. If you are an action movie lover, give this a try. For others, one time watchable..

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The Ghost: Release Date, Trailer, Songs, Cast

• Release Date 5 October 2022
• Language Telugu
• Genre Action, Thriller
• Duration 2h 18min
• Cast Nagarjuna, Sonal Chauhan, Gul Panag, Anikha Surendran, Manish Chaudhari, Ravi Varma, Srikanth Iyengar, Bilal Hossein, Simmi Ghoshal, Vaishnavi Ganatra, Jayaprakash
• Director Praveen Sattaru
• Writer Praveen Sattaru
• Cinematography Mukesh G.
• Music Mark K. Robin, Bharatt-Saurabh
• Producer Suniel Narang, Puskur Ram Mohan Rao, Sharrath Marar
• Production Sri Venkateswara Cinemas, North Star Entertainment
• Certificate A

About The Ghost Movie (2022)

Vikram (Nagarjuna), an ex-Interpol officer who went missing many years ago during his harsh crackdown on the underworld, returns to his family amidst new danger.

The Ghost Movie Cast, Release Date, Trailer, Songs and Ratings

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'The Ghost' movie review: High on body count, low on originality

2022 seems to be the year of swashbuckling spies, guns, and dead kids. While watching The Ghost it is hard to shake off the memories of Vikram and Beast in multiple instances. Similarities to one of these films should be leading to enjoyable results, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case here. Every time we feel the film shows some promise, we are almost immediately given a reality check and told to keep our expectations under control. We keep rooting for the film to go a notch higher but it keeps refusing.

Nagarjuna plays an Interpol officer named Vikram (his first film in 1986 was named Vikram, allow me to remind you) and he is introduced in an Arabian desert, taking down a battalion of a suspicious, unnamed group of militants. He is joined by Priya (Sonal Chouhan) and together they wipe the hell out of the bad guys. They take down the last man and instantaneously begin kissing as the action sequence segues into a romantic montage song that plants information about Vikram’s struggles with trauma and his dear relationship with his adopted family.

It is a bit jarring and it assures you to gain momentum. The actual action begins—or you think so—after the song when Vikram and Priya are on a mission to rescue a kid from a bunch of kidnappers. It starts with an uninspiring chase and ends with a tragedy, propelling Vikram to take down the whole underworld. When the film’s title appears, we are brimming with excitement, but the pleasure is only momentary with our curiosity being put to rest almost immediately with a text, ‘5 years later’. What happened to Vikram’s rage and the mission he set out on?

We have to wait for that. This, I believe, is the biggest problem with the film: its refusal to focus on the amusement—violence and action—and insistence to meander on a rather generic plotline for an excessive runtime.

We hope to see Vikram hunt down thugs of the underworld in style, but before we get to that, we have to sit through a painfully long and generic set-up that features the protagonist double up as a guardian for his sister-like Anu (Gul Panag) and her reckless daughter Adithi (Anika Surendran). The conflict is not just bad guys after their lives but boardroom politics too. I would be lying if I say I wasn’t reminded of Trivikram’s recent films where the conflict is all about shares and stocks in a company. These portions of the film make you restless to see the action we signed up for.

When the film eventually enters the action zone in the final 35 minutes, it is entertaining, despite lacking inventiveness. The reveal about the origin of Vikram’s sobriquet, 'The Ghost’ is strongly reminiscent of the Babayaga story from John Wick (2014). It is a concerned father warning his son about the repercussions of the grave mistake the latter has committed in both films. The highly hyped-up Katana sword is put to terrific effect here with dozens of glorious kills in the second half. The final 30 minutes of the film, suffused with bodies, blood, knives and guns, serve as a much-needed departure from the generic-ness that pervaded the set-up and the pay-off is indeed a treat to behold.

Dharmendra Kakarala’s editing complements the action choreography by Dinesh Subbarayan and Kecha Khamphadkee superbly in the effective flashback sequence, collectively infusing energy into the overall mood. Mukesh G’s choice to punctuate red in an action sequence—featuring a blood red moon—set in a boat with neon lighting, darkness, and silhouettes in other action sequences lend a wonderful style to the whole origin story. The wide image of a hooded man holding a sword in the rain while dozens kneel before him, begging for mercy, is perhaps the best frame in the film. I wish The Ghost was actually about… the ghost and less about Vikram and boardroom politics.

The action sequences are delightfully violent—bodies are chopped into pieces with the sword, a thug is beheaded and then his head is shot, making it explode like a watermelon, and there are countless headshots—and almost rescue the film. However, I wish there was a stronger purpose to the action here. The climactic action sequence, set in a church, is superbly shot but you can’t help but wonder about the futility of the whole sequence. The need for action and violence is barely registered, reducing the sequence to a deliberately crafted set-piece for the sake of spectacle.

While we naturally accept to suspend our disbelief when we walk into a movie theatre, The Ghost expects a tad too much from us, barely trying to care for the reality. Physics is secondary; it is fine if the hero dodges all the hundreds of bullets. Emotions are primary; shouldn’t a person who is raging with sadness and anger at least attempt to take a shot at someone when he is in a position to, instead of waiting for the hero to finish off every man standing? Such glaring direction errors break the interest the film just managed to grab from us.

If there’s someone in the cast who gets the best deal after Nagarjuna, it is Sonal Chouhan, who puts up a surprisingly effective show in the action sequences. She is believable and moreover, not once does her character seek help from the man here. She always saves herself and others. Sad that she couldn't save the whole film though.

The Ghost is, in a way, a quintessential revenge drama that’s packaged with the flourishes of a modern-day actioner. To rehash a classic review line—just like the film is a rehash of many films—The Ghost is an old bullet in a new gun. It could have been what Vikram was to Kamal Haasan, but ends up being what Beast was to Vijay.

Director : Praveen Sattaru

Cast : Nagarjuna, Sonal Chouhan, Gul Panag, Anikha Surendran

Ratings : 2.5 out of 5 stars

(This story originally appeared in the Cinema Express)

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The Ghost Review: Nothing To Boast

Movie: The Ghost Rating: 2/5 Banner: Sree Venkateswara Cinemas LLP Cast: Nagarjuna, Sonal Chauhan, Gul Panag, Anikha Surendran, Manish Chaudhari, Ravi Varma, Srikanth Iyengar, Bilal Hossein and others  Music: Bharatt-Saurabh, Mark K Robin Director of Photography: Mukesh G Editor: Dharmendra kakarala Action: Dinesh Subbarayan, Kecha Producers: Suniel Narang, Puskur Ram Mohan Rao, Sharrath Marar Written and directed by: Praveen Sattaru Release Date: October 5, 2022

Nagarjuna Akkineni and director Praveen Sattaru have teamed up for the first time. The film’s trailer and teasers created a lot of interest.

Let’s find out its merits and demerits.

Story: After a failed mission, Interpol officers Vikram (Nagarjuna) and Priya (Sonal Chauhan) part ways. They also break up their relationship. Vikram also quits his job.

Five years later, he gets a call from his estranged sister Anu (Gul Panag). He heads to Ooty and finds that his sister and his niece (Anikha Surendran) are under threat. 

Vikram agrees to stay there and protect them. Anu is a chairperson of a huge business empire. Another company is trying to take over Anu’s company. Despite his efforts, Anu gets killed in an attack.

Will Vikram protect his niece safely? 

Artistes’ Performances: For senior Nagarjuna, the role is a cakewalk. He has done such roles in the past. All he does in the film is wields swords, blast ammunition, and indulge in shootouts.

Sonal Chauhan appears as an Interpol officer. She does some decent action stunts. Gul Panag plays a typical sister’s role.

Anikha Surendran plays the role of rich brat convincingly. 

Technical Excellence: Mukesh’s cinematography is terrific. More than anyone else, the stunt masters have more work to do in the film, and they excel in their jobs. The background score is apt. Editing lacks sharpness as the lengthy action episodes go on and on. 

Highlights: Initial portions One or two action sequences

Drawback: Clichéd story Dated and artificial sentiment     Series of fights Mindless climax sequence

Analysis We all know that story takes a backseat in action dramas. But when the wafer-thin plot serves as an excuse to flip one action sequence to another, it feels dated. “The Ghost” is one such example. 

Praveen Sattaru who won the name for his slick execution of “PSV Garuda Vega '' wrote a one paragraph story. An Interpol officer who quit the job gets a personal assignment of saving his sister from the enemies. Praveen Sattaru has not developed any worth talking about moments other than this one-line story and filled it with a series of action stunts. 

One action sequence is set in a desert, the other on the busy city roads and the next one in a hill station. Another one is in a house. The next one is in another place. The locations change, and the scenes change, but the crux remains the same: a fight scene. 

No film in recent times has come with a series of action stunts with little to no story. Furthermore, given all the hype around threats that the hero’s sister faces, we expect a strong antagonist who might prove to be more than a match to the hero Nagarjuna, but what we get is a cardboard villain character.

To be fair, the first half of the film at least has some reasoning as it focuses on Nagarjuna’s Interpol days and a brief flashback about his family. The second half is a mess. The climax is excruciatingly bad. 

By adding “KGF”-like machine gun sequences and Kamal Haasan’s Vikram-like fight scenes, Praveen Sattaru has spoiled it further. For a film that also talks about sister and niece, the sentiment scenes are superficial. 

The blame entirely lies on Praveen Sattaru. It is his lame writing that is the villain. 

On the whole, “The Ghost” is another senseless action drama with no effective storytelling. 

Bottom Line:  Frightens the audience

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“This is not a tale about death, but one of life”: Watch the trailer for Ghost’s Rite Here Rite Now film and stream the first song from the soundtrack

Tobias Forge’s pop-metal cult have released a teaser for their impending concert film and offered the first taste of its soundtrack

Ghost have released the trailer for their upcoming concert film Rite Here Rite Now , along with the first taste of its soundtrack.

The Swedish masked metal collective, led by Tobias Forge under the papal guise of “Papa Emeritus”, will release the film in global cinemas on June 20 and 22 via Trafalgar Releasing.

Tickets to see Rite Here Rite Now worldwide are now available and the soundtrack is now available for preorder .

Watch the trailer, featuring the Ghost songs Year Zero and Square Hammer , and listen to a live version of Meliora track Absolution from the film below.

A voiceover in the trailer teases: “The great beyond. The infinite darkness of the universe. With all its secrets unknown to mankind. The risk of oneself not being able to experience eternity.

“However, this is not a tale about death, but one of life.”

Ghost announced Rite Here Rite Now last week , promising the film would mix live footage of the band’s two shows in Los Angeles last September with a fictional narrative.

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Forge commented upon the announcement: “Over a decade ago when Ghost got signed to [current record label] Loma Vista, Tom Whalley (owner and CEO) asked what the story of the band was.

“He felt telling a story was vital in order to get new fans engaged.

“I said that because we were a new ‘baby’ band and more importantly we were an anonymous baby band, there wasn’t really a compelling story to tell.

“Not yet anyway.

“But I told him that if he wanted a story, I could come up with one.

“This film is the fruit of that conversation.”

Forge previously teased that Ghost would be releasing a film of last year’s Los Angeles shows in a 2023 interview with Metal Hammer .

“We were essentially shooting a film,” he said of the concerts. “And we used two nights of crowds as extras.

“It’s going to be a film with a concert element. So a lot of what you experienced [at the two L.A. shows] is going to be part of this project.”

When asked if the Ghost film would be similar to Metallica ’s Through The Never , which combined concert footage with an action film-like narrative, Forge replied, “In the sense that it’s a concert with something else combined.”

Ghost finished the touring cycle for their latest album, 2022’s Impera , last October with some Australian shows.

During the last date of the trek on October 7 in Brisbane, Forge (under the Papa Emeritus IV persona) announced that the concert will mark the end of his current character and that he’d return as a new incarnation, possibly Papa Emeritus V.

He said: “This finale, it’s just going to be my last show, and I’m going to do my best to deliver that show to you. And that would just have to be enough, OK?”

In a March 2022 interview with Guitar.com , Forge revealed that he already had a plan for Ghost’s activities up to 2025.

This plan included what the followup to Impera will sound like and be titled, and when it will be released.

However, no concrete release date for the next album has been given and the band have not announced any future concerts at time of publication.

Louder’s resident Gojira obsessive was still at uni when he joined the team in 2017. Since then, Matt’s become a regular in Prog and Metal Hammer, at his happiest when interviewing the most forward-thinking artists heavy music can muster. He’s got bylines in The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Guitar and many others, too. When he’s not writing, you’ll probably find him skydiving, scuba diving or coasteering.

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