If 2019's War had more plot holes than gunshots, the sequel, which was released on Thursday, blows logic out of the water. Packed with slow-motion fight scenes and gravity-defying stunts, War 2 is an action spectacle made for fans of South Indian superstar NT Rama Rao Jr (NTR) and Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan, a group that is likely to devour every frame.
Director Ayan Mukerji, taking over from War's Siddharth Anand, sticks closely to the first film’s all-action formula that made it the highest-grossing Indian release of 2019.
Once again, a shadowy cartel of international criminals is bent on destabilising India. Speaking only via holograms, the group comprises powerful operatives from neighbouring countries including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, China and, of course, Pakistan. Their mission is to assassinate the Indian Prime Minister and seize control.
Super agent Kabir (Roshan), who at the end of the first film chose to work for India from the outside, is given the task of unmasking the group, who call themselves Kali. But the mission takes a twist when Kabir is ordered to eliminate his own mentor Col Sunil Luthra (Ashutosh Rana). To stop Kabir, another formidable agent, Vikram (NTR), is despatched, setting the stage for a high-octane clash.
It's not so straightforward, though. We soon find out that Kabir and Vikram have a complicated history. A globe-trotting battle of deception and shifting loyalties then unfolds, taking the heroes from Valencia to Venice and Abu Dhabi.
But despite earnest performances by Roshan and NTR, the convoluted story fails to hold your attention. The action scenes are big, but they are also so over-the-top that they strain even the most willing suspension of disbelief.
There's a fight scene on top of a plane cruising above the clouds, with no oxygen mask in sight. In one sequence, Kabir and Vikram race on speedboats across Abu Dhabi waters, then tear across the Yas Marina Circuit as cars roar past, before plunging back into the Gulf.
In between the non-stop action, Kabir and Vikram also squeeze in a dance-off, clearly aiming to capture the same energy as the Oscar-winning Naatu Naatu with NTR and Ram Charan.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
It's clear War 2 is designed to showcase the star power of Roshan and NTR, leaving the supporting cast with nothing much to do. Actress Kiara Advani plays Kavya Luthra, the daughter of Col Luthra, gets to do a few action scenes without a single strand of her perfectly blow-dried hair out of place. The always-dependable Anil Kapoor, who plays the new chief of the Indian spy agency, however, is criminally under-used.
If writer Sridhar Raghavan and director Mukerji set out to repeat the success of the first film, flaws and all, they push plausibility too far in War 2. Fans of South Indian megastar Rajinikanth, whose film Coolie also released on Thursday, were having much more fun – I could hear them cheering from the cinema next door.
Tenet
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
Rating: 5/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
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Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
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Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (D) 1,900m
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 2,000m
8.50pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; (D) 2,000m
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
