- Release Date: 05/09/2024
- Cast: Utkal Hazowari, Bibhash Sinha, Bonny Deori, Tony Deori Basumatary, Bibhuti Bhushan Hazarika Kenny Deori Basumatary, Rimpi Das
- Director: Kenny Deori Basumatary
Local Kung Fu 3: Action Impresses, But Storytelling Disappoints – Proving That Nostalgia Can’t Save a Film
Local Kung Fu, released in 2013, was the film that literally brought me back to Assamese cinema. I must have watched that film over 50 times, and it still cracks me up with laughter. The characters from the film became legendary meme material. They had such an influence on the pop culture scene of modern Assam that young college-goers and even senior people didn’t shy away from using references and dialogues from the film to incite humour or even express their feelings in a contemporary and noteworthy fashion.
Local Kung Fu Revolutionized Assamese Cinema for The Young Generation:
Local Kung Fu was able to break boundaries in terms of what was possible in an Assamese film made by a bunch of passionate people with very little resources and support. It was made on a shoestring budget and didn’t have high production value. The actors were mostly doing their first parts in a motion picture. The action was choreographed and executed by the people involved in the film, primarily out of their love and dedication to martial arts. The mishmash of serious action and uproariously funny comedic drama proved to be something that Assamese film enthusiasts hadn’t experienced in years and they were ready to lap it up with open arms.
Add to that jokes, gags, and dialogues that were in strong keeping with the current scenario and communication style popular among the youth, and humour that felt fresh and uniquely Assamese, and we had a genre-defining film that was not only entertaining but was endlessly rewatchable. Local Kung Fu inspired a plethora of similar content and reimaginings, many of which also turned out to be good.
The second part of the series proved to be even more hilarious, entertaining, action-packed, and rich in storytelling and dialogue. I believe I enjoyed the second instalment even more than the first. The idea of twins and the confusion and chaos derived from their presence in the same setting were absolutely hilarious and engaging. With this film, many of the minor characters from the first film were established as comedy gold, and these characters went on to become more popular than the protagonists and antagonists of the films.
Rising Expectations for Local Kung Fu 3 – A Tall Order for Kenny Deori Basumatary:
With so much already achieved in the franchise, Kenny Deori Basumatary had a huge task ahead of him to not only to wow his loyal audience with something hilarious, fresh, and entertaining, but also to surpass his previous achievements in the first two films and ensure that the third installment felt bigger, better, and worthy of being called Local Kung Fu 3.
Given Basumatary’s recent ventures into comedy with Local Utpaat and Ki Kuwa Dosti, I had tempered expectations and wasn’t expecting this film to surpass the previous ones. However, what it turned out to be even took me by surprise.
Local Kung Fu 3 proves to be Surprisingly Underwhelming:
Local Kung Fu 3 proved to be a shadow of what the first two films of the franchise stood for. The biggest disappointment for me was the uninspiring and hackneyed writing of the comedy, characters and situations. While in the first two films, the drama seamlessly flowed from one organic exchange to another, here the situations felt forced throughout. There were many characters whose purpose in the story could never be justified. If these characters had been infused with enough comedy or had justified their presence through their performances, their sudden appearance in the middle of the story—without any proper buildup or reason to exist—might have been acceptable. But even that wasn’t the case.
The film feels tonally inconsistent, with a noticeable gap between the comedic portions and the superficially serious parts. As a result, you can neither enjoy the comedy for what it is nor take the serious parts seriously. This not only robs the film of whatever little impact it was gunning for but also reveals the inconstant treatment of the narrative in terms of writing, screenplay and direction of the characters.
Actors Struggle Against Poor Writing:
The actors, who are not as much to blame as the tired and uninspiring writing, don’t do anything extraordinary to elevate their respective characters or attempt to cover up for the lacklustre script. I don’t blame the actors for this—there was little to work with in terms of comedy in the dialogue or situations, and the repetitive, stale lines relied too heavily on nostalgia to get laughs. Some of the legacy characters leaned on tropes established in the previous films, but there wasn’t a single moment during these attempts where I felt genuinely amused or entertained.
The Action Shines Through and Proves to Be the Only Saving Grace:
Having said that, the action set pieces in the film are well-designed, and executed with passion, and the performances of the actors during these scenes are noteworthy. There are a few moments where I was genuinely surprised by the commitment of some actors who, despite not looking the part, pulled off impressive moves. One must also acknowledge the fact that the production value of Kenny Deori Basumatary’s films has improved. This is particularly noticeable in the action sequences, where we see him orchestrating moves that must have taken a lot of effort, planning, and dedication to execute.
However, this only added to the disappointment for me, as all this effort went in vain. The very basic need for the characters and situations to be impactful—something essential for the action to work—was ineffective, poorly conceived, and even more terribly written. The result was that the action, despite being physically well-executed, lacked the emotional weight and narrative coherence needed to make it truly memorable.
Audience Reaction to A Troubled Trailer Hints at Deeper Issues:
If you read the comment section of the film’s trailer on YouTube, it’s easy to see that many audience members already had an issue with the trailer’s flow, attributing it to poor editing. However, once these people watch the film, they’ll realize that the problem wasn’t just the trailer’s editing, but the choppy writing and storytelling throughout the entire film. The editing simply highlighted this core issue in the worst way possible. Several commenters also mentioned the superior writing and comedy of Bidurbhai, a film that was recently released and became a smashing success. I believe people will inevitably compare Local Kung Fu 3 with Bidurbhai and find it lacking in the areas that matter, leading to further negative word of mouth.
Final Words:
It breaks my heart to admit that Kenny Deori Basumatary’s Local Kung Fu 3 was underwhelming. I wanted it to be the best Assamese action-comedy film of the year, and it certainly had the potential to be—if not for the poor writing, execution, and direction. The film’s basic premise had the foundation for uproarious comedy and wild situations, but it somehow got lost in mediocrity. Instead of pushing boundaries, it played it safe by relying on elements that worked in the previous instalments without adding anything new to elevate them or infusing them with the material or emotions needed to make them impactful. The result is a film that feels at least 30 minutes longer than it needed to be, filled with characters and situations you can’t wait to move on from.
Rating: 2/5 (2 out of 5 Stars)
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