Sardar 2 (2026), an unwanted sequel

Sardar 2 is an unwanted sequel to the good Sardar (2022). This time, the story jumps back to the 1980s and introduces a bioweapon and an unoriginal villain played by S J Suryah. The film has a large canvas, but weak writing never lets it become an engaging spy thriller. Mangoidiots gives it a Raw.

The film continues with the younger Vijay, played by Karthi, trying to prove his talent within the spy agency that doesn’t seem to want him. Then comes the threat of a bioweapon from the Second World War. I kept wondering, with all the resources the bad guys spend recovering it, they could have easily produced a newer version. This is where the film slips, and it never really recovers.

Throughout the film, Vijay is portrayed almost as a laughing stock. This takes away our chance to connect with his character. When Sardar returns, we expect some interesting twists. Instead, the villain keeps handing over every situation to the father-son duo. That removes whatever little suspense and thrill was left.

S J Suryah is a phenomenal actor, but here he has been given a cookie-cutter villain role. He makes it worse by overacting in almost every frame. Karthi also fails to impress us as both the senior and junior versions of his character. Malavika Mohanan and Ashika Ranganath had characters with some gravitas. I wish they had been explored further and given more importance.

Director P S Mithran has taken the film on a large canvas. That was fine to an extent. But featuring multiple finales around a weak plot made the whole thing increasingly unconvincing. Sardar worked because it had a stronger emotional core and a more interesting setup. Sardar 2 has the scale, but not the writing to support it.