What’s it about?
Nearly eighteen years ago, AK (Ajith Kumar) gives up his gangster life, keeping a promise made to his wife Ramya (Trisha), and begins serving a jail term in Mumbai. On his son Vihaan’s 18th birthday, AK vows to walk out a free man, ready to reunite with his family. But just before the birthday, Vihaan gets arrested in Spain on drug consumption charges and is sent to a juvenile center.
Ramya tries every legal route to get him out, but the case only gets more complicated. That’s when AK steps out—and discovers that his son was framed by Johnny and Jamy (Arjun Das). But why did they frame Vihaan? And will AK bring his son back?
Analysis
“Good Bad Ugly” is Ajith Kumar’s latest outing, directed by Adhik Ravichandran, and marks the Tamil debut for leading Telugu production house Mythri Movie Makers. From the get-go, it’s clear that the director—apparently a hardcore Ajith fan—has strung together a collection of fan-service sequences. Sadly, there’s no strong story to hold it all together, and no heroic arc worth rooting for.
Yes, technically there is a story. A father, who serves his time to reunite with his son, finds himself dragged back into his old life when the boy is wrongfully targeted. But with such a wafer-thin premise, instead of building a layered narrative or emotional depth, Adhik chooses to load the film with endless slow-motion shots, multiple “mass” looks for Ajith (young, salt-and-pepper, middle-aged), throwback songs, and even a nostalgic cameo by Simran referencing Vaali.
By the time we reach the interval, the entire plot is done. The second half devolves into silly villain antics and more forced heroism. For non-Tamil audiences like me, the post-interval stretch isn’t just bad—it’s plain ugly and a total headache.
Like many of Ajith’s recent films, “Good Bad Ugly” relies less on script and more on his screen image. Ajith’s presence and performance as a powerful don is the only good part. The rest? Mostly bad. The father-son sentiment has some emotional weight, and Ajith fits the role well for his age. Trisha plays the typical mother-wife role without much scope. Arjun Das, in a dual role, grates on the nerves quickly—and the longer it goes, the more yawns it invites.
Bottom line: “Good Bad Ugly” has more bad moments than good. For Ajith Kumar fans, it might still feel ‘good’. But for the general audience, it’s mostly ‘bad’.
Rating: 2/5
By: Jalapathy Gudelli
Movie: Good Bad Ugly
Banner: Mythri Movie Makers
Cast: Ajith Kumar, Trisha Krishnan, Arjun Das, Sunil, Rahul Dev, Yogi Babu, Priya Prakash Varrier, Simran and others
Music: GV Prakash Kumar
DOP: Abinandhan Ramanujam
Editor: Vijay Velukutty
Production designer: G M Sekhar
Stunts: Supreme Sundar, Kaloian Vodenicharov
Producers: Naveen Yerneni, Y. Ravi Shankar
Written and Directed by: Adhik Ravichandran
Release Date: April 10, 2025
