Bhediya Review: Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon new flick is bang on entertainment quotient. It delivers a wholesome theatrical experience, and would make the audience feel good to watch as a paisa vasool movie.
The Amar Kaushik-directed film Bhediya is an engaging experience with tense but humorous dialogue and brilliant scripting. Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Bannerjee, and Deepak Dobriyal are among the actors who appear in Bhediya.
The Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon-starring film Bhediya offers plenty of moments to laugh and scream throughout, from superb comedy and a unique concept to strong VFX and a solid narrative.
The plot opens with road builder Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan) travelling to Arunachal Pradesh with the intention of constructing a route through the impenetrable Ziro woods. Along with his local Northeastern friend Jomin, he is joined by his cousin Janardhan, also known as JD (Abhishek Bannerjee) (Paalin Kabak). As the three begins their mission to persuade the tribal people to give up their property and for road building, they come across weird occurrences, the most significant of which being Bhasker being bitten by a wolf.
The folklore surrounding the shape-shifting wolf known as “vishaanu” picks up and the plot thickens as he begins to exhibit the qualities and attributes of the beast.
Bhediya Review: Varun Dhawan excels in Bhediya with great performance
Varun Dhawan is in great shape and controls every frame. He has literally gone outside the box by experimenting in a different genre and looking so good doing it. His sequences in which he changes from a man to a wolf are both beautiful and terrifying, and his ripped muscles and chiselled torso will give you the chills. He is excellent in both serious and comedic settings.
Although Kriti Sanon gives a respectable performance, I believe her character could have benefited from additional depth and a more prominent position in the story. However, you enjoy her on screen during whatever screen time she receives. With his impeccable comic timing, Abhishek Bannerjee is both wonderful and hilarious, and he never misses the bus.
You’re left speechless by his Hindi accent and the way he delivers his words (he does, after all, get the greatest lines). As Varun’s Northeastern friend Jomin, debutante Paalin Kabak is quite enlivening, and his camaraderie with both Varun and Abhishek is spot-on. Deepak Dobriyal does a terrific job as Panda, particularly with the accent and body language of the Northeast.
Bhediya Packs Great Comedy
With the exception of the comedy, the first half is about ordinary, but the second half is when all the action happens. Even there, the pacing occasionally slows down and some sequences seem needlessly drawn out, but Varun’s scenes as a wolf and Abhishek’s comedic timing have you laughing the majority of the time.
Kaushik’s direction once more delivers an immersive experience and gets the greatest performance out of his performers. He is skilled at fusing the two genres of horror and comedy, which is a difficult task that he masters. The dialogue is deep, profound, and incredibly humorous. Full marks go to Niren Bhatt’s story and deft writing for a fantastic build-up, the big reveal, and a pretty humorous finale that leaves you wanting more.
Mentioning movies like Jaani Dushman, in which Amrish Puri transforms into a lethal monster, or Junoon, in which Rahul Roy transforms into a tiger, has a significant recall value. Even the well-known Shehnaaz Gill line, “Kya karu main, marr jaun? How are your feelings, Meri? it was loudly . cheers and laughter. There are some crwith loud cheers and laughter.
There are some cringeworthy lines, which I felt could have been done away with and particularly the toilet humour and that one entire sequence can put you off with cringeworthy lines, which I felt could have been done away with and particularly the toilet humour and that one entire sequence can put you off embraced.
Jishnu Bhattacharjee’s cinematography gets a special mention here for the way he has captured the deep and dense Ziro forests of Arunachal Pradesh. Bhediya carries a visual appeal that does full justice to the beauty of Northeast India and its landscapes. A sequence where Kriti takes Varun inside the forests to explore its natural beauty is breath-taking and so beautifully shot. The VFX and special effects are stunning and on par with some of the best ones seen in Indian cinema.
Bhediya Conveys a strong message about man-animal conflict
Bhediya conveys a crucial lesson about man-animal conflict without ever becoming preachy. Not only that, but there is a very interesting discussion about the stereotype that people from the Northeast are “Chinese” and “outsiders,” which fits so naturally into the narrative and gets you thinking. In one scene, Jomin chastises the audience for expecting all individuals from the Northeast to be Kung-Fu experts by generalising them as “Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee ka bachha.” When he asserts, “Being weak at speaking Hindi doesn’t make me any less of an Indian,” he makes a powerful point. Adroitly placed humour also lightens the mood in these ostensibly violent passages.
The environment it creates and the messages it conveys make Bhediya, which has several amazing components, compelling viewing on a big screen. Naturally, a memorable watch would feature some excellent performances and humorous language.