Bhediya REVIEW: Varun Dhawan gives a howling performance whilst Amar Kaushik’s storytelling captivates you

Film: Bhediya

Director: Amar Kaushik

Star cast: Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Deepak Dobriyal, Abhishek Banerjee, Paalin Kabak

Bollywood Bubble ratings: 4/5 stars

Watch or not: It’s definitely a must-watch film. Plus, you should definitely watch it in theatres for an amazing cinematic experience.

Bhediya Movie REVIEW:

‘Prakruti hai toh pragati hai’ – Bhediya is backed by social message that Amar Kaushik wants to convey via this horror comedy. If you ask me to describe Bhediya in one word in this review, I would say Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon starrer is hilariously entertaining. Bhediya’s main concept is Man Vs Nature, making humans understand the significance and importance of nature. And Amar Kaushik does it so smartly that we are entertained and mesmerised at the same time.

Bhediya’s runtime is 2 hours and 30 mins and trust me, not a single moment was dull or seemed a bit dragged. Bhediya is a horror comedy and fortunately, it is high on humour along with occasional jump scares. However, the transformation of Varun and the howling can surely give you all the chills and thrills. I like how Amar showcased the transformation scene with utmost intensity and accuracy. It only speaks the authenticity about the film rather than just making a werewolf for the sake of it.

Amar not only highlighted the fact of how humans are turning into animals by destroying the mother nature but also ensured to capture the beautiful locations of Ziro that will just make you fall in love with the nature even if you’re not. When you have a good content in your hand, comedy just amplifies the entertainment quotient and that’s exactly what has happened to Bhediya.

Varun Dhawan and Abhishek Banerjee are the showstoppers of the movie I feel. Varun’s howling performance while Abhishek’s comic timing, both did wonders to Bhediya. However, it was quite sad to see Kriti Sanon’s character. She was barely there in the movie and I just wish to see her more.

Story:

Set in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh, Bhediya is a story of Bhaskar, a man who gets bitten by a wolf and begins to transform into a creature. His weird actions made his friends wonder if he is also turning into a wolf. As Bhaskar and his buddies try to find answers, a bunch of twists, turns, and laughs ensue. But will Bhaskar once again become human? Will he be able to find a cure for himself?

Star Performances:

Varun Dhawan who plays Bhaskar once again proved that he is a versatile actor. His performance as a shape-shifting creature will hopefully shift gears in his career. It seems Varun has given all in for the film and well, the result is remarkable after you watch the film. From showcasing his innocence to his Bhediya transformation, Varun excels in every part, making it look quite effortless. Considering Varun is perfect with his comical acts, he doesn’t miss a beat at all. Plus, Varun Dhawan looks hot AF! My sore eyes are treated because of his sculpted abs which only adds value to his character.

 

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Kriti Sanon plays a vet Dr Anika who helps Bhaskar from the wolf bite. She is seen for a brief period but makes her presence impactful in the second half. She does play a fair job in the movie but I wish I could have seen more of her in the movie.

 

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Abhishek Banerjee as Janardan, aka JD, is phenomenal and probably the best thing to happen to Bhediya. His comic timing was bang on and doesn’t fail to miss a beat. From his expression to his dialogue delivery, Abhishek is surely a world-class actor.

Paalin Kabak as Jomin, Bhaskar’s friend and Deepak Dobriyal as Panda are outstanding. They have added their own comical flavours to the movie, making it an entertaining watch for sure. Plus, the camaraderie between all four characters was quite congenial.

Direction/screenplay:

Amar Kaushik, the director of Bhediya brings a fantastic novel idea to his horror universe. After Stree, Amar brought Roohi which failed to impress the audience. However, fans had high expectations for Bhediya and by god’s grace, it did live up to the mark. Amar’s direction is crisp and magical, it automatically teleports you to the horror and scarier world but his touch of humour only makes it an entertaining watch. He knows what he wants to offer to the audience and without overdoing certain scenes, he just manages to impress me with his storytelling.

I was sure that the Bhediya concept is not something Bollywood has not done it before and I was wondering if it will be on those lines; however, Amar really amazed me with his narration because it delivers what you were not expecting. The storyline is novel but it also gave a strong social message to the audience. The idea is based on the concept of Man Vs Wild while on the other hand, Amar also highlights the casual racial discrimination point with their northeastern friend Jomin. Both messages were quite powerful and will surely make an impact on people.

Apart from his gripping story narration, I absolutely adore Amar even more for capturing the beautiful locales of Arunachal Pradesh. Since the state is known for its natural beauty, I was mesmerised by its beauty and earthy feel. There was a scene where Anika shows her favourite spot to Bhaskar and that was one of the best scenes I have seen in a while now. Amar beautifully captures the details of a forest and the heart of Arunachal Pradesh. Since I am a nature lover, I just couldn’t take my eyes off it, hence, I said it is a theatre watch. Kudos to Amar Kaushik for bringing that beauty onscreen. What a picturisation.

Niren Bhatt’s dialogues are a high point. I like how he did not incorporate cheesy or cliche dialogues, in fact, the one-liners are just too funny and enhance the impact in several scenes. The humour will surely leave you in splits.

VFX/ Music:

Even though Bhediya was not backed for its VFX, surprisingly, the movie excels in this department. Honestly, I was expecting a shoddy VFX for the wolf but Amar proved me wrong. The wolfs shown in the movie look quite real and beautiful. Varun’s transformation from human to werewolf is quite intriguing but at the same time is terrifying. In fact, it was done quite smartly without making it spoofy. It was finely designed and executed.

 

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I always feel that nowadays the songs are placed oddly in the movies. Sometimes I also feel that it is completely unnecessary especially when you’re intensely watching an intriguing story onscreen. Interestingly, I did not feel the same for Bhediya. The song Baaki Sab Theek is so quirky and started out of nowhere that I actually enjoyed it. More so, it will surely be my next road trip song. Whereas Jungle Mein Kaand is a high-energetic song that will surely pump you up. On the other hand, the Apna Bana Le song is just magical. Instead of showing the mushy romance between Bhaskar and Anika, I like how Amar chose to show the romance of man with nature.

Moreover, I like how they chose they backed certain scores and songs for totally different scenes that have different values. The contrast is hilarious. Sachin-Jigar’s background score enhances the thrill quotient.

Conclusion:

Overall, Bhediya is super entertaining and manages to live up to the expectations in more ways than one. It surely gets a thumbs-up for its novel idea. From the stunning visuals to the powerful performances from all the actors, Bhediya is a must-watch, especially in the theatres. I’m glad that Bollywood is also generating original content instead of remakes and that’s why it gets an extra star from me. I’m going with 4 stars due to Amar’s impressive direction, captivating VFX and memorable performances. An extra star for the surprise at the end of the film (for that you need to watch the movie till the end). Not giving it a five because it gets a little predictable at the end and for underwriting Kriti’s character which could have been explored a bit more.

Watch the Bhediya trailer after the review:

 

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Also read: Drishyam 2 REVIEW: Ajay Devgn, Akshaye Khanna, Tabu starrer is a gripping sequel that delivers everything it is expected to