Bhediya Movie Review: Directed by Amar Kaushik, it is an immersive experience with intense yet witty dialogues and clever writing. Bhediya stars Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Bannerjee and Deepak Dobriyal among others.
If you found Amar Kaushik's Stree to be one of the smartest and most amazing horror comedies out there, his latest venture Bhediya takes things up a notch. From good comedy and fresh concept to VFX, strong script, Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon starrer Bhediya provide enough laugh and howl moments.
The story begins with a road construction contractor Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan) going to Arunachal Pradesh to build a highway through the dense forests of Ziro. He is accompanied by his cousin Janardhan aka JD (Abhishek Bannerjee) and is joined by a local northeastern friend, Jomin (Paalin Kabak). As the trio begin their mission to convince the tribes to give up their land and allow the construction of roads, they encounter strange incidents, the most important of which is Bhasker being bitten by a wolf. They soon adopt the traits and characteristics of this creature and this is where the folklore of a shape-shifting wolf called 'vishaanu' develops and the story becomes more thrilling and interesting.
Varun Dhawan is in top form and owns every frame. He literally pushed the saw, tried a new genre and looked so convincing in it. His human-to-wolf transformation scenes are stunning and terrifying at the same time, with bulging muscles and a chiseled body that send chills down your spine. He excels in both comic and serious scenes. Kriti Sanon is decent and gives a good performance, however her character I felt could have had more depth and better placement in the narrative. But regardless of screen time, you will enjoy her on screen.
Abhishek Bannerjee is magically funny, has comedic timing and never misses the bus. His Hindi accent and the way he delivers his lines (well, he delivers the best lines) will tear you apart. Palin Kabak, who made her debut as Varun's Northeast friend Jumin, is refreshing and her camaraderie with Varun and Abhishek is palpable. Deepak Dobriyal is excellent as a panda, especially with his northeastern accent and the way they choose their body language.
The first half is pretty average except for the comedy, but the second half is where all the action is. There are also scenes where the pace slows down a bit midway and seems unnecessarily drawn out, but then Varun's scenes as the wolf and Abhishek's comedy mostly tear you apart. continue.
Kaushik once again creates an immersive experience in his direction and showcases his best actors. He understands the trick of merging horror and comedy genres. It is a big challenge, but we are doing well. The dialogue is intense, meaningful and incredibly entertaining. Niren Bhatt's clever story and screenplay scores high points with great builds, big reveals and a very funny climax that leaves you wanting more. Including a reference to a movie like Junoon Transforms has a lot of evocative value. There is also Shenner's Gill's popular line - "Cacal Maine, Ma Jaun?" Especially the toilet humor and some annoying lines that I felt could leave you disappointed for a whole sequence.
Jishnu Bhattacharjee's cinematography is featured here because of the way he shot the deep and dense forests of Jiro in Arunachal Pradesh. Bhediya has a visual appeal that perfectly captures the beauty of Northeast India and its landscapes. The scene where Kriti takes Varun to the forest to explore its natural beauty is stunningly shot. The VFX and special effects are stunning and on par with the best in Indian cinema.
What impressed me the most was the way Badiyeh conveyed the important message of human-animal conflict without the slightest bit of preaching. There is a very clever hint and discussion about stereotyping it as "" that fits very organically into the story and is thought provoking. There's a scene where he calls people who generalize Northeast people as "Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee ka bach," he asserts. And even in these seemingly intense scenes, appropriate humor lightens the mood.
Sachin Jagger's music is decent, but not all songs are memorable. Jungle Mein Kaand will keep you on track with high spirited music. Baaki Sab Theek is interesting with his quirky rap. The background score is very appropriate and affects the jump moment.
Behdia has many admirers for the experience it creates and the message it conveys and deserves to be seen on the big screen. Of course, some great performances and funny dialogues make for a memorable watch.
