Cast: Varun Dhawan, Abhishek Banerjee, Kriti Sanon, Paalin Kabaak, Deepak Dobriyal, and Saurabh Shukla
Director: Amar Kaushik
The Storyline of The Movie "Bhediya"
Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan), a road construction contractor, travels to Arunachal Pradesh with the intention of building a route through the deep Ziro forest. He is joined by his Northeastern friend Jomin (Paalin Kabak) and his cousin Janardhan, also known as JD (Abhishek Bannerjee). The most significant incident is Bhasker being bitten by a wolf as the trio begins their mission to persuade the tribal people to give up their land and permit road development. He soon begins to resemble the beast, at which point the folktale about the shape-shifting wolf known as "vishaanu" kicks up and the plot thickens and becomes more engrossing.
Watch the "Bhediya Movie Trailer" Below:
"Bhediya" Casts' Performances:
Varun Dhawan is in great shape and controls every frame. He has gone outside the box by experimenting with a different genre and looking so good. His sequences in which he changes from a man to a wolf are both majestic and terrifying, and his ripped muscles and chiselled torso will give you the chills.
Although Kriti Sanon gives a respectable performance, we thought her character could have benefited from greater depth and more strategic placement in the story. However, you enjoy her on-screen during whatever screen time she receives.
With his impeccable comic timing, Abhishek Bannerjee is both beautiful 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 finest 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 brilliant job as Panda, particularly with the accent and body language of the Northeast.
Technicalities and Directions of The Movie "Bhediya"
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.
Even the well-known Shehnaaz Gill line, "Kya karu main, marr jaun? Meri koi feelings nahi hai?" This was met with raucous applause and laughter. There are several unpleasant phrases that we thought could have been cut, especially the toilet humour, that entire sequence can turn you off.
Here, Jishnu Bhattacharjee's cinematography deserves special recognition for the way it depicts Arunachal Pradesh's deep and dense Ziro forests. The visual appeal of Bhediya fully captures the splendour of Northeast India's landscapes. It is breathtaking and masterfully filmed as Kriti takes Varun into the woods to discover its natural beauty. The special effects and computer-generated imagery are breathtaking and on par with some of the best ones seen in Indian films.
Other Aspects of The Movie "Bhediya"
We were particularly impressed by how 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 says, "Being weak at speaking Hindi doesn't make me any less of an Indian," he makes a powerful point. Adeptly placed humour also lightens the mood in these apparently violent passages.
Although Sachin Jigar's music is passable, not every song is memorable. The upbeat music in Jungle Mein Kaand gets you flowing, and the unique rap in Baaki Sab Theek makes it fascinating. The background music is spot-on and makes a statement during the jump-scare scenes.
Final Verdict on The Movie "Bhediya"
With the exception of the comedy, the first half is about average, 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.
The atmosphere it creates and the messages it conveys make Bhediya, which has a lot of stunning features, worthwhile to watch on a huge screen. Of course, a memorable viewing experience would include some excellent performances and humorous banter.
Our Rating: 8/10
