‘Bad Newz‘ releases today worldwide and is produced by Dharma Productions, Amazon Prime and Leo Media Collective. Read the film’s review below!
Director : Anand Tiwari
Cast : Triptii Dimri, Vicky Kaushal, Ammy Virk, Sheeba Chaddha, Neha Dhupia
Runtime : 142 minutes
Running at : Theatres
Overall Rating : 3/5
Plot : A love-struck Saloni Bagga gets pregnant after having one-night stands with two different men, Akhil Chadha and Gurbir Pannu. The former being her ex-husband and the latter, her boss at work. All hell breaks loose when Saloni is informed by her doctor that she is pregnant with twins and that hers’ is a rare case of heteropaternal superfecundation, in which two different eggs are fertilized in the ovary of a woman with sperm from two different men. This leads to comic one-upmanship between Akhil and Gurbir as the two men try to woo her.
If I have to be utmost honest with my words, the only good news in ‘Bad Newz’ is the man in form, Vicky Kaushal who commands a striking screen-presence in the film. And a few songs as well which provide some ‘raahat’ in this otherwise poorly written movie with a start-to-end irritating background score and effects.
Performances : As mentioned above, Vicky Kaushal is the ray of hope in the film where he plays Akhil Chadha who seems like the distant cousin of Rocky Randhawa from ‘Rocku Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’. In the movie, Kaushal goes through a perfect ‘Dharmafication’ of sorts and delivers impeccably. He is a smooth-talker, a suave dresser and a mind-blowing dancer. Though it is an out and out mad-capper comedy, his best scenes come when he is emotional and vulnerable. One such scene is when he talks about his mummy and phone issues with Triptii on his honeymoon. His chemistry with his co-actors comes out of his own scheme of talent and abilities. The theatre which was full of journos from various media houses howled and whistled at his entry and at the song ‘Tauba Tauba’ in the end credits. Such is his effect!
This was a big opportunity for Triptii Dimri which she has lost sadly. Playing a chef, Saloni Bagga who wants a Meraki star in her portfolio desperately and is also committed in achieving the same. Despite being a solid actor who has proved her worth in the past, Dimri never brings Saloni into life. In a little cameo, Ananya Panday gives more belief as an actor than Triptii who has the movie circling around her and her conflict. A Dharma heroine has never looked so plain and consistently average. We wish she would have at least used her mannerisms of getting annoyed or angry well given how she has been successful earlier in her projects.
Given it was a comedy, I expected a lot of Ammy Virk. His scenes with Vicky Kaushal are impressive where their banter shows their offscreen bond and lands well with the audience. Also, his innocence is infectious and builds the character’s image very well. Almost adorable to say the least. But keeping those scenes apart, Virk’s role is limited. A lot of his scenes with Triptii do not do anything and appear shallow as they lack chemistry very clearly. Not to forget, the background sound hampers his performance where the audience is made to react not to his attributes but to the loud effects.
What We Liked : The references from movies like Mohabbatein, Dil Toh Pagal Hai and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai are cute to watch. The jokes around Kabir Singh, Katrina Kaif and Uri : The Surgical Strike also land well. The savage Bagga family who doesnt give a flying ‘f**k when their daughter returns from her ‘sasuraal’ after her husband shows her the exit gate and their only concern is to watch ‘India Got Talent’ is entertaining.
What We Didn’t : The background score, sounds and weird effects take the watching experience of the movie to a new low. When there is a dialogue about a chicken, we are made to listen to a chicken bawking in the background, when the characters are entering a Chinese restaurant, deafening sounds of Chinese themed music are played and not to forget, when a certain relative of Akhil who happens to be his Mama comes into play, an annoying character-theme song ‘Mamaaaa Mamaaa’ is played as well which makes the audience cringe. The soundscape of Bad Newz made me cringe so hard that it took away the jopy of watching a dramedy in a theatre. One does not need to play ‘Punjaaabi’ in the background when a certain Punjabi character enters the frame.
Conclusion : If you are a fan of popcorn entertainment and mad-capper comedies where logic must be put out of the window, Bad Newz is definitely something which you will enjoy. Also, for those who love the tinge of nostalgia in Hindi movies, this dramedy will sail through and would take you back into those wonderful times briefly. Lastly, if you are a die-hard Vicky Kaushal fan, this film belongs to you as audience.
