Yodha movie review: An engaging Sidharth Malhotra, armed with some slick action sequences, makes sure that this hijack thriller does not go down in flames.
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Raashii Khanna, Disha Patani, Sunny Hinduja, Tanuj Virwani, Kritika Bhardwaj
Director: Sagar Ambre, Pushkar Ojha
Writers: Sagar Ambre
“Iss picture ka hero main hoon,” Arun Katyal (Sidharth Malhotra) proudly declares as he takes his opponent by surprise and gets him on the ground during the final face-off.
When we talk about Sidharth Malhotra’s latest release Yodha, the actor indeed turns out to be one who takes the flight to the right path with his commanding screen presence and some intriguing action sequences amidst all ups and downs, both in air and on land.
What’s Yay: Sidharth Malhotra, Disha Patani, cool action scenes
What’s Nay: A bunch of predictable twists and plot holes that causes some rough air currents in the film
Story
A quick montage that plays in the beginning sets the base for Arun Katyal (Sidharth Malhotra)’s patriotic fervor. Following in his father’s footsteps who was the founder of a fictional task force called Yodha, he pledges, “Main rahoon naa rahoon desh hamesha rahega.”
We are told, “Negotiate karna toh kabhi Yodha ka style tha hi nahin” when Arun successfully tackles a hostage situation at the Indo-Bangladesh border in a heroic manner. Unfortunately, his credibility takes a hit when he finds himself in the midst of a botched-rescue operation on a hijacked flight at Amritsar airport.
Following this tragedy, the Yodha force gets disbanded and Arun faces inquiry by the higher officials. His dejection also causes a strain in his relationship with his wife Priyamvada (Raashii Khanna) who works as a top-grade bureaucrat and ends up testifying against him in the inquiry.
A few months later, Arun gets a chance for redemption and reclaim his lost honor when he finds himself again in a hijack situation. But this time, the now stubble-sporting man has a bigger task in his hand, especially when he is accused of being the hijacker in question. With the help of an airhostess Laila (Disha Patani) and a rookie pilot Tanya (Kritika Bharadwaj) on the flight, will Arun be able to save the day?
Direction
Yodha is helmed by newbies, Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha. While the former was an assistant director on films like Mardaani 2, Uri: The Surgical Strike and Pathaan, the latter assisted on movies like Kick, War and Pathaan. No wonder, their big screen director debut has some faint strokes of story-telling from some of these talkies.
Sagar Ambre pens a tight screenplay which keeps you on the edge of your seat. Sprinkled with a generous dose of superbly choreographed action sequences, Yodha is fun most of the times. It’s brash and unapologetic.
Having said that, it also has its share of jetlags i.e reckless moments in writing especially in the last 20-25 minutes that comes across as anti-climatic before the big reveal. Some of the dialogues too lack the punch that’s required in a film of this genre. Execution-wise, Yodha shows some spark that ignites enough thrills.
Performances
At one point in Yodha, Arun’s father (Ronit Roy) tells him, “The uniform suits you, son.” Well, we couldn’t agree more as Sidharth Malhotra paints a sharp picture and leaves you swooning over him. In terms of acting, his sincerity in his performance reflects on camera and he also leaves you impressed with his ‘dishoom-dishoom’ skills. There’s a one-shot action sequence post his introduction where he makes sure you don’t blink even for a second.
Except for a song and a few clichéd frames, Raashii Khanna gets a raw deal. Disha Patani springs a surprise despite the predictable curve in her role. Oh, did we mention she is even deadly when it comes to matter of brawn.
Kritika Bharadwaj and Sunny Hinduja play their cards well despite treading in foreseeable territory.
Technical Aspects
One of the biggest plus points of Yodha is the stimulating action pieces that keeps the flight (film) in air even when there’s a reduction in its fuel (writing). Jishu Bhattacharya has his vision sharp to serve some absorbing cinematography. Shivkumar V Panicker’s effective editing keeps the movie taut.
Music
Except for Ammy Virk and B Praak’s reprised version ‘Qismat Badal Di,’ none of the songs in Yodha leave an impact when it comes to your ears.
Verdict
“Aise bade bade missions maine aisi choti choti galtiyan hoti rehti hain..Senorita,” says Siddharth Malhotra’s Arun as he pulls off SRK’s Raj from DDLJ to calm down his miffed wife. Yodha as a film, too ends up making a few mistakes in its mission. Fortunately, it manages to land safely on the runway.
