‘Yodha’ Review: Sidharth Malhotra Tries to Salvage Forgettable Action-thriller

Yodha

Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Raashii Khanna, and Disha Patani

Director: Pushkar Ojha and Sagar Ambre

Rating: 2/5

Sidharth Malhotra gave a strong account of his abilities as an actor with ‘Shershaah’, which featured him as the late Captain Vikram Batra. The film had a realistic yet intense narrative that resonated with the masses because of its patriotic undertones. 

Sidharth’s latest release ‘Yodha’, billed as a captivating tale of valour and redemption, had the potential to be just as compelling as the Vishnu Vardhan-directed film. However, it ends up being an utter disappointment. 

Needed a better screenplay

‘Yodha’ centres on Arun Katiyal (Sidharth), a ‘soldier’ who joins an elite force to follow in his late father’s footsteps but soon runs into trouble with his seniors when he refuses to follow their orders. His bold approach backfires during a hijack situation, following which the authorities suspend him from service. Years later, he finds himself during another terrorist threat. However, this time his colleagues feel he is the ‘hijacker’ and not the ‘saviour’. 

The basic storyline follows the tried-and-tested ‘one man vs the system’ formula and features pretty much everything– right from fight scenes to a scoop of romance– that one expects from a typical Bollywood action-thriller. It, however, fails to reach its potential because of the half-baked screenplay, 

 

World-building not up to the mark

The film’s first act, which should have established the characters and build its world, feels rushed The makers fail to devote enough time to subplots such as Arun’s childhood and his relationship with his wife (Raashii Khanna). This makes it difficult for the audience to relate with the characters, something that never happened in ‘Shershaah’. The writers are also unable to highlight the turmoil experienced by Arun when he hits a rough patch in life, which makes the character feel one dimensional. 

The lacklustre world-building also dilutes the impact of a few promising twists especially in the second half and  pre-interval portions.  To make matters worse, the screenplay spreads itself too thin when it tries to touch upon a sensitive political issue. The climax features a few wisthleworthy dialogues, which cater to Sidharth fans but that’s about all. There’s also a mid-credits scene that brings the story to its logical conclusion. It. sadly. counts for little in the grand scheme of things.

 

Sidharth tries to save the film

Sidharth Malhotra rises above the forgettable script to deliver a fine performance. The actor carries off the action scenes with effortless ease. Action scenes in commercial cinema often feel over the top or overly dramatic. This, however, never happens in ‘Yodha’ as Sidharth manages to channel the character’s vulnerabilities in the fight scenes, making them feel realistic. This is particularly true for the lavatory sequence. He is equally good in a opening action scene. 

Raashii is burdened with a poorly-written character that doesn’t do justice to her abilities. This is quite disappointing given her well-received work in ‘Rudra’ and ‘Farzi’. Disha Patani too is burdened with an underwhelming character but manages to shine in her action scenes with Sid. ‘Yodha’ would have been a gamechanger for her had the makers explored her character’s backstory properly. 

Tanuj Virwani, Sunny Hinduja, and Ronit Roy are decent in roles that don’t really give them much scope to shine. 

The soundtrack is passable but ‘Yodha’ is no ‘Shershaah’ on this front. The film lacks a chartbuster like ‘Raataan Lambiyan’. The slick and realistic action scenes are the film’s biggest highlight and make it less unwatchable. The background music feels too loud in several scenes and ends up diluting their intensity. 

The final word

To sum up, ‘Yodha’ is a massive opportunity that serves as a bitter reminder of how even intriguing concepts can go up in smoke if the execution is convoluted and all over the place. Sidharth Malhotra deserved better.