Bhediya review: Horror and comedy are,
on their own, tough genres to pull off.
Unless one has a tight grip on storytelling
and cinematic treatment, a film in either
category can fall flat. And this is where
Bhediya comes up aces. Director Amar
Kaushik, who helmed the horror-comedy
Stree by the same banner, handles both
genres skillfully in his latest outing and
strikes a fine balance to deliver a movie
that's spine chilling in some instances,
ribtickling in almost all, and leaves you
with something to think about. Mythology
Surrounding werewolves have always
provided great meat to filmmakers for their
stories, and here, Amar Kaushik digs into
the deep pockets of Arunachal Pradesh to
tell a mysterious tale.
First and foremost, the most remarkable
part about the movie is its visual impact.
While cinematographer Jishnu
Bhattacharjee has created the dark and
enigmatic world of werewolves with the
backdrop of the full moon in the midnight
sky, jungles of Ziro and mountains
splendidly, the vfx are outstanding.
Monsters and creatures in films can often
turn more spoofy than spooky because of
shoddy makeup and effects. But not in
Bhediya. The lead's transformation from
human to werewolf is convincing and
terrifying. The film has many jumpscares
and the background score only makes
things scarier.
Varun is top-notch as the shape-shifting
wolf. His act (a huge part of which was the
physical transformation with ripping
muscles and a perfectly sculpted body) will
hopefully shift gears in his career. He gives
this part his all, and it shows. Whether it's
the dramatic and high-energy scene where
he transforms into a bhediya for the first
time, to the hilarious scene when he
struggles to slip into the werewolf's skin
the in the second half -- he excels.
Abhishek Banerjee as Janardan, aka JD, is
on point and does not miss a beat with his
comic timing. Even in intense scenes, his
comedy punches land, adding a certain
lightness throughout this story that mostly
unfolds in the darkness of the night. He
also has the funniest lines in the film.
Paalin Kabak as Bhaskar's Northeastern
friend Jomin completes the bhediya pack
and has outstanding chemistry with both
the actors, especially Abhishek. Deepak
Dobriyal, as Panda, also delivers a notable
performance. Kriti Sanon's character as the
vet, Dr Anika, could have been better
fleshed out. But she adds her bit to the
drama and comedy.
The narrative, very smartly, includes the
mention of several movies that continue to
remain in public memory for many reasons,
including Jaani Dushman, Rahul Roy-starrer
Junoon, the 90s animation show Jungle
Book and its title track 'Chaddi pehenke
phool khila hai, which will have you
guffawing, and even Shehnaz Gill's 'Toh
main kya karu, marr jaun? There are some
more such howlarious surprises, but let's
not give them away here all at once. Kudos
to the riter Niren Bhatt for that.
The movie's first half is extemely gripping.
It perfectly sets the tone for what will
unfold soon and also brings in a sense of
intrigue. However, the second half seems
stretched and loses momentum in parts. It
could do with a tighter edit. While all the
songs are catchy and pleasant to the ears,
dropping a song or two would have
tightened the narrative. Also, at times it
seems the film is trying to achieve a bit
much. While it focuses on conservation
and man-animal conflict, a subject that
needs much dwelling upon, alongside it
briefly touches upon the stereotyping of
the people of Northeast, and how they
have to often live with the 'outsider label.
 On another level, the film reminds us of our
animal instincts and how there could be a
bhediya in all of us. But how we wish to
unleash it, for better or worse, is up to us.
Beauty and the beast are all in us, we only
have to look deep within. The film leaves
you with an experience and a thought,
maybe deeper than the forests of Ziro. So,
set out and watch this one. For a howling
good time, this one's worth a hike to the
theatres. There's also a delightful surprise
at the end. The film that releases in Hindi,
Tamil and Telugu is best viewed in 3D.