The indigenous attempt at a western narrative of the shapeshifter or werewolf genre of movies and TV shows, “Bhediya” has a timely message for the audience.
Bhediya Movie Plot
Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan) is an upcoming building contractor. A big shark (Saurabh Shukla) has hired Bhaskar to clear the scenic and dense forests of Arunachal Pradesh to build a road. Little does he know that the deforestation and the change of the topology of the region will start causing mayhem and destruction, leading to deaths. Bhaskar is not alone and is accompanied by two sidekicks – JD (Abhishek Banerjee) and Joe (Paalin Kabak) join him on this mission.
Bhaskar is to sell the development narrative to the locals so that they will agree to the construction.
Things change when Bhaskar gets bitten by a wolf on a full moon night and turns overnight into a shape-shifting creature. This metamorphosis leads to a riveting conundrum. The freak or the animal in him wants to protect the forest, whereas the human in him wants to fulfill the mission.
Bhediya Cast and crew
Directed by Amar Kaushik, Bhediya starrs Varun Dhawan, Abhishek Banerjee, Kriti Sanon, Paalin Kabaak, Deepak Dobriyal, and Saurabh Shukla.
This comedy-thriller movie is written by Niren Bhatt, who wrote the director’s 2019 film Bala and the music is by Sachin Jigar. Jishnu Bhattacharjee has done the cinematography, and Sanyukta Kaza edits the film.
Review
The shapeshifter or werewolf genre is a fan favorite and thus is a risk when you set off to make a werewolf movie in 2022. The VFX team of Bhediya brushed off all the doubts.
Bhediya is a comedy thriller with an important message. The plot is a blend of folklore and twists, along with a vital message about the environmental damage our forests are facing.
Amar Kaushik’s Bhediya is set in India’s North-East, a region that Bollywood visits rarely. Amar Kaushik has smartly taken a revolutionary step to include the northeastern region of India in a mainstream Bollywood movie. Thereby, making Bhediya interestingly different from the sci-fi werewolf thriller.
Bhediya’s editing is praiseworthy. The 3d looks authentic. The CGI, prosthetics, lighting, and action are commendable. Kunal Sharma’s sound design works. The background score matches the film’s ambiance, especially the scene of the stunning views of Arunachal’s landscapes and dense jungles of Ziro captured by DoP Jishnu Bhattacharjee’s camera. Jishnu Bhattacharjee has done justice to the spooky, dark, and enigmatic world of werewolves.
Bhediya: Official Trailer 4K
The supernatural punch, along with humor and wit at the right moments, helped in keeping the narrative engaging and entertaining.
Not only are there a few diluted arguments on the ecological degradation of Arunachal Pradesh, but also have occasional sloppy editing. The primary woman character is bland and lacks depth including a pointless epilogue involving the stars of Stree.
The soul of the movie is Varun Dhawan, and he has done an impressive and memorable task. Varun Dhawan undoubtedly has a natural flair for comedy.
But evidently, Bhediya’s best lines go to Abhishek, who outshines everyone and everything else in this film. His timing is comical and so impeccable. Unfortunately, Kriti Sanon hovered in the background through most of Bhediya. Even though her Anika turns out to be crucial to the proceedings. Her role was just not enough to showcase herself.
Bhediya is both enjoyable and thought-provoking. The lively performance and one-of-a-kind storytelling have made this film watchable.
Source: Times of India
