A rib-tickling comedy with a few chilling moments, Bhediya is one entertaining fare

Mona

Man-nature conflict, the struggle to make it from Jamna Paar to GK and an ichadharee bhediya – is the premise of Amar Kaushik’s comedy-horror film Bhediya.

The story follows Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan), an ambitious Delhi lad who lands a lucrative contract to make a road through Ziro’s (Arunachal Pradesh) green cover. His chacha ka ladka, Janardan aka JD (Abhishek Banerjee), an IAS aspirant, tags along. The duo is joined by a local, Jomin (Paalin Kabak). Thus begins the ambitious task to convince the locals for the project. Trading environmental cause for iPhones, all seems on track when a bhediya becomes the spoilsport.

A star in his own right, Varun’s comic timing is established. He fares well as a bhediya too, but a nature-loving, justice-seeking one! Abhishek Banerjee’s comic act is super and given the right dialogues at the opportune moments, it creates a laugh riot. Paalin Kabak debuts with this film and delivers a fine performance, bringing to screen the pain of being ‘othered’ in one’s own country. Kriti holds her stead amongst this all-men cast. The characters played by Deepak Dobriyal, Panda, basically from Uttarakhand calling Ziro home; Kriti Sanon, as a veterinarian Dr Anika, and Saurabh Shukla as Bhaskar’s boss, Bagga, aid the narrative.

The music by Sachin-Jigar is refreshing and the numbers Baaki Sab Theek and Jungle Mein Kaand gel well with the storyline. The pulsating background score by the duo enriches the cinematic experience. The peak is clinched by Jungle Jungle Baat Chali Hai and Tera Suroor moments!

A special mention for the cinematography by Jishnu Bhattacharjee, he brings the beauty of the land of the dawn-lit mountains to the mainstream. And, it’s VFX that raises the bar for Hindi films. While its worthy in creating wolf sequences, there was no need to pepper Arunachal’s serene beauty with make-believe jugnus!

On the down side, the second half of this 156-minute outing is a bit stretched, though one brings a hint of Stree, leaving scope for a sequel, it doesn’t quite add up. The comedy is rib-tickling, especially where JD and Jo are slapping their favourite ‘Bhaski’ to turn him into a bhediya to Panda lecturing about human nature. Taking digs on Bollywood, including Arunachal’s ‘Mithoon’, to Bhaskar seeking lift from Dr Anika after a night of misadventures, comedy weighs way heavier than horror in this one.

If Stree was one brave outing, Roohi a dampener, Bhediya brings the Dinesh Vijan-Amar Kaushik (producer-director) jodi back into limelight!