Yodha review: In one of the opening scenes in Yodha, an enquiry officer mockingly asks Sidharth Malhotra’s Arun Katyal if he wants to become a hero as he turns a deaf ear to the powers at the top and takes over a mission single-handedly. Much later, Arun takes down a terrorist in a hand combat in Islamabad and triumphantly utters, ‘Iss picture ka hero main hoon’. And that’s what Yodha is all about. It bears a testament to the star power of Sidharth and how he has emerged as a young hero who has the audience cheering, hooting and rooting for him as he fights and flirts effortlessly. It will also make you realise that a new action star is born and he’s here to stay.
Before further glorification, let’s talk about how the film rolls. Arun is a lieutenant commander with Yodha Task Force that is invested with the power to protect the nation against all threats. This security body was started by Arun’s late father, Major Surender Katyal. Arun is married to Priyamvada, lovingly known as Priya, who’s the negotiations in-change with the government of India. All goes well until a hijack operation creates a dent in their love story and marriage. The lines between their personal and professional lives get blurred when Arun’s impulsive action causes a nuclear scientist to die in the hijack at Amritsar airport.
Having jobs that are interwoven, Priya’s statement before the enquiry officer doesn’t sit well with Arun as it leads to conversations about dissolving Yodha Task Force. And despite wanting to help him, Priya is unable to due to professional protocols. This strains their relationship leading to a divorce. Years later, Arun takes up the job of an air commander and is caught in another hijack operation that can wreak havoc for both India and Pakistan and even put Priya’s life at risk. So now, will he able to protect everyone and everything that matters to him as his life hangs by a thread?
Yodha is no Shershaah because – let’s face it – neither does it make for an intense and iconic love story nor does it engulf you with the spirit of patriotism. So, don’t raise your expectations. Not every Sidharth starrer patriotic actioner can be a Shershaah. If you nip that analogy right in the bud, you may actually end up enjoying Yodha. It’s a true blue mass entertainer peppered with moments (and some predictable twists) that will make you clap and whistle. And at 133 minutes, it’s a quick-paced narrative that only drops pace post-interval but manages to get going again.
The action sequences are slick with Jishnu Bhattacharjee’s spiffy lens work adding an extra layer of sheen to this new-age action thriller. Most of them happen within the closed space of an aeroplane and action directors Craig Macrae and Sunil Rodrigues deserve a huge round of applause. The stunts are novel and even elaborate and long-drawn stunt choreographies won’t be able to make you take your eyes off the screen.
Its screenplay isn’t its strongest suit. The writing is lazy for most bits and even chaotic at several points. But its entertainment quotient never nosedives and that holds your attention throughout the film. The love story between Arun and Priya might not hold the same fervour and passion as the one between Vikram and Dimple but will still warm your heart. Needless to say, along with being an ace action hero, Sidharth is also quite a magnetic lover boy. We would be damned to not see him playing more romantic roles going ahead.
Director duo Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha also deserve brownie points for sketching two layered female characters who actually bring a lot of substance to the table. The women here aren’t just props or the wind beneath the wings of the hero. And it’s refreshing considering the film is an out-and-out commercial actioner, a template and genre that usually sees women relegated to the background.
Raashii Khanna’s Priyamvada isn’t bound by just her domestic life. She’s a strong and independent woman, who loves her job as much as she loves her husband. She also dotes on her mother-in-law and takes her with her when she leaves Arun. She chooses self-respect and self-worth over unhappiness, calls out her husband for letting his frustration spill over into her life and walks out of the marriage. What an absolute delight it is to watch a woman not wallowing in self-pity and most importantly, a woman who doesn’t think of herself as a rehabilitation centre for her man! And yet, Raashii manages to bring a lot of tenderness and some vulnerability that add character to Priya.
Disha Patani, on the other hand, is in a never-seen-before avatar and truth be told, she pleasantly surprises you. Yes, she has a short role and the young girl playing a back-up pilot has more screen time than her. But Disha’s Laila is a quintessential femme fatale who locks horns with Arun through hand combat and kicks. And who says women can’t fight (for right or wrong) draped in a saree! The writer, interestingly and thankfully, hasn’t resorted to any kind of back story to morally justify her villainous traits. And kudos to Disha for taking up a role like this that rarely gets written for women in mainstream Bollywood! We only wish she had a longer screen time.
Coming back to Sidharth, Yodha inarguably belongs to him. Arun Katyal is a character tailor made for him and he gives it his all and more. You can’t take your eyes off him, be it in the action sequences or the romantic ones. Spoiler alert: He spreads his arms around to woo Priya, and together they make many references to the OG romantic hero Shah Rukh Khan’s films. These scenes are quite endearing and so is Arun and Priya’s chemistry.
On a separate note, Sidharth’s heroism in the film is so colossal that filmmakers should rope him in as the immortal Ashwatthama. He rises from the ashes like a Phoenix several times. Nothing and we mean nothing can shred him or kill him. Even when a massive building collapses due to a blast and kills everyone present inside, Arun remains untouched and walks out of it with Tiranga smoke that forms a halo like pattern around him. He’s almost otherworldly as he magically pops up in spaces and defies almost all kinds of natural order. But you will still find it in your heart to not deride him because his larger-than-life quality is complemented by simplistic charisma and charm.
The supporting cast including Tanuj Virwani, Sunny Hinduja and Kritika Bharadwaj also impresses. The music, however, fails to leave an impact. Films made on India-Pakistan relationship are being made in galore and Yodha is surely another drop in the ocean. But still it boasts of a certain freshness. There’s no chest-thumping jingoism either. It may not be a trailblazer that redefines new-age patriotic films but it deserves a watch. What matters at the end of the day is entertainment and Yodha dishes out oodles of that.
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