movie review bhediya

‘Bhediya’ Review: Overlong Bollywood Werewolf Comedy Delivers Powerful Environmental Message

A road work contractor's plans to destroy the jungles of Northeastern India are foiled by a werewolf in an entertaining creature feature with plenty of laughs.

By Naman Ramachandran

Naman Ramachandran

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Horror-comedy has held Indian audiences in thrall since the early 2000s, with more than 100 films in the genre being released. Amar Kaushik’s “ Bhediya ” (literally “wolf”), Bollywood’s first creature comedy, despite its punishing length, is a terrifically entertaining romp through the jungles of Northeastern India that delivers pro-environment and anti-racism messages and also has the potential to become a franchise.

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The accent in “Bhediya” is more on the often juvenile and sometimes scatological comedy than the creatures. When the creatures do appear, it is a triumph of top notch visual effects, executed by the team that also worked on blockbuster “RRR” at London’s MPC. Performances are excellent throughout with Dhawan and Sanon carrying the film with ease, but the standout is Banerjee, an actor who can pull off psychopaths and bumbling comics with equal felicity and timing.

With a running time of more than two and a half hours, the film overstays its welcome, compounded by the traditional Bollywood speed breakers of song and dance and romantic interludes, which periodically interrupt the werewolf tale plot. There are a couple of MCU-style Easter eggs in the end credits and the second of them places “Bhediya” squarely in the “Stree” universe. A franchise surely beckons.

Reviewed International Film Festival of India, Goa, Nov. 26, 2022. Running time: 152 MIN.

• Production: (India) Jio Studios & Dinesh Vijan presentation of a Maddock Films Prod. production.
• Crew: Director: Amar Kaushik. Screenplay: Niren Bhatt. Camera: Jishnu Bhattacharjee. Editor: Sanyukta Kaza. Music: Sachin Sanghvi, Jigar Saraiya.
• With: Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Banerjee, Deepak Dobriyal, Paalin Kabaak.

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‘Bhediya’ movie review: Varun Dhawan’s creature comedy is a modern-day fable with a timely message

Ensconced between layers of fun and fantasy, director amar kaushik and writer niren bhatt explore the fun side of fables and punctuate the storyline with the ironies that life throws at us.

November 25, 2022 02:34 pm | Updated 05:30 pm IST

Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon and the cast of ‘Bhediya’

Director Amar Kaushik has this knack for skillfully placing a slice of social commentary between loaves of fantasy and comedy, with the messenger being a social outlier. In  Stree , his debut feature, it was a witch who inverted the gender dynamics of a village. In  Bhediya , it is a werewolf whose dogged approach leaves us with an important lesson on saving the environment and preventing a pandemic. Told in a popular idiom that extracts willful suspension of disbelief,  Bhediya  has enough bite for those who believe in the power of parables.

Bhaskar ( Varun Dhawan ) is an upcoming building contractor who is hired by a big shark (Saurabh Shukla) to clear the forest of Arunachal Pradesh, to build a road by selling the development narrative to the locals. On a full moon night, Bhaskar gets bitten by a wolf and turns overnight into a shape-shifting creature. It leads to a riveting conundrum. The animal in him wants to save the forest, while the man in him — for whom nature is the flowerpot on the balcony and the animal is the pet dog of his boss — is keen to turn Ziro into a profitable venture.

Writer Niren Bhatt explores the fun side of fables and punctuates the storyline with the ironies that life throws at us.   Set in the North East, beneath the frolic, there is a timely debate on who is the outsider and the idea of purity of language.

Before the critics could point out the reference points, the characters themselves discuss the Bollywood legacy of shape-shifting creatures. The humour is situational and emanates from the practical difficulties of being a werewolf. How should a vegan behave when he discovers that he is half-animal? How should his friends address his concerns? The jokes keep the narrative moving up the hill. 

Arunachal Pradesh is still a virgin territory for Hindi films and one can breathe the fresh air. Amar and the technical crew also manage to create a sense of dread and anxiety in scenes where Bhaskar transforms into a wolf or when he is on the prowl. Those who have grown up watching the vampires and werewolves in the Twilight series won’t be disappointed by the special effects of wolves howling in front of picturesque backgrounds or leaping at you in 3D. Composers Sachin Jigar weave an evocative musical tapestry around the bloody trail.

Varun often plays self-seeking characters, lacking moral fibre who transform along the way. Here again, as Bhaskar gradually learns to value nature, we develop a soft spot for the flawed character, who like many of Varun’s characters, is charmingly silly. The beard looks good on him and the chiseled body provides a counterpoint to the crumpled repartees between Bhaskar and his boys’ group.

Surprisingly, Kriti Sanon, who looks sharp in the new haircut, has been cast in a role that is not fully actualised on screen. But it doesn’t impede the flow of the narrative, as Amar is more interested in exploring the comic chemistry between Varun and Abhishek Banerjee who plays Bhaskar’s friend Guddu. In fact, Abhishek has got the best punchlines and delivers them effortlessly with a poker face. The seasoned Deepak Dobriyal brings his expertise in turn of phrase to the table, and newcomer Paalin Kabak adds to the texture.

There are long passages of self-awareness where the makers seem struck with what more to do with the wolf in the room beyond milking the quirky situation. The editor is also a little charitable, allowing some of the crucial scenes to meander, but eventually, the idea shines through.

Bhediya is currently running in theatres

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Bhediya movie review: Varun Dhawan-starrer is high on comedy and novelty

Bhediya movie review: the amar kaushik directorial is an immersive experience with intense but funny dialogues and clever writing. bhediya stars varun dhawan, kriti sanon, abhishek bannerjee and deepak dobriyal, among others..

If you found Amar Kaushik's Stree one of the most intelligent and rib-tickling horror comedies, his latest outing, Bhediya, only takes things a notch higher. From good comedy and a novel concept to VFX, strong screenplay, Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon-starrer Bhediya gives ample moments to laugh and howl throughout. Also read: Janhvi Kapoor, Rajkummar Rao, Shahid Kapoor join Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon at Bhediya screening

The story begins with a road construction contractor Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan) going to Arunachal Pradesh wanting to make a highway through the dense forests of Ziro. He is accompanied by his cousin Janardhan aka JD ( Abhishek Bannerjee ) and is joined by a local Northeastern friend, Jomin (Paalin Kabak). As the trio starts their mission of convincing the tribals to give their land and allow road construction, they encounter strange incidents, the most important one being Bhasker getting bitten by a wolf. Soon, he acquires traits and characteristics of the creature and hereon, the folklore about shape-shifting wolf called 'vishaanu' picks up and the story gets more gripping and interesting.

Varun Dhawan is in top form and owns each frame. He has literally pushed the envelope, tried a new genre, and looked so convincing in it. His transformation scenes from a man to a wolf are stunning and scary at the same time with his ripped muscles and sculpted body giving you the chills. He excels in both comic as well as serious scenes. Kriti Sanon is decent and delivers a fine performance, however, her character, I felt, could have had more depth and better placement in the narrative. But in whatever screen time she gets, you enjoy her on screen. Abhishek Bannerjee is magical and hilarious with his comic timing and never misses the bus. His Hindi dialect and the way he delivers his lines (well, he does get the best lines) leaves you in splits. Debutant Paalin Kabak as Varun's Northeastern friend Jomin is quite refreshing and his camaraderie with both Varun and Abhishek is on-point. Deepak Dobriyal as Panda is good, especially with the way he has picked up Northeastern accent and their body language.

While the first half is just about average besides the comedy, it's the second half where all the action lies. Even there, the pace gets a little slow in between with some scenes looking needlessly dragged and stretched, but then Varun's scenes as a wolf and Abhishek's comedy keeps you cracking up for most of the time.

Kaushik once again creates an immersive experience with his direction and brings the best out of his actors. He understands the tricks of blending the two genres - horror and comedy - which is a big challenge, but he aces it. Dialogues are intense, meaningful yet supremely funny. Niren Bhatt's story and clever writing get full marks for a great build-up, the big reveal, and a rather funny climax, which leaves you asking for more. Inserting mention of films such as Jaani Dushman, where Amrish Puri turns into a deadly monster or Junoon where Rahul Roy turns into a tiger, brings a great recall value. There's even the popular Shehnaaz Gill dialogue - 'Kya karu main, marr jaun? Meri koi feelings nahi hai?' which was received with loud cheers and laughter. There are some cringeworthy lines, which I felt could have been done away with and particularly the toilet humour and that one entire sequence can put you off.

Jishnu Bhattacharjee's cinematography gets a special mention here for the way he has captured the deep and dense Ziro forests of Arunachal Pradesh. Bhediya carries a visual appeal that does full justice to the beauty of Northeast India and its landscapes. A sequence where Kriti takes Varun inside the forests to explore its natural beauty is breath-taking and so beautifully shot. The VFX and special effects are stunning and on par with some of the best ones seen in Indian cinema.

The way Bhediya delivers an important message of man-animal conflict without getting preachy even for a bit, impressed me the most. Not just that, there's a very clever mention and discussion around stereotyping of people from the Northeast as 'Chinese' and 'outsiders', which fits so organically in the story and makes you think. There's a scene where Jomin calls out people for generalising all Northeast people as 'Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee ka bachha', expecting them to know Kung-Fu. He makes a strong point when he says, 'being weak at speaking Hindi doesn't make me any less of an Indian'. And in these seemingly intense scenes also, the aptly placed humour just lightens up the mood.

Sachin-Jigar's music is decent, but not all songs leave a mark. Jungle Mein Kaand makes you groove for its peppy music, Baaki Sab Theek is interesting with the quirky rap. Background score is extremely on-point and creates an impact in the jump-scare moments.

Bhediya packs a punch with a lot of impressive elements and is worth watching on the big screen experience for the experience it creates and the messages it gives. Of course, some fine performances and hilarious dialogues would make for a memorable watch.

Bhediya Director: Amar Kaushik Cast: Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Bannerjee, Deepak Dobriyal, Paalin Kabak

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Set in the forests of Arunachal, Bhediya is a story of Bhaskar, a man who gets bitten by a wolf, and begins to transform into the creature. As Bhaskar and his buddies try to find answers, a ... Read all Set in the forests of Arunachal, Bhediya is a story of Bhaskar, a man who gets bitten by a wolf, and begins to transform into the creature. As Bhaskar and his buddies try to find answers, a bunch of twists, turns, and laughs ensue. Set in the forests of Arunachal, Bhediya is a story of Bhaskar, a man who gets bitten by a wolf, and begins to transform into the creature. As Bhaskar and his buddies try to find answers, a bunch of twists, turns, and laughs ensue.

• Amar Kaushik
• Niren Bhatt
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• Kriti Sanon
• Abhishek Banerjee
• 164 User reviews
• 31 Critic reviews
• 5 wins & 34 nominations

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• Trivia Bhediya is a part of the Dinesh Vijan's Horror-Comedy Universe which also includes three other movies - Stree, Roohi and another upcoming movie called, Munjha starring Sanjana Sanghi. All the movies of the universe will be getting sequels. Go Goa Gone, even though it's produced by Dinesh Vijan and Maddock Films, is not part of this universe. It's a zombie action film so it's in that universe. Go Goa Gone will also get a sequel.
• Soundtracks Thumkeshwari (Hindi) Music by Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya Lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya Performed by Rashmeet Kaur , Ash King , Divya Kumar , Sachin Sanghvi , Jigar Saraiya

User reviews 164

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• November 25, 2022 (India)
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• Arunachal Pradesh (Location)
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• ₹600,000,000 (estimated)

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• Runtime 2 hours 36 minutes

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Bhediya Reviews

Bhediya is a horror comedy that is neither scary nor funny. It's a silly werewolf movie where a 'surprise reveal' is too easy to predict. The visual effects in Bhediya are overrated and can't make up for a weak story with too many plot holes.

Full Review | Dec 12, 2022

Silly, stylish, surprisingly poignant...

Full Review | Dec 2, 2022

The film’s creature effects and computer generated imagery is excellent.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Nov 29, 2022

Dhawan display heroic levels of commitment to a film that doesn’t trust its audiences or its own animal instinct enough.

Full Review | Nov 29, 2022

Something of a celebratory stain...

The Amar Kaushik directorial is an immersive experience with intense but funny dialogues and clever writing.

Neither scary nor consistently funny...

Kriti Sanon has comparatively limited footage but does all that it takes not to be swamped out of the picture.

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.

Varun Dhawan does a good job of aligning with the tone of the film-- the horror is pretty much ‘naam-ke-vaaste’, comedy is what it is interested in and does it well.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 29, 2022

A terrifically entertaining romp through the jungles of Northeastern India that delivers pro-environment and anti-racism messages and also has the potential to become a franchise.

Full Review | Nov 27, 2022

Bhediya is an easy, entertaining, watch.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Nov 26, 2022

How do you marginalise the people of already marginalised communities, while opposing their marginalisation with what appear to be positive intentions? For a guide to doing so, watch Bhediya.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Nov 26, 2022

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Bhediya Is Silly, Stylish – And Surprisingly Poignant

Director : Amar Kaushik

Writer : Niren Bhatt

Cast : Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Banerjee, Paalin Kaabak, Deepak Dobriyal

Bhediya displays layers of flesh, both literally and figuratively. Varun Dhawan is in his underpants for nearly half the film. (This is not an accusation). The story finds good reason to be a giant thirst trap. His character, Bhaskar, is a cityslicker who gets bitten by a wolf in the jungles of Arunachal Pradesh. The film's best scene features Bhaskar morphing into a wolf, in agonizing detail. In a single take, the camera lingers on different parts of his naked torso as the creature violently pops out of his skin – a nice riff on the unbroken male gaze that has objectified the female body in all those ichadhari nagin stories over the years. At another point, a bulge in his boxers reveals a thick and throbbing snake, an innuendo that looks less tasteful than it sounds. It's no coincidence that Bhaskar's body exudes muscular beauty only after the beast within him awakens. Until then, he’s just a guy with a penchant for furry jackets.

At first glance, Amar Kaushik’s Bhediya (“Wolf”) is a nifty horror comedy with a message. Bhaskar is a greedy contractor from Delhi. He detests dogs and nature. His mantra is development at all costs. He arrives in the Northeastern town of Ziro for a major land acquisition project. The road he plans to build is supposed to connect the isolated state to the rest of India. But the catch is that it must cut through the region’s dense forest cover and displace hundreds of tribal villages in the process. His partners in crime are cousin Janardhan (Abhishek Banerjee) and in-house contractor Jomin (Paalin Kabak). They have no sense of empathy or ecological balance. The tribals, for them, are victims of evolution. A local liaison, Panda (Deepak Dobriyal), warns them of ‘Vishanu,’ a mythical creature that lurks in the jungles. But the men pay no heed. A lesson is imminent for the capitalists.

This is the second Hindi film of the year rooted in Northeastern integration. But unlike Anubhav Sinha’s heavy-footed Anek – driven by a secret agent who switches sides – Bhediya pokes fun at the mainstream-saviour trope: It’s driven by a not-so-secret agent forced to shift shape. Bhaskar’s ‘transformation’ arc is no metaphor: His wolf senses make him more alert to the world around him. When a terrified Jomin accuses Bhaskar of trying to eat him too, Bhaskar assures him that animals, unlike humans, do not discriminate. (If not for his appetite for pork and no beef, one might have even believed him). Every night, he unwittingly feasts on a new project associate – a hairy nod to the superhero-vigilante trope, where his murders have a moral edge to them. His lunar adventures also put him in touch with Dr. Anika (Kriti Sanon), the oddly aloof veterinarian who treats him. Something about Dhawan’s endearing desire to do better – and reach beyond his limitations as a commercial star – ties into Bhaskar’s conflict of turning into a beast that challenges his vanity. At one point, a spoofy scene that features Bhaskar’s friends psyching the wolf out of him adopts the tone of a director browbeating a career-defining performance out of an actor. If you listen closely, you might hear the voices of Sriram Raghavan ( Badlapur ) and Shoojit Sircar ( October ).

The humour in Kaushik’s horror-comedy universe ( Stree ) is a double-edged sword. Most of it appears to emerge from the triumph of cultural identity over social malaise. A group of men suffer for being ignorant, and that becomes amusing to watch. The funniest way to punish a vegan is to turn him into a bloodthirsty wolf. But a lot of the laughs are also derived from the reinforcement of superstition – rural folklore, blind faith, black magic – under the guise of urban enlightenment. The witch and Vishanu are real; the joke is on us, the outsiders, for believing otherwise. This exoticization is not too different from the way Western film-makers approach South Asian locations: as a land of sepia-tinted colour tones, elephants, genies and snakecharmers. It’s the sort of gateway humour that Indians themselves use as a crutch to deflect uncomfortable truths. Like the recurring image of the wild animal hunting in flowery boxers, or the wolf howling in unison with a Himesh Reshammiya song. Of course I laughed. And of course I’m doing my damndest to resist a ‘howl-arious’ pun. It’s never easy.

But the reason Bhediya works is because it acknowledges emotion as the cornerstone of entertainment. It has the self-awareness to reveal its kooky form for what it really is: a front to embrace – and not avoid – those uncomfortable truths. The message isn’t the medium; it becomes the dominant strain in a film that isn’t afraid to transform along with its protagonist. The deflections are part of a larger design. Abhishek Banerjee’s Janardhan steals the show, but most of his punchlines are steeped in casual racism towards Jomin. The writing deliberately uses his character as a mirror. When we laugh at his pitch-perfect comic timing, we are essentially reflecting our own culpability in a system where discrimination is the default narrative. When we grin at quick-witted exchanges between him and a panicked Bhaskar, we are exposing our inability to detect sociocultural facts unless they’re gift-wrapped in pretty fiction. Ditto for when we accept Kriti Sanon’s peripheral role as the heroine that no red-blooded Hindi film can do without.

If anything, Bhediya is a surprisingly poignant environmental drama posing as a horror comedy. It elevates the werewolf from cliched full-moon predator to natural protector – an Avatar -like move that, by virtue of the animal’s extended screen time, allows the film to flaunt some of the most convincing visual effects seen in modern Hindi film. It’s not just the whiskers on the wild canine or its fluid attacks; it’s also the way the animal eventually makes it look like the humans who have invaded the story, not vice versa. In doing so, the film commits to the primary narrative of a land bristling with heritage and feeling; humour is merely the imposter – the colonizer – that’s trying to hijack it. It reclaims the background from the jaws of narrative obscurity. Bhaskar and his gang are meant to symbolize a culture of storytelling that commodifies social commentary. They come, play the fool, entertain, preach and leave; there’s always a sense that the film ends on their terms, and the system returns to its default settings. But the final act of Bhediya – messy and moving at once – course-corrects this genre trapping at the risk of tonal dissonance. That’s when it becomes clear that perhaps the film was softening us up for the kill all along. It ends on the terms of the message rather than the madness, almost like the world yanks back its dramatic voice from the humans that steal it. Not counting the cash-grabbing post-credit moments, you might be hard-pressed to see a braver climax this year.

It might also help to view Bhediya in context of its uncanny timing. The film doesn’t exactly make light of its central theme: Nature pushing back against man. Bhaskar gets bitten by a Vishanu (translation: “virus”), and he spends the rest of the film trying to control and shake off this other-worldly infection. He only attacks the corrupt cogs in the wheel – a utopian reframing of the pandemic as a tragedy with heart and purpose. In the real world, his primal instincts would lead him to infect every human in his sight, until the planet is left with nobody to infect it. That humanity is the real Vishanu comes as no secret; Bhediya , unlike other Indian films, uses cultural specificity to address a more universal illness. The big picture is the actual picture; broad daylight is the only colour tone. After all, the fury beneath the frolic matters. Otherwise, Bhediya is just a film with a penchant for fleshy narrative jackets. Otherwise it’s just a sheepish creature comedy in wolf’s clothing.

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Bhediya Review: Varun Dhawan's Film Is Helped Along By Lively Performances

Bhediya review: kriti sanon has comparatively limited footage but does all that it takes not to be swamped out of the picture..

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Banerjee and Deepak Dobriyal

Director: Amar Kaushik

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

The Stree duo of producer Dinesh Vijan and director Amar Kaushik reunite to deliver a film that is substantially more than just yet another horror-comedy. It is in certain ways in the same zone as the 2018 film but is markedly different in spirit, substance and style.

It makes room for scepticism but blends that with a substantial degree of earnestness and teasing humour that prevent the film from losing its way in the sort of baffling convolutions that ruined Maddock Films' previous offering, Roohi .

Bhediya , toplined by Varun Dhawan exploring the power of a wild transmogrification, rests primarily on the consequences of the human-animal conflict - it plays out in a tangible yet fairy tale-like setting where the fantastical and the real intermingle. However, as the story unfolds, it hits its straps and lets other essential themes find their way in.

The director, working with a screenplay by Niren Bhatt, not only dovetails an environmental conservation message into a folksy storyline but also dwells upon questions of language, identity and culture with dashes of robust comicality thrown in for the purpose of livening up a debate of great significance.

Bhediya does a generally successful balancing act between farce and fable. The latter is rooted firmly in local myths and legends. A 120-year-old shaman is a key character who brings to the equation the role that traditional knowledge and beliefs play in the lives of people who have been sustained by hills and forests for generations.

Parts of the film could certainly have done with some trimming, but, overall, the director sustains an unwavering grip on the tone and tenor of the narrative, which allows Bhediya to wrest from the audience a willing suspension of disbelief, which is obviously absolutely essential for a film that rides on free-flowing notions that might be easy to dismiss as avoidable argle-bargle.

The film's technical attributes - led by the mood-setting lighting and lensing (by cinematographer Jishnu Bhattacharjee) and the evocative production design - are of a high order. Especially impressive are the visual effects in the pivotal scenes that show the process of the protagonist transforming into a wolf and acquiring the ability and strength to leap over all hurdles.

The cast of Bhediya includes Abhishek Banerjee, who was one of the three friends in Stree who encounter a beautiful apparition who spells preternatural trouble for men. In an end-credits scene, Bhediya acknowledges its debt to Stree , the film that inaugurated Maddock Films' horror-comedy universe that now seems to be well-nigh back on course after the forgettable and wayward Roohi detour.

Bhediya reworks the conventions of the genre to craft the story of a forest facing the threat of denudation in the name of development. The film would have had far greater thrust had it been a tad shorter. But despite a runtime of more than two and a half hours, the plot elements that it puts together form a cohesive whole without overly straining credulity.

In the popular imagination, perpetuated doubtless by genre cinema and tales we have been told for decades, a bhediya is a dreaded animal, a wild predator that has never made peace with humankind. In this film, the creature is granted surprisingly positive prospects that let the benign and the fearsome coexist and create space for ambiguities in our responses to the animal's violent depredations.

To be sure, the wolf isn't native to the part of the world where Bhediya is set. But this isn't a film that is aiming for absolute factual veracity. Located in a fantasy world, the wild animal is given a mythical cloak to justify its presence in the wilds of Arunachal. The creature is a jungle beast, a sort of wild dog with very sharp fangs that can do great damage to humans, and, more important than anything else, a warning sign for votaries of development that does not take ecological concerns into consideration.

A road construction contractor from Delhi, Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan), arrives in the Arunachal Pradesh town of Ziro in the company of his slow-witted cousin Janardhan (Abhishek Banerjee). He has a blueprint that maps out the dimensions of a proposed infrastructure project that he has reasons to believe will transform the place completely.

The Delhi duo is joined by a local point person Jomin (NSD alumnus Paalin Kabak in his first film role), whose job is to help the outsiders convince the local populace about the pressing need for a new road through the forest. That is easier said than done.

Bhediya represents the clash between tradition and so-called modernity through a clear and understandable divide between the town elders who regard the forest as a sacred space and the younger population addicted to consumerist inducements that depend on technology and electronic gadgets.

The wolf bite that throws Bhaskar's plans into total disarray is the centrepiece of this allegory about the greed for greenbacks and the depletion of green covers and about mankind's enormous capacity to harm the environment. It triggers panic among the townspeople. A police outpost swings into action but the cops are up against a phenomenon that they can barely explain, let alone crack.

Bhaskar and his friends - among them are Panda (Deepak Dobriyal), a Nainital native who has lived in Arunachal Pradesh all his life and is suspected of being swayed by ulterior motives, and Anika (Kriti Sanon), a veterinarian who has no option but to treat Bhaskar although the complicated case is well out of her league - are stopped in their tracks as the mystifying and fatal attacks by the wolf multiply.

One important thread that runs through Bhediya centres on Janardhan's attitude to the place and its people. Insensitive to the feelings of Jomin, he cracks casual jokes at the latter's expense, ridiculing his Hindi and making offensive presumptions.

The casual verbal indiscretions threaten to drive a wedge between the Delhi boys and the local guy and become a key strand of the story. The resolution takes its time in coming, but when it does the script sums up the situation and its repercussions forcefully, if only in a way that is a touch too in your face.

Bhediya , both enjoyable and thought-provoking, is helped along by lively performances. Varun Dhawan gives the unconventional role his best shot. Abhishek Banerjee and Paalin Kabak are terrific as much with their comic timing as with their dramatic flourishes. Kriti Sanon has comparatively limited footage but does all that it takes not to be swamped out of the picture.

Bhediya , thanks to the inventive and intriguing ways that it adopts with a genre that has spawned many a movie over the decades from Paul Schrader's Cat People and John Landis' An American Werewolf in London to (closer home) Rajkumar Kohli's Jaani Dushman and Mahesh Bhatt's Junoon (both which find a mention in this film), has a own unique footprint that makes watchable all the way.

• Cast Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Banerjee and Deepak Dobriyal
• Director Amar Kaushik

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Bhediya REVIEW: Varun Dhawan gives a howling performance whilst Amar Kaushik’s storytelling captivates you

Saheli Maity

• November 25, 2022
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Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon starrer Bhediya REVIEW

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Film: Bhediya

Director:  Amar Kaushik

Star cast:  Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Deepak Dobriyal, Abhishek Banerjee, Paalin Kabak

Bollywood Bubble ratings:  4/5 stars

Watch or not:  It’s definitely a must-watch film. Plus, you should definitely watch it in theatres for an amazing cinematic experience.

Bhediya Movie REVIEW:

‘Prakruti hai toh pragati hai’ – Bhediya is backed by social message that Amar Kaushik wants to convey via this horror comedy. If you ask me to describe Bhediya in one word in this review, I would say Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon starrer is hilariously entertaining. Bhediya’s main concept is Man Vs Nature, making humans understand the significance and importance of nature. And Amar Kaushik does it so smartly that we are entertained and mesmerised at the same time.

Bhediya’s runtime is 2 hours and 30 mins and trust me, not a single moment was dull or seemed a bit dragged. Bhediya is a horror comedy and fortunately, it is high on humour along with occasional jump scares. However, the transformation of Varun and the howling can surely give you all the chills and thrills. I like how Amar showcased the transformation scene with utmost intensity and accuracy. It only speaks the authenticity about the film rather than just making a werewolf for the sake of it.

Amar not only highlighted the fact of how humans are turning into animals by destroying the mother nature but also ensured to capture the beautiful locations of Ziro that will just make you fall in love with the nature even if you’re not. When you have a good content in your hand, comedy just amplifies the entertainment quotient and that’s exactly what has happened to Bhediya.

Varun Dhawan and Abhishek Banerjee are the showstoppers of the movie I feel. Varun’s howling performance while Abhishek’s comic timing, both did wonders to Bhediya. However, it was quite sad to see Kriti Sanon’s character. She was barely there in the movie and I just wish to see her more.

Set in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh, Bhediya is a story of Bhaskar, a man who gets bitten by a wolf and begins to transform into a creature. His weird actions made his friends wonder if he is also turning into a wolf. As Bhaskar and his buddies try to find answers, a bunch of twists, turns, and laughs ensue. But will Bhaskar once again become human? Will he be able to find a cure for himself?

Star Performances:

Varun Dhawan who plays Bhaskar once again proved that he is a versatile actor. His performance as a shape-shifting creature will hopefully shift gears in his career. It seems Varun has given all in for the film and well, the result is remarkable after you watch the film. From showcasing his innocence to his Bhediya transformation, Varun excels in every part, making it look quite effortless. Considering Varun is perfect with his comical acts, he doesn’t miss a beat at all. Plus, Varun Dhawan looks hot AF! My sore eyes are treated because of his sculpted abs which only adds value to his character.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by VarunDhawan (@varundvn)

Kriti Sanon plays a vet Dr Anika who helps Bhaskar from the wolf bite. She is seen for a brief period but makes her presence impactful in the second half. She does play a fair job in the movie but I wish I could have seen more of her in the movie.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon)

Abhishek Banerjee as Janardan, aka JD, is phenomenal and probably the best thing to happen to Bhediya. His comic timing was bang on and doesn’t fail to miss a beat. From his expression to his dialogue delivery, Abhishek is surely a world-class actor.

Paalin Kabak as Jomin, Bhaskar’s friend and Deepak Dobriyal as Panda are outstanding. They have added their own comical flavours to the movie, making it an entertaining watch for sure. Plus, the camaraderie between all four characters was quite congenial.

Direction/screenplay:

Amar Kaushik, the director of Bhediya brings a fantastic novel idea to his horror universe. After Stree, Amar brought Roohi which failed to impress the audience. However, fans had high expectations for Bhediya and by god’s grace, it did live up to the mark. Amar’s direction is crisp and magical, it automatically teleports you to the horror and scarier world but his touch of humour only makes it an entertaining watch. He knows what he wants to offer to the audience and without overdoing certain scenes, he just manages to impress me with his storytelling.

I was sure that the Bhediya concept is not something Bollywood has not done it before and I was wondering if it will be on those lines; however, Amar really amazed me with his narration because it delivers what you were not expecting. The storyline is novel but it also gave a strong social message to the audience. The idea is based on the concept of Man Vs Wild while on the other hand, Amar also highlights the casual racial discrimination point with their northeastern friend Jomin. Both messages were quite powerful and will surely make an impact on people.

Apart from his gripping story narration, I absolutely adore Amar even more for capturing the beautiful locales of Arunachal Pradesh. Since the state is known for its natural beauty, I was mesmerised by its beauty and earthy feel. There was a scene where Anika shows her favourite spot to Bhaskar and that was one of the best scenes I have seen in a while now. Amar beautifully captures the details of a forest and the heart of Arunachal Pradesh. Since I am a nature lover, I just couldn’t take my eyes off it, hence, I said it is a theatre watch. Kudos to Amar Kaushik for bringing that beauty onscreen. What a picturisation.

Niren Bhatt’s dialogues are a high point. I like how he did not incorporate cheesy or cliche dialogues, in fact, the one-liners are just too funny and enhance the impact in several scenes. The humour will surely leave you in splits.

VFX/ Music:

Even though Bhediya was not backed for its VFX, surprisingly, the movie excels in this department. Honestly, I was expecting a shoddy VFX for the wolf but Amar proved me wrong. The wolfs shown in the movie look quite real and beautiful. Varun’s transformation from human to werewolf is quite intriguing but at the same time is terrifying. In fact, it was done quite smartly without making it spoofy. It was finely designed and executed.

I always feel that nowadays the songs are placed oddly in the movies. Sometimes I also feel that it is completely unnecessary especially when you’re intensely watching an intriguing story onscreen. Interestingly, I did not feel the same for Bhediya. The song Baaki Sab Theek is so quirky and started out of nowhere that I actually enjoyed it. More so, it will surely be my next road trip song. Whereas Jungle Mein Kaand is a high-energetic song that will surely pump you up. On the other hand, the Apna Bana Le song is just magical. Instead of showing the mushy romance between Bhaskar and Anika, I like how Amar chose to show the romance of man with nature.

Moreover, I like how they chose they backed certain scores and songs for totally different scenes that have different values. The contrast is hilarious. Sachin-Jigar’s background score enhances the thrill quotient.

Conclusion:

Overall, Bhediya is super entertaining and manages to live up to the expectations in more ways than one. It surely gets a thumbs-up for its novel idea. From the stunning visuals to the powerful performances from all the actors, Bhediya is a must-watch, especially in the theatres. I’m glad that Bollywood is also generating original content instead of remakes and that’s why it gets an extra star from me. I’m going with 4 stars due to Amar’s impressive direction, captivating VFX and memorable performances. An extra star for the surprise at the end of the film (for that you need to watch the movie till the end). Not giving it a five because it gets a little predictable at the end and for underwriting Kriti’s character which could have been explored a bit more.

Watch the Bhediya trailer after the review:

Also read: Drishyam 2 REVIEW: Ajay Devgn, Akshaye Khanna, Tabu starrer is a gripping sequel that delivers everything it is expected to 

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Bhediya Movie Review: Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon's werewolf drama is a howling entertainer

Varun dhawan and kriti sanon's bhediya hit the theatres today, november 25. the film, directed by amar kaushik, is a pucca entertainer with minor shortcomings, says our review..

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• Bhediya hit the theatres on November 25.
• The film stars Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon in lead roles.
• The werewolf drama is directed by Amar Kaushik.

Cast & Crew

Varun Dhawan Actor

Kriti Sanon Actor

Release Date: 25 Nov, 2022

It’s a full moon night. His heart races faster than a bullet train. Soon, his human form is transformed into a four-legged creature. The wolf’s howl can be heard from miles away. These scenes are etched in the mind of anyone who’s either watched the hard-to-miss Twilight series of the early 2000s or been a fan of the genre and watched everything from An American Werewolf in London in the 80’s to our very own desi spin-off Junoon where Rahul Roy metamorphoses into a full grown tiger!

So, when you have a legacy to live up to and a genre that’s such a fan favourite, it is a risk when you set off to make a werewolf movie in 2022. One, the VFX in today’s age is on another level. Second, the audience has already seen every possible shapeshifter or werewolf movie or a TV show. This means, apart from your A-list star cast, the majority of the responsibility of pulling this off lies with the writers and the VFX team. Varun Dhawan’s Bhediya is an indigenous attempt to pay tribute to a very western narrative and genre. Does it manage to create a dent in an already overcrowded room or does it end up being just another brick in the wall? Let’s find out.

The plot of Bhediya is a blend of folklore with a twist. Apart from picking up threads from the werewolf universe, the story also sends a strong message about the environmental damage our forests are facing. Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan) goes to the scenic dense forests of Arunachal to build a road. But little does he realise that his decision to cut down trees and change the topology of the region will start causing mayhem and destruction, leading to some freak deaths. Bhaskar isn’t alone in his task. His two sidekicks - JD (Abhishek Banerjee) and Joe (Paalin Kabak) join him on this mission. The kahani mei twist moment comes when Bhaskar gets bitten by a wolf, giving the narrative its supernatural punch by turning into a werewolf every full moon night. With this, comes the challenge of not only stopping his transformation but also ensuring he doesn’t end up murdering people in the neighbouring areas.

Amar Kaushik’s Bhediya goes beyond being just another sci-fi werewolf thriller. He smartly uses this opportunity to create a universe where he blends the storylines and characters from his previous franchise - Stree, and opens up the doors of many possibilities in future. Despite having a bonafide Bollywood A-lister at its core, what stands out in Bhediya is the visual experience it offers. Full marks to Jishnu Bhattacharjee for paying a fitting tribute to the scenic locales of Arunachal Pradesh. The VFX is perhaps one of the best works we have seen in a Hindi film in a very long time. For Bhediya to work, the werewolf has to not only look menacing but also convincingly real. The graphics team aces this and Varun’s first major transformation moment into Bhediya is a big highlight of the film.

Performances feel genuine and Kaushik’s USP of infusing humour and wit at the right moments helps in keeping the narrative engaging and entertaining. Varun Dhawan is the soul of Bhediya. It’s not just the bones crackling and tail popping that impresses, but his vulnerability, his fear of what he’s becoming leaves a lasting mark too. Abhishek Banerjee’s dialogue delivery and his comic timing are the second-best thing about Bhediya. This actor can absolutely pull anything off. Paalin Kabak represents the local talent and throws in some moments that actually highlight some important issues, like being insensitive when visiting a place or casually using words and phrases without knowing what they mean. Kriti Sanon’s chemistry with Varun looks good on screen, but we wish she had more to do in the film. I am guessing the filmmakers have kept her for a follow-up project into the franchise.

Bhediya’s werewolf act isn’t perfect and has several issues. One being the long first half, takes too much time to cut to the chase and introduce us to the wolf. The second being, the somewhat preachy and over-the-top messages on conservation that at times get in the way of the story picking up pace. Also, the genre isn’t really new. If you have seen Hollywood films or TV shows, you know what to expect from a werewolf film. The film also could open conversations about certain scenes being similar.

But if you leave aside these flaws, the rugged wolf on the full moon night is a howling entertainer. Watch this in 3D to get the full bang for your buck.

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Bhediya Movie Review : Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon's werewolf film has its heart at the right place

Updated Nov 25, 2022, 18:32 IST

Bhediya Movie Review: Varun Dhawan's werewolf film has layers of interpretation, making it an captivating watch (Pic: Twitter)

• Bhediya Director: Amar Kaushik
• Bhediya Cast: Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Banerjee, Paalin Kabak, Deepak Dobriyal
• Bhediya Movie Rating: 3.5/5 stars

BHEDIYA PLOT

BHEDIYA CRITIQUE

Bhediya acting review, bhediya’s soul, in conclusion.

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Bhediya movie review: Horror comedy that marginalises the people of Arunachal while opposing marginalisation

Varun Dhawan has natural comic timing but Bhediya’s best lines go to Abhishek Banerjee who outshines everyone else in a film that dilutes the impact of its theme by being consistently inconsistent.

Cast: Varun Dhawan, Abhishek Banerjee, Kriti Sanon, Paalin Kabaak, Deepak Dobriyal, Saurabh Shukla  

Director: Amar Kaushik

Language: Hindi

How do you marginalise the people of already marginalised communities, while opposing their marginalisation with what appear to be positive intentions? For a guide to doing so, watch Bhediya (Wolf).

The film takes its title from the beast at the centre of its plot. It is set in India’s North-East, a region that Hindi cinema visits only rarely, and then too usually to exoticise and other its people, sometimes – as in this case – simultaneously criticising that exoticisation and othering. Bhediya looks set to be different in an early scene in which the hero, Bhaskar (played by Varun Dhawan), rolls his eyes at his cousin Janardan (Abhishek Banerjee) for his ignorance about the North-East at large. So far so good, but shortly thereafter, a racist “chowmein” joke is written into the script, signalling the inconsistency that remains consistent throughout the politics of the rest of the narrative.

The story is set in Arunachal Pradesh, which Bhaskar a.k.a. Bhaski visits as a representative of a construction company that plans to build a road through forest areas. Janardan a.k.a. JD accompanies him. Their associate among the locals is a youngster called Jomin (Paalin Kabaak). There’s also the enigmatic Panda ji (Deepak Dobriyal) who is originally from north India but is now rooted in his life in Arunachal. Jomin often dismisses Panda as an outsider although we see this man from the start batting for the state and siding with the Apatani tribals’ concerns about environmental preservation, while Jomin strategises with Bhaskar to combat the Apatanis’ objections.

As you already know from the trailer, Bhaskar is bitten by a wolf one night and is transformed into a man-eating, shape-shifting animal, making this an apt addition to the filmography of Amar Kaushik who rose to prominence by directing another horror comedy, 2018’s lovely Stree written by Raj and DK. Bhediya is written by Niren Bhatt who wrote the director’s 2019 film Bala with Ayushmann Khurrana.

There’s a clear and simple balance sheet that can be drawn up for Bhediya . The 3D works. The CGI, prosthetics, lighting and action are impressive. The sound design by Kunal Sharma is understated. The music by Sachin-Jigar is lively when it is not being appropriately haunting. The background score matches the film’s most ruminative moments especially when it is overlaid on stunning views of Arunachal’s landscapes captured strikingly by DoP Jishnu Bhattacharjee’s camera. Bhediya is also often funny. It stumbles and tumbles over relentlessly though in its representation of the people of Arunachal, thus vastly diluting the impact of its arguments on ecological degradation. While this is its overriding flaw, there’s also occasional sloppy editing, the blandness of its sole primary woman character, a completely contrived culmination of her journey in the plotline, and an embarrassingly pointless epilogue involving the stars of Stree .

Among the film’s comedic elements, Abhishek Banerjee reigns supreme. The actor makes his JD downright hilarious, carrying forward the brilliance he brought to his pivotal role in Stree . This is why it is particularly unfortunate that the slur mentioned above is assigned to him. While it is true that the remark is typical of JD, the film falters in its tone in this scene, walking a tricky balance that leaves it unclear what its own stance is on a word that is so widely used in the real world to insult individuals from the North-East. The fuzziness in this moment stands out because of the clarity in other scenes in which JD is being racist. The monologue Jomin gets to deliver late in the film, decrying JD’s prejudice and the prejudice of Indians in general, comes a bit too long after a slur has been exploited to elicit laughs from viewers.

Varun Dhawan has a natural flair for comedy, and his Bhaski is often amusing too, but Bhediya ’s best lines go to Abhishek who outshines everyone and everything else in this film. His comic timing is so impeccable that he even somehow manages to overshadow the juvenility of a scene that zooms in on faecal matter.

Paalin Kabaak who plays Jomin is sweet and has a likeable screen presence. Deepak Dobriyal is not given the space that an artiste of his immense skill merits, but is effective wherever he is present. Kriti Sanon hovers in the background through most of Bhediya . Although her Anika turns out to be crucial to the proceedings, the role does not give her enough meat to sink her teeth into and showcase herself.

The fact that Anika is the only identifiable woman in Bhediya is ironic considering that one of the characters says at an important juncture in the storyline that the female is the most powerful in every species. Powerful yet not worthy of substantial roles in human-made films, I guess.

Equally ironic and disappointing is the truth that Bhediya is not the first film in this world to sideline characters from social groups sidelined in reality, even while purportedly being about those communities. Bhediya is set in Arunachal, but the only principal character from Arunachal, Jomin, is an ally of the marauding intruder who wishes to destroy the state’s natural wealth. He is lectured on loyalty to the land by Panda, a non-Arunachali who is from India’s most politically dominant region, the Hindi belt. The other characters from Arunachal are indistinguishable from each other, hanging around to manipulate or be manipulated or be a part of crowd shots, while centrality and agency rest throughout with Hindi bhaashis . The protector of this paradise is revealed to be someone who is definitely not from the North-East, and this person leaves Arunachal in the care of another who too is a Hindi bhaashi .

All the noble intentions in the world and even Abhishek Banerjee’s comedic genius cannot compensate for such mindlessness. Stree worked not only because of its sense of humour, but because it had a firm understanding of its own politics, a quality that Bhediya does not possess.

Rating: 2.5 (out of 5 stars)  

This review was first published in November 2022 when Bhediya was in theatres. The film is now streaming on Jio Cinema.

Anna M.M. Vetticad is an award-winning journalist and author of The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic. She specialises in the intersection of cinema with feminist and other socio-political concerns. Twitter: @annavetticad, Instagram: @annammvetticad, Facebook: AnnaMMVetticadOfficial

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'bhediya' review: jungle book meets wolverine in film held together by its cast, 'bhediya', starring varun dhawan and kriti sanon, is directed by amar kaushik..

Bhediya , directed by Amar Kaushik, is the third installment of Dinesh Vijan’s horror universe; of horror comedies with a message.

After Stree and Roohi , Vijan now pulls focus to the age-old nature vs development debate, set in the town of Ziro (Lower Subansiri district) in Arunachal Pradesh.

Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan) moves to Ziro with his cousin JD (Abhishek Banerjee) for an office project and is joined by his friend Jomin (Paalin Kabak).

The project in question involves building a road in Ziro and Bhaskar proposes they construct the road through the forest – he sells this idea as the more cost effective option (read: the one that lines their pockets). 

His proposal is met with opposition from Dr. Anika (Kriti Sanon), a local Raju (Deepak Dobriyal), and the tribal elders – all of them warn Bhaskar against destroying nature for the sake of his project.

Amidst all this, Bhaskar is attacked by a wolf which gives him werewolf-esque abilities (though, his powers more accurately match that of a Lycan).

A still from Bhediya.

(Photo Courtesy: YouTube)

In its messaging, Bhediya follows the Dinesh Vijan template – the ‘entity’ that the protagonists spent more than half the film battling or searching for isn’t the real evil.

Above all, the film deals with the idea of the ‘outsider’. Bhaskar wonders why a snake is ‘in their way’ while they drive through a forest. In the same way, he wonders why the tribal elders refuse to give his company access to their land even though they’ll be chopping down a forest they consider vital and sacred. 

In Ziro, Bhaskar and JD are also ‘outsiders’. They treat people around them with an entitlement derived from…nothing. JD considers himself superior to Jomin because the former’s Hindi is more refined and often commits several racist microaggressions against the latter.

Thankfully, the film does address JD and Bhaskar’s behaviour, making a commentary on the racism residents of North-East India face (with a specific reference to how they were affected by the rampant xenophobia across the world during the COVID-19 pandemic). 

Despite all its messaging, Bhediya is still a smorgasbord of tropes. There are several references in the film, many of which you might catch if you’re constantly online.

His transformation is reminiscent of Hugh Jackman’s in Wolverine (perhaps imitation is the strongest form of flattery) and there’s also a Breaking Bad dialogue thrown in the mix. 

Bhediya boasts of a strong cast though. Varun Dhawan as an entitled-prick-turned-reluctant-werewolf is a delight to watch and his performance is bolstered by the presence of Banerjee and Kabak, a hilarious comic duo.

Even with the little Kriti Sanon is given to work with, she delivers an impressive performance that does justice to her character and Deepak Dobriyal’s comedic timing remains unmatched. All major characters also have an easy chemistry together that makes the film better.

'Drishyam 2' Review: A Meaty Thriller That Dares To Trust Itself

Fitting segue: there’s the issue of the token female character. I can barely critique the female representation in the film without spoiling the movie for you because there is only one woman of substance in the entire film. Instead, let's discuss the ‘The World's Expert on Getting Killed’ trope. Bhediya is not a film that is teeming with logic but that still fails to explain why the film gets rid of a character who has been around for decades in the most embarrassing of ways. 

In the attempt to give the self-proclaimed ‘not a hero’, a hero’s journey, logic is left on the sidelines with every character becoming dispensable once they’ve fulfilled their arc in the hero’s story.

How is Bhaskar’s lycan suddenly stronger than the forest’s protector? In a story that spent a while explaining the people’s relationship with their forest, how did nobody put up more of a fight when their protector was in danger? 

To come to the topic that’s been on Bollywood’s mind recently, VFX. The visual effects for Bhediya are stunning. For a film that aims to put nature at its forefront, the visual effects help them achieve that. It is almost impossible to not be mesmerised by the opulence of trees, grass, dirt, and vines that the VFX studio MPC has created.

It’s not surprising of course, since this is the same studio responsible for the Academy award-winning film The Jungle Book, influences from which are evident in Bhediya including the nostalgia ridden ‘ jungle jungle baat chali hai, pata chala hai’. 

Jishu Bhattacharjee as the DOP does a commendable job and editor Sanyukta Kaza uses his well-shot scenes to their maximum potential to tell a story. The music by Sachin-Jigar with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya is catchy but for some might be an acquired taste. 

When it comes to comedy, Bhediya treads the line of funny and disgusting, often stumbling on to either side (perhaps I am just not a fan of toilet humour).

Some of the jokes do land and maybe a film like Bhediya hopes to be entertaining if not revolutionary. On that mission, it succeeds. Bhediya , despite its flaws, clearly entertains. 

Would the film have been better if they had truly focused on the idea of the forest and its mysterious protector being the actual heroes? Yes. Did it? No.

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Bhediya Movie Review: Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon starrer rides on Comedy, Performances & VFX

Planning to watch the Amar Kaushik directed Bhediya over the weekend? Read Pinkvilla review of this Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon starrer creature comedy.

Name: Bhediya

Director: amar kaushik, cast: varun dhawan,kriti sanon,shraddha kapoor,rajkummar rao,sharad kelkar,aparshakti khurana,saurabh shukla,abhishek banerjee,deepak dobriyal,amar kaushik, where to watch: jiocinema.

On his visit to Arunachal Pradesh for a forest road project, Bhaskar ( Varun Dhawan ) is bitten by a wolf on a special but magical night that happens once in a year. Due to the bite, he develops the characteristics of a wolf and also has the ability to transform into a werewolf in certain instances. He is joined by Anika ( Kriti Sanon ), Panda (Deepak Dobriyal), Janardhan (Abhishek Banerjee), and Jomin (Paalin Kabaak) on this journey of discovering the animal within him. What is the purpose of his turning into a werewolf? What happens to the forest road project? How do Anika, Panda, Janardhan, and Jomin react to his transformation? All the questions are answered in Bhediya.

What works?

Bhediya has a novel thought, something not seen before in Hindi cinema. The vision of creating a creature comedy translates well on the screen due to the polished visual effects, that result in some great cinematic shots. It's among the best visual effects for a Hindi Film, not in terms of scale but on the technical front. The 3D also enhances the experience, especially the sequences featuring the wolf. The film rides on some genuinely funny gags, in the first half and the initial few frames in the post-interval scenes. The interactions of Varun Dhawan, Abhishek Banerjee, Deepak Dobriyal, and Paalin Kabaak often bring in laughter. The same can be said for the first few encounters of the trio with the werewolf. Big credit to the dialogue writer for those one-liners.

Bhediya also works due to the swift ability of Amar and his writer, Niren Bhatt, to give out a message without taking a preachy path. The post-credit scene is a laugh riot and ensures that you leave the hall with a smile. The music sets up the mood of Bhediya and lends itself beautifully to the world of Arunachal Pradesh.

What doesn’t work?

The core thought of Bhediya had ample potential to translate into something a lot bigger, especially in the second half, but the team isn’t exactly able to take the conflict to the next level on the execution front. The director and writer take too long to give the arc of redemption to Bhaskar, which in turn doesn’t make you root for the protagonist for a major chunk of the narrative. The core conflict of man vs human is not established well, whereas the romantic track doesn’t spike that interest. The pre-climax episode is a bit of a drag and while the climax is a brave and out-of-box attempt, it doesn’t exactly follow the conventional route to appease everyone.  

Performances

Bhediya tick marks all boxes on the performance front. Varun Dhawan carries the film on his shoulders and is simply fantastic in the transformation scenes. He has cracked the formula of mouthing some one-liners with conviction and does well in the dramatic moments of the film too. Kriti Sanon has limited screen time, but her character brings in a new element to this tale as the story progresses. Abhishek Banerjee is hilarious and lifts the tempo of the film with his dialogue delivery. Paalin Kabaak gets his moment to shine in the second half, whereas Deepak Dobriyal is dependable as Panda. Saurabh Shukla doesn’t get much scope in the narrative. Rajkummar Rao and Aparshakti Khurana’s cameo towards the finale is a huge surprise, making you want more.

Final Verdict:

Bhediya rides primarily on the strength of gags, visual effects, and performances, but warranted a bigger conflict with regard to a hero and villain in the second half. Despite the flaws, it makes for a fairly entertaining watch for the youth, and families, who wish to experience something unique on the big screen from the Hindi Film Industry.

Film Journalist

Film Journalist and trade analyst. With over 9 years of experience, every day, Himesh attempts to be credible with exclusive and authentic news breaks in the era of click baits. With an MBA in Finance, he believes numbers bring in an element of objectivity in life. At Pinkvilla, he reports and analyzes the box office collections of feature films and has broken over 1000 exclusive stories. In the past, Himesh has worked with Mumbai Mirror, Catch News, and Bollywood Hungama.

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• What is the release date of 'Bhediya'? Release date of Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon starrer 'Bhediya' is 2022-11-25.
• Who are the actors in 'Bhediya'? 'Bhediya' star cast includes Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Banerjee and Deepak Dobriyal.
• Who is the director of 'Bhediya'? 'Bhediya' is directed by Amar Kaushik.
• Who is the producer of 'Bhediya'? 'Bhediya' is produced by Dinesh Vijan.
• What is Genre of 'Bhediya'? 'Bhediya' belongs to 'Comedy,Horror,Thriller' genre.
• In Which Languages is 'Bhediya' releasing? 'Bhediya' is releasing in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil.

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Bhediya Movie Review

Bhediya Devesh Sharma , Nov 25, 2022, 11:41 IST

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Release date: 25 November, 2022 -->

Bhediya movie.

BHEDIYA is the story of a man who turns into a wolf. Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan), based in Delhi, works for Bagga (Saurabh Shukla). The former is a road contractor and for his job, he is supposed to go to Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh, to construct a road through the jungle. Bhaskar ...  reaches Ziro along with his cousin, Janardan (Abhishek Banerjee). Here, they are joined by a localite, Jomin (Paalin Kabaak). The trio then meet Panda (Deepak Dobriyal), who also helps Bhaskar in his mission. Bhaskar’s job isn’t going to be easy as the tribals are not ready to give up their land and let the trees be cut. Bhaskar then woos the younger generation of the area and through them, he convinces the older generation. He’s going back to his guest house at night when he gets attacked by a wolf. The wolf bites him on his buttock. Janardan and Jomin take him to a vet as they feel that if the word spreads, it’ll lead to problems. The vet, Anika (Kriti Sanon), gets scared about being asked to treat a human patient. She gives him a painkiller injection. The next day, Bhaskar’s wound miraculously disappears. He is able to sense, hear and smell in a much better manner. He doesn’t realize what’s happening. Meanwhile, a few nights later, Prakash (Dosam Beyong), who works with Bhaskar and who had the signed agreements, gets killed by the wolf. The agreements disappear. At this point, Janardan and Jomin feel suspicious that Bhaskar could be behind the killing. They conclude that he has turned into a ‘vishanoo’ and this scares the daylights out of them, as they fear for their safety.

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Varun Dhawan

Videos (26).

FDFS Public Review: Bhediya ft Varun Dhawan & Kriti Sanon

Articles (130).

EXCLUSIVE: Amar Kaushik talks about Bhediya’s underperformance: “We wondered ‘Jo number humne socha tha, woh kyun nahin aaya’ especially when everyone liked it”; BREAKS silence on Bhediya 2 and Stree 3

Varun Dhawan shares post-credit scene of Bhediya from Munjya screening as he congratulates the film’s team

Kriti Sanon shares hilarious response to a fan asking, “Bhediya, Robot, what’s next?”

From Mimi to Bareilly Ki Barfi: 5 best performances of Kriti Sanon

Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon reunite; Bhediya actress says “miss you”, see photo

Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon starrer Bhediya to howl on COLORS Cineplex this Independence Day!

Varun Dhawan on Bhediya finding its audience on OTT after moderate collections at box office: “You pick yourself up and move on, you can’t sulk”

Bhediya duo Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon reunite to vibe on ‘Baaki Sab Theek’ song; actor comments, “love you to the moon”

Box Office: Zara Hatke Zara Bachke set to cross Bhediya’s lifetime collection inside 20 days

Varun Dhawan–Kriti Sanon starrer Bhediya to premiere on JioCinema on May 26

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• Stree (2018)

‘Stree’ Recap: ‘Munjya’ And ‘Bhediya’ Connection & Things To Know Before ‘Stree 2’

The first film of the Maddock Supernatural Universe was the Amar Kaushik directorial, Stree , which was released in the year 2018. With the second installment of the film scheduled to be released on 15th August, I believed that it was the best time to revisit the 2018 film, find out what happened in its ending, if Stree, the ghost that haunted Chanderi village, is still alive, and how the world of Stree collides with the other two films of this cinematic universe, i.e., Munjya and Bhediya .

Spoiler Alert

Did Vicky fall in love with Stree? 

There was an unnamed woman (played by Shraddha Kapoor) who came to Chanderi every year during the 4-day ritual that was organized in the city. Nobody had seen this woman except Vicky. For the longest time, Bittu and Janna didn’t suspect any foul play, but then once Stree started claiming the lives of the men in the village, they realized that probably the girl that Vicky was meeting was, in fact, the ghost, Stree. This unnamed woman made some very weird demands, and Vicky was so mesmerized by her beauty that he didn’t realize that what she was asking him to do was not normal. She asked for things like brandy and a lizard’s tail from Vicky, and it was pretty obvious that she was conducting some black magic rituals. Bittu tried telling Vicky about it, but he didn’t listen to him. But then, one day, Janna was taken away by Stree, and that’s when Vicky finally connected the dots and entertained the possibility of the woman actually being Stree. Now, Vicky didn’t know the name of this woman; she didn’t even share her phone number or any other details, which Vicky, after Janna’s disappearance, realized was quite strange. Vicky mustered all the courage, and he asked the woman if she was Stree, but she disappeared without answering his question. Vicky and Bittu went to search for Janna, and luckily they found him. Janna was not himself after he came back. He got these fits where it felt like a ghost had entered his body. Janna didn’t talk to anybody, and he didn’t tell what actually happened to him after he was taken by Stree. Rudra, who claimed to know everything about Stree, joined forces with Bittu and Vicky, and they went on a quest to find her and save the village. That’s when it was revealed that the unnamed woman with whom Vicky fell in love was not Stree. Shraddha Kapoor’s character said that she, too, had lost someone because of Stree, and she wanted to find a way to kill her. Vicky was quite relieved to find out that his love interest was not a ghost and that he could romance her and hopefully have a future with her. 

Why were Stree hunting men? 

There was a man named Shastri who had written a book about Stree’s past and what caused her to become a vengeful spirit. Rudra, Vicky, Bittu, and the anonymous woman went to meet Shastri, and that’s when we got to know that back in the day, Stree had endured a lot, and the people of Chanderi had tortured her in the most horrific manner. Stree was a sex worker, and the men of the village took undue advantage of her. They exploited her till they could. When Stree found a man who actually loved her and wanted to spend his entire life with her, the people of the village killed her and her lover. Since then, Stree came back during a specific time period in the year and abducted the men of the village. Shastri had told Vicky, Rudra, and others that a skilled man would come in the future, born to a sex worker, who would save the people of Chanderi. Now, Vicky got to know that his mother was a sex worker, and soon Rudra, Bittu, and others realized that he was the prophesied hero who was going to save them from the wrath of Stree. Vicky was terrified, as he did not know how he was supposed to do that. Rudra, Bittu, and the anonymous woman decided to set a trap for Stree and use Vicky as bait to lure her in. Vicky didn’t want to be a part of the plan, but he realized that he didn’t have much of an option. 

Did Stree leave Chanderi village? 

At the end of Stree, Vicky came face to face with the ghost that haunted the Chanderi village. He looked into her eyes, and something inside him changed. He felt sympathetic towards her, and even though he was petrified, his heart didn’t allow him to kill her. That’s when Shraddha Kapoor’s character gave him the advice that if he was not going to kill her, then he should at least cut her braids and make her powerless. Vicky was able to do that, and all the men who had disappeared returned safely to the village. Vicky, Rudra, and Bittu were revered heroes, and Janna came back to his senses. The anonymous woman left Chanderi, and she still didn’t tell her name or give Vicky any details to contact her. A shocking revelation is made at the end of Stree when we realize that the woman had taken the severed braid of Stree and magically attached it to her own hair. We realized that the woman was not as innocent as she pretended to be, and she had some ulterior motive behind going after Stree. We don’t know what happened in her past life, where she came from, or why she so desperately wanted to kill Stree. The secrets will probably be explored in Stree 2 , and we will get to know what that woman actually wanted.

How Is ‘Stree’ Connected To ‘Bhediya’ And ‘Munjya’?

The interconnected nature of Stree , Bhediya , and Munjya was first revealed in the 2022 Amar Kaushik directorial, where we learned that the character of Janardhan was actually Janna from Stree. Apparently, after his possession in Stree, which was followed by a psychotic episode, Janna was forced to stay away from Chanderi. He focused on his upcoming UPSC exams by living with his cousin, Bhaskar. But when he went to a small village in Arunachal Pradesh, he found himself in the middle of yet another supernatural situation, i.e., Bhaskar’s transformation into a werewolf. After surviving that whole ordeal, Vicky and Bittu visited Janna and asked him to return to Chanderi because he was the key to finding Stree again, but they found Bhaskar in his Bhediya form in his outhouse. During the mid-credits scene of Munjya , Bhaskar and Janna made an appearance where the latter helped his cousin with some clothes because Bhaskar had ripped through them during his transformation process. Munjya observed this whole exchange. As far as I know, Janna will be facing off with Stree again in Stree 2. However, the extent of Bhaskar and Munjya’s involvement in it is still a mystery to me. Hopefully, we’ll get some answers after going on yet another ghostly adventure with Vicky, Rudra, Jana, Bittu, and The Girl with No Name.

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