‘Bad Newz’ Movie Review: Vicky Kaushal Is on ‘Govinda’ Mode in This Hackneyed Romcom Co-Starring Triptii Dimri and Ammy Virk (LatestLY Exclusive)

Bad Newz Movie Review: Remember when Vicky Kaushal starred in Govinda Mera Naam? In Anand Tiwari's Bad Newz, the National Award-winning actor channels his inner Govinda to the fullest, delivering a highly energetic performance that showcases his comic timing. If you haven't yet been impressed by Kaushal's acting prowess, his aptitude for comedy might change your mind. The dude also excels in the more dramatic scenes and even dances like a dream in the "Tauba Tauba" song played during the end credits. It is just that I wish this performance had been in a genuinely funny film. When it comes to making you laugh, Bad Newz is, well, bad news. ‘Bad Newz’: CBFC Censors Vicky Kaushal and Triptii Dimri’s Kissing Scene of 27 Seconds and Grants U/A Certificate – Check Runtime!

Saloni (Triptii Dimri), a chef, and Akhil (Vicky Kaushal), a chaap restaurant owner, meet at a wedding and are instantly smitten with each other. Soon enough, they marry and embark on a passionate honeymoon to Europe. However, it doesn't take long for Saloni to realise that her husband is a mama's boy who lacks respect for personal boundaries. After a few skirmishes, they divorce.

Watch the Trailer of 'Bad Newz':

Saloni then starts working at a hotel in Mussoorie, where she meets its kind-hearted owner, Gurbir (Ammy Virk), and grows close to him. In a fit of drunken jealousy, she has a one-night stand with Gurbir, which felt more like a violation done to him, and on that same night, she also sleeps with Akhil, who wants to reconcile. Six weeks later, Saloni discovers she is pregnant with twins, and in a rare occurrence, both Akhil and Gurbir turn out to be the fathers.

'Bad Newz' Movie Review - An Interesting Premise Not Done Right

The crux of the story revolves around heteropaternal superfecundation, where two men can share the paternity of a woman's foetus. This is an interesting, never-before-explored plot for a Hindi film. However, it takes over an hour to reach this point, and before that, we're subjected to a failing marital drama and the most contrived of one-night two-stands. Bad Newz begins with Saloni narrating her story to Ananya Panday, who plays herself in a cameo as plastic as the framing device. Ananya is about to play Saloni in a biopic, but no one has seemingly explained to her why she should do this biopic, hence the meeting.

We then move to the meet-cute romance between Saloni and Akhil, that's kept afloat by the steamy chemistry of the actors. This is Triptii's most bubblegum-leading role to date. After seeing her in darker, serious roles in Laila Majnu, Bulbul, Qala, and even Animal, honestly, it felt odd to see her in this bubbly space, although she fits well into the mould. Yet, it is in the serious portions where Triptii shines the most. For fans of her 'Bhabhi 2' version (which gets a playful nod in the film), Triptii is utterly sizzling in the "Jaanam" song (the females also get enough shots of a shirtless Kaushal in the movie). However, she frequently gets upstaged by Vicky Kaushal in nearly every scene. Even poor Ammy Virk suffers in comparison. Neha Dhupia also drops occasionally in the movie as Saloni's aunt and best friend, a spiritual healer named 'Ma Corona'. Sorry, if there was a joke there, I missed it.

The interval point is where Bad Newz drops its 'heteropaternal superfecundation' twist (as well as the title drop - is this a new trend? Even Kill does the same). The second half deals with the repercussions of this development, but it's mostly about Akhil and Gurbir acting like pesky man-children, squabbling over Saloni's unborn kids.

'Bad Newz' Movie Review - Banter Needs Better Humour

There are moments where their prickly bromance forces a smile, like when they briefly bond in the first meet over their matching rendition of "Sawli Saloni". Otherwise, they try too hard to inject humour into their banter, making me miss the effortless charm of Anil Kapoor and Govinda pulling off the same equation in David Dhawan's Deewana Mastana. Not the actors' fault, though; it's the writing that plays the spoilsport. The attempts to infuse 'meta' humour into their quibbles feel forced, as do the situations, like Akhil hijacking Gurbir's date with Saloni or hiring his detective uncle to find dirt on Gurbir. The gags may look funny as ideas, but their translation to the screen loses the humour, and sometimes the scenes even feel farcical, like the extreme lengths Gurbir goes to for some chicken despite owning a large-ass hotel of his own.

Akhil's motivations are at least clear, and he gets enough screen time to make his mark. Gurbir, however, feels like a very saccharine character whose feelings for Saloni seem contrived and made-up. Ammy Virk's character ends up being a mix of 'Jimmy Shergill' and 'Chandrachur Singh, with the actor bringing an amiable quality to the role but often getting over-staged by his flashy co-star. Triptii's character is often sidelined, mostly left to rant as the male characters' antics become more annoying. 'Bad Newz' Song 'Rabb Warga': Vicky Kaushal and Triptii Dimri's Sizzling Chemistry Is Top-Notch in This Romantic Number (Watch Video).

For this, I must ask - why do Bollywood female protagonists hesitate when it comes to considering abortions? For a career-driven woman like Saloni, obsessed with achieving something akin to the Michelin star, why take the family route, especially when unplanned? The film presents this option, but there's no proper reasoning as to why she never considers it.

Bad Newz gets 'serious' in the third act with a forced family drama, and the protagonists face a crucial dilemma that predictably amounts to little. The film ends with Ananya Panday agreeing to do the biopic after hearing the hackneyed story, leaving us to wonder why her films aren't working at the box office.

PS: Bad Newz is obsessed with two things besides Kaushal. One is Dharma's legacy, playing some of their old hit songs, including Duplicate "Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam" and even featuring Karan Johar judging a reality show within the film. The other is Shah Rukh Khan, with some of his major hit songs used for popular effect. All it does is make me crave to see Shah Rukh Khan back in a Karan Johar movie. Is that ever happening?

'Bad Newz' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Bad Newz reminds us that even the most novel ideas need solid execution and a good screenplay to truly shine. The film squanders a promising premise with weak writing and forced humour, relying heavily on the charm and talent of its cast to stay afloat. While fans of Vicky Kaushal would be pleased with his all-round effort, Bad Newz is nothing but bad news if you are looking for a consistently funny entertainer.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 19, 2024 09:04 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).