Bhavesh Joshi Superhero Movie Review: Harshvardhan Kapoor Delivers an Earnest Act in Vikramaditya Motwane's Gripping, Smart Vigilante Thriller

Bollywood has a very mixed consistency when it comes to making movies under the superhero genre. Krrish series and Ra.One might be hits, but they failed to impress the critics. Less said about Drona and A Flying Jatt, the better. So when the acclaimed film-maker Vikramaditya Motwane is making a superhero movie with Mirzya debutante Harshvardhan Kapoor, don't blame us for feeling a bit anxious. Bhavesh Joshi Superhero had some intriguing promos, but the marketing was very low-key. Now that the movie is here, has Motwane managed to spring a surprise on us? Check out the review to find out!

A trio of youngsters, played by Kapoor, Priyanshu Painyuli and Ashish Verma, starts a crusade of exposing low-level malpractices, inspired by the Lokpal movement of 2011. Five years later, only one person continues with the crusade, while the hero and the other friend get on with their lives. When the crusader friend is killed trying to expose a huge water scandal, the hero decides to give up his comforts to fight the battle on his slain aide's behalf.

Have you ever had this dream of being a superhero and fighting the corrupt in the country? I had this dream, always, but I know for the fact that I am not going to work towards it. But it is still a dream that comes immediately in my head when I read about the atrocities in the news. Vikramaditya Motwane just made a movie out of that dream. Only that, unlike a Marvel or a Disney movie, Motwane seeps the idea in grim realism nearly the entire movie.

It is actually wrong to call Bhavesh Joshi Superhero a superhero movie per se. The trailers seem misleading, as it gives an idea that this is an action thriller. In fact, the action scenes are very less and they aren't choreographed as stylishly as you see in, say Netflix's Daredevil. There is a sense of realism in how these scenes are shot. The scene where the hero fights a corrupt government employee and his cronies in the latter's flat is a prime example of this. Even after getting trained, Karate Kid style, the hero doesn't become Bruce Lee. However, I have to address the elephant in the room before I talk about the goodies - the vigilante scenes are the Achilles Heel of Bhavesh Joshi Superhero. It adds to the length of the movie (at two and a half hour runtime, BVJ needed trimming of at least half an hour) with those training sequences and Dhoom-like chase scenes in the second half, leading to a dragged out climax.

That said, the portions where the protagonist works more like a spy than a vigilante feel more effective and interesting. And definitely, more realistic. At least we won't ask questions like where does the hero get money to build his bike or sustain himself? Or for the matter, why is his family never discussed?

Now that I have dragged the cat out of the bag, let me tell you why Bhavesh Joshi Superhero has the makings of an awesome movie. When that the movie works as a social commentary of our nation, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero shines the best. These portions, especially in the first half, are a taut observation of our society and capture the brilliance of the writing (Motwane, Anurag Kashyap, Abhay Koranne). Without taking sides and yet blaming all the wrong-doings, BVJ addresses the burning issues in the country, be it the rampant corruption, the hate-mongering, the pseudo-nationalism and fake news peddling. It does so, through some subtle insertions and quirky humour.

Sample this, a hoodlum who is part of the water-stealing gang, has Saare Jahan Se Achcha as his ringtone. A corrupt official lives in a nearly-in-ruins government quarters but is later to shown to own a Bentley. There is also a clever allusion to how certain media hail our PM, when a Chief Minister's tactic to solve a crisis (that is the doing of his own party member) is called as a 'master-stroke' by a news channel. A once popular five-star hotel in Mumbai, that is now dilapidated, becomes the symbol of the disastrous consequences of corruption and the hiding hole of the hero. Bhavesh Joshi has to be rewatched just to catch more such gems.

The premise of Bhavesh Joshi Superhero is nothing new that we have seen before. There are also sprinklings of Hollywood influences like Superbad, Kick-Ass, The Karate Kid etc. But despite the potential predictability of the premise (good vs bad), Motwane manages to subvert expectations many a time, including with the name, Bhavesh Joshi (see the movie to find out). It is also one of the very few movies in recent times that address the anguish of the youth. Unlike Rang De Basanti, there is no feeling of rebellion that the movie stokes in you, because the makers want to make it as realistic as possible. Only a sense of frustration when the hero manages to eke a victory, to see how the villains turn it into an act of anti-nationalism and terrorism. I am sure the JNU students will relate a lot to the movie.

Bhavesh Joshi Superhero also has to be lauded for addressing the water shortage scandal, that the government often turns a blind eye to. It makes for an interesting coincidence that I saw the movie on the same day when the Central Government put cuts to the water supply in Delhi.

Coming to the performances, Harshvardhan Kapoor puts up a much-improved act compared to his debut movie. Even though there are still rough edges, Harshvardhan is quite earnest in his performance. He manages to bring in the pain of a youngster, who fights evil purely out of the guilt factor. Priyanshu Painyuli is a scene-stealer and he owns the first half. Ashish Verma is really good, especially in the climax. Nishikant Kamat fails to make a proper impact as the main antagonist, but Pratap Phad as his sidekick, a menacing corporator, delivers a chilling performance. Just check him out in the scene where he dances to the beats of Chumme Mein Chavanprash and you know you need to see this actor in more movies!

Yay!

- Harshvardhan Kapoor's earnest act

- Priyanshu Painyuli, Ashish Verma and Pratap Phad

- A realistic touch to the idea of a vigilante

- The excellent social commentary

- The engaging first half

- The dark humour

Nay!

- The drawn-out second half with a tepid climax

- The chase and training sequences

- The lack of originality in the premise

- Some cinematic liberties and loopholes.

Final Thoughts

Bhavesh Joshi Superhero owns some very smart insightful writing about the current political state. This movie works better as a mirror to the current political state of our country and prods our anguish on being silent players to what's happening around us. If the length and the action scenes in the second half could have been reigned in, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero would have been a masterstroke!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 01, 2018 04:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).