‘Vedaa’ Movie Review: John Abraham and Sharvari Wagh’s Gritty Action-Drama Is Let Down by an Abysmal Second Half! (LatestLY Exclusive)

Vedaa Movie Review: It's rare for mainstream Bollywood films to address caste politics and the exploitation of minorities. So when director Nikkhil Advani and his lead star-producer John Abraham set out to make Vedaa, a movie with caste malpractices as the gritty backdrop, I was intrigued, especially with the promising Sharvari as the titular lead. However, what I ended up watching in Vedaa was a senselessly edited action film that made a mockery of its plotlines and insulted our intelligence with its clichéd approach, where even the title character is sidelined in favour of its muscular hero. ‘Vedaa’ Censor Update: John Abraham and Sharvari Wagh’s Film Gets U/A Certificate, Runtime Revealed.

Vedaa Bairwa (Sharvari Wagh), a girl from a lower-caste family, lives in Barmer, a village ruled by the self-appointed 'chief' Jitender Pratap Singh (Abhishek Banerjee) and his family. Her introduction shows her going to college and being harassed by a group of upper-caste hooligans. She then looks despairingly at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, perhaps emphasising the debate that Gandhiji's embrace of 'Harijans' hasn’t done much for the welfare of her community. Interestingly, there was no Nehru bust around to share the blame, a nod to current trends.

Watch the Trailer of 'Vedaa':

Vedaa later asks her brother’s upper-caste girlfriend to fill her bottler with water from the college cooler because she doesn’t have the privilege to do so. She aspires to be a boxer but is barred from pursuing her dream due to her caste. Fortunately for her, a court-martialled soldier named Abhimanyu (John Abraham) arrives in her village and takes a job at her college as a boxing coach assistant. Abhimanyu is a man of few words who lost his wife (Tamannaah Bhatia) in a terrorist attack and isn’t one to back down from a fight. He decides to train Vedaa and later even becomes her knight in shining armour when she has to flee from Jitender and his murderous goons.

'Vedaa' Movie Review - A Film With an Inconsistent Screenplay

Vedaa is a film full of contradictions. It wants to take a stand against atrocities committed against women, yet it includes an item song featuring Mouni Roy, clearly catering to the male gaze. The hero claims he doesn’t believe in God, yet in an earlier scene, he taunts a terrorist by asserting that even their God is on his side. But the most glaring contradiction lies between the two halves of the film.

The first half of Vedaa is decent, at best. It works when it attempts to portray the harsh realities of caste-based oppression in many parts of India. The key word here is 'attempts'. While the film takes a predictable route—drawing inspiration from two real-life events—with Vedaa’s brother’s inter-caste love story as the inciting incident, it successfully creates a palpable sense of dread and gloom that feels effective. One standout scene features the villain’s brother practising his boxing moves on Vedaa, with sound design so intense that it left me feeling nauseous. Even the scene where Jitendar insults Vedaa's family after her brother's relationship gets exposed is a strong moment.

The antagonists in this part of the film also work in its favour. Abhishek Banerjee’s chilling portrayal turns Jitender Pratap Singh into a simmering volcano ready to erupt. Following his role in Kill, Ashish Vidyarthi delivers another repulsive villainous performance, while Kshitij Chauhan, who plays the smarmy and violent younger brother, also leaves a lasting impression. Unfortunately, they, too, fall victim to poor writing and direction in the second half.

The first half of Vedaa is not without its flaws. The action-packed introduction of John Abraham’s character drags on too long, and even though it connects to his past, the entire scene feels like a concession to fans of his earlier patriotic films. Additionally, his character feels out of place when the movie attempts to ground itself in grim realities.

'Vedaa' Movie Review - An Underwhelming Second Half

Still, these flaws are forgivable compared to what awaits in the second half. The second half of Vedaa has both protagonists on the run from the villain’s men and the corrupt police who work for him. What should have been a gripping revenge thriller instead devolves into a poorly shot, illogical, brawny action film that insults the audience’s intelligence. It becomes an all-out John Abraham action showcase, but the action scenes are poorly edited, with the protagonists conveniently protected by plot armour. ‘Can I Call Out Idiots?’ Did John Abraham Lose His Temper at the ‘Vedaa’ Trailer Launch After a Journalist Questioned His Choice of Roles?

The film sneakily borrows better action sequences from movies like John Wick: Chapter 4 and Deadpool (look out for those three headshots with a single bullet). Vedaa dares you not to question how certain events happen or how the duo manages to reach a location without being noticed. Vedaa cutting off her hair should have been a powerful moment for the character, but the scene's placement and the execution make it laughable. Fortunately, she does get one moment to shine when she physically overpowers her tormentors.

The ridiculously overstretched climax is the perfect capper to the second half, except it comes at the expense of the viewer. The entire scene is set on court premises, where the villains attempt to corner our heroes with complete disregard for the law. It makes you wonder why the protagonists even bother going there. At no point in the film is it established that Vedaa could achieve justice through the court system, which, in reality, is also affected by caste biases. The scene is merely an excuse for one character to deliver a lengthy monologue that fails to resonate emotionally while another character embarks on a killing spree outside, immune to whatever is done to him. The film’s blatant display of the white saviour trope shows how little it cares about its central theme—the abject oppression of minorities. The fact that the audience in my theatre was laughing during the serious scenes in the climax is a testament to how poorly the film handles such a sensitive issue.

As for the performances of the lead actors, Sharvari shines as the girl with a rebellious spirit, making it all the more disappointing that the film, named after her character, sidelines her in favour of her male protector. Once again, it’s John Abraham’s muscles that do most of the heavy lifting rather than his acting.

'Vedaa' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Vedaa squanders its potential to be a hard-hitting drama about systemic oppression by opting for a generic action film that lacks coherence and depth. The film’s mishandling of its sensitive subject matter, coupled with its preference for bombastic action over substantive storytelling, leaves it floundering in mediocrity. A bummer indeed!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 15, 2024 10:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).