Yodha Review: Forced Plot Twists, Lack Of Character Arc Make Sidharth Malhotra, Raashii Khanna’s Film Tough To Watch
Only the action is bearable!
2.5 / 5
After the dramatic release of Yodha’s rip-roaring trailer, the film promised a thrilling ride to us. The Sidharth Malhotra, Disha Patani and Raashii Khanna starrer film is directed by Pushkar Ojha and Sagar Ambre and is released under the banner of Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. Yodha revolves around the story of a Hijack whose responsibilities are shouldered by Arun Katyal, a special commando from the Yodha Task Force. However, it’s not that simple! Yodha also deals with the themes of patriotism and is packed with some engaging action sequences. But did the film manage to hold our attention thoroughly? Here’s our detailed review of the Sidharth Malhotra and Raashii Khanna starrer Yodha.
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Story
In the first scene of Yodha, we are introduced to Arun Katyal (Sidharth Malhotra), a fearless and brave commando from the Yodha special task force who doesn’t like to negotiate. The story moves forward to give us a brief background on how Arun’s father (Ronit Roy) started the Yodha task force and the kind of importance it holds in Arun’s life. Raashii Khanna plays the role of a government employee and Arun’s wife Priyamvada. The first half establishes the groundwork for all the action and drama anticipated after the interval. There are two songs before the interval. We also get to see Sidharth Malhotra and Raashii Khanna’s romance, and their adorable chemistry in the first half. However, there are some major plot twists in Arun’s personal and professional life, and just before the interval, we are left on a cliffhanger when the special commando finds himself in a hijacked plane and is also the key suspect behind it. The second half of Yodha accelerates, and there is more drama, twists and action. Now, to see whether Arun Katiyal is the real hijacker or the hero of this film, you will have to watch it. And here are some positives and negatives to help you decide that.
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Negatives
Story
While Yodha’s story about the Hijack could be engaging, it ends up becoming forced with all the random twists and turns in the film. The story desperately instils the idea of patriotism through Sidharth Malhotra’s character, and at times there are a lot of unnecessary dramatic moments trying to increase the level of seriousness in the film, but only ends up leaving us a little frustrated. The unnecessary addition of songs in the first half always broke the flow of what could have been a serious mission about Hijack. The pace of Yodha’s first half is very slow, and in bits and pieces, Sidharth’s character will also remind you of Shershaah. The same old India-Pakistan narrative becomes the crux of this film too and how Arun takes up his role as the one-man army to fight the terrorists. Well, the redundant nature of the storytelling is one of the biggest flaws of Yodha too.
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Plot Twists
In an attempt to showcase the patriotic nature of Arun Katyal’s character, some forced twists in the plot can make you say, “What, why?” The decisions taken by him seem to be very unrealistic, for eg, his love for the Yodha Task Force is so much so that he is ready to leave his wife for that. It’s quite difficult to resonate with such films. Some plot twists were quite obvious too, and due to the predictable nature of the storytelling, the film becomes less engaging!
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Characters
We had a lot of expectations from the characters in Yodha, however, it did end up disappointing us. There is nothing fresh about Sidharth Malhotra’s character Arun Katyal. There are no major character arcs, and the same boring format of hailing him as the hero in the film is something that we have seen enough! Priyamveda’s character also loses its potential by the second half, while Disha Patani as Laila, is short-lived and eh, forgotten in the end.
Also Read: Yodha Trailer: Sidharth Malhotra, Disha Patani Have Hijacked Our Attention, We’re Seated For This Action Thriller
Positives
Action
If you love action and want to watch a film that is heavy on hand-to-hand combats, then Yodha is for you. After the interval, the film picks up pace and some very engaging action sequences instantly make you attentive. Sidharth Malhotra has done a phenomenal job with the action and we loved to see Arun going all rebellious in the second half.
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Performances
Sidharth Malhotra did not have much to play with his character, it’s only his action sequences that keep us on the edge. The actor is effortless in these action scenes, especially in the second half. Sidharth Malhotra also nails his expressions of an angry man, but well, we did not expect anything less. Raashii Khanna as Priyamvada is also impressive, only if we could have seen some more wow factor in the writing of her character as well. Disha Patani has done a pretty decent job.
Verdict
Sidharth Malhotra, Raashii Khanna and Disha Patani starrer Yodha is only impressive from an action thriller POV, and the performances by the lead cast. Otherwise, the film has nothing fresh to offer in terms of storyline and themes. The plot around the Hijack fails to have the desired impact on us, and the fact that it’s unnecessarily made to look dramatic becomes the sole reason to hamper the intensity of emotions felt by an audience. The film released on March 15, and could be a good watch only if you love Sidharth doing great action!
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