Bad Newz Review: Triptii Dimri, Vicky Kaushal’s Film Is Like A 2019 TikTok Reel That Made Us Cringe Hard!
Bad Newz is directed by Anand Tiwari and backed by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions. Read our review here!
1 / 5
Imagine yourself in a theatre, watching a film that desperately needs to end because the silly plot is making you sick. That’s exactly how Vicky Kaushal, Triptii Dimri and Ammy Virk starrer Bad Newz was for me. As a reviewer, my worst nightmare was brought to life after witnessing this 2-hour 22-minute-long film on the big screen. The film is directed by Anand Tiwari, written by Tarun Dudeja and Isha Moitra, and backed by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. The storyline has been constructed without much thought, pattern or any sense. Bad Newz highlights a rare pregnancy phenomenon heteropaternal superfecundation except you will leave the theatre without any knowledge about it because inke kalesh hi nahi khatam hote! So, here’s a new day, a new film but the same old rant about another box-office release that literally made me say, Tauba Tauba, yeh kya dekh liya! Read on.
Plot (You can skip coz I couldn’t)
The most important part of the film happens in the first 15 minutes- two songs! Oh okay, sorry for the distraction but even the songs did the same. Anyway, Triptii Dimri’s Saloni Bagga and Vicky Kaushal’s Akhil Chadha cross paths at a wedding. Well, Saloni had been avoiding the topic of marriage (despite her mother’s sincere attempts to find her a guy) because she just had one dream, that was to get a Meraki star, chefs ka Oscar as explained in the film.
However, things change when she sees the tall, dark and handsome guy who dances well btw at the wedding. Akhil Chadha pursues Saloni, at first she denies but he requests her to give him a trial period, and the next day they start dating. Cut to, they get married and go on a honeymoon but Akhil is a mummy’s boy and that bothers Saloni. But, Akhil’s naive and insensitive behaviours towards his wife’s work are the bigger problems. For eg. kabhi bhi gifts ya relatives ko leke biwi ke restaurant pohoch jao types insensitive. One fine day, a big kalesh happens between the two, but only when Saloni fails to earn the Meraki star because of her marriage problems, she decides to part ways with Akhil (honestly even I felt, they weren’t meant for each other).
Moving on, Saloni Bagga takes up a chef’s job in Dehradun, hangs out with the owner of the restaurant, Gurbir Pannu and ends up having s*x with him after getting to know that Akhil is dating other girls. But the very next morning, to her surprise, she finds Akhil Chadha with a cake inside her cupboard. Yeah well, and in no time, they two also have s*x. Bad Newz progresses to show how Saloni has the rare pregnancy phenomenon of heteropaternal superfecundation in which both Akhil and Gurbir are the fathers of the twin children growing inside her womb.
There is a lot of chaos, rivalry, jealousy and competition between Akhil and Gurbir just to prove their ownership of the unborn children and Saloni, of course. Things get complicated and there’s a point when the fathers have to take the difficult decision of choosing between the kids. However, things end on a good note and Saloni decides to go with… aha spoiler-free hai review!
Also Read: CBFC Asks Removal Of Vicky Kaushal, Triptii Dimri 27 Second Kissing Scenes In Bad Newz: Reports
Bad Newz Mostly Has Bad News To Convey!
Weaknesses
The Writing!
Anything was happening and it made no sense. When I gave away the plot of Bad Newz, I did not about the numerous illogical bits in the film that left me wondering if they even proofread the script. Saloni Bagga’s love story with Akhil Chadha is a love story that I would never want to see again. Even if the writers wanted to focus less on developing their love story, at least they could have made it convincing enough for us to feel the chemistry between the two characters. The lack of build-up in their storyline was quite a flaw because as an audience, I had zero emotional connection with the characters during their low phases or the scenes which were meant to be hard-hitting. It mostly looked like melodrama! Bad Newz talks little to nothing about the rare pregnancy phenomenon, which could have been the only USP in the film.
The constant tussle between the two fathers Gurbir and Akhil just got more and more frustrating as the film moved forward. I felt like none of them could make a good father, however, one decision and Saloni found the right guy (sirf filmon mein hota hai babu moshay). The writing had so many loopholes that the film only has a frivolous story to offer, just to convince the audience that Saloni got pregnant with two fathers. Also, what was wrong with Saloni Bagga’s family? Their daughter has been asked to move out from the in-law’s house, that too by her husband and all they are concerned about is a contestant’s life in a reality show. How do we buy this? The amount of seriousness or effort put into writing was equal to the work we do on Fridays (IYKYK). In the end, one of the fathers Gurbir (Ammy Virk) is emotionally disconnected from the child (busy flirting with his ex-girlfriend) and at this point, I wanted the film to end!
Comedy Nahi Stupidity Made Us Laugh!
That pretty much sums up my feelings on the comedy bit in the film. Vicky Kaushal, Triptii Dimri and Ammy Virk starrer Bad Newz can only make you laugh at the frothy writing. I and my colleague were giggling at how naive a film can be, and with each laughter came “Yeh kya ho raha hai bhai?” The constant references from various films or the Katrina Kaif’s bit shown in the trailer did not sound funny at all. It’s like they killed these jokes with superficial writing.
Also Read: Bad Newz Song Tauba Tauba: Vicky Kaushal’s Moves Are The Best Thing About This Karan Aujla Collab!
Characters (What was the need of Maa Corona (Neha Dhupia?)
Starting with Vicky Kaushal’s OTT Punjabi munda character as Vicky Chaddha Sabdo Vadda, why so loud and irritating bro? I mean, trust me, I would never entertain a guy like Vicky Chaddha, unlike Rocky Randhawa, this character in Bad Newz had many red flags, the biggest one being that he thought girls with tattoos could never make good wives.
I am still wondering why was Neha Dhupia’s unusual character of Maa Corona even present in the film. Her character had nothing to add, subtract or even twist, so why? I can imagine the film moving on even without her.
Akhil Chadha’s Mamaji as a spy was another unnecessary addition to the list of characters and the film’s subplot.
Direction!
It’s simply sad that a director like Anand Tiwari, known for films like Udaan and Go Goa Gone couldn’t save Bad Newz from its poor script and questionable humour!
Songs
While ‘Tauba Tauba’ is the one popular song from the film that went on to become a hit among the masses, the other songs are pretty average. TBH, I had no interest in watching so many songs in the film and only if it was an OTT release, I would fast-forwarded them.
Performances!
Vicky Kaushal as Akhil Chadha was only likeable in a few bits and pieces. Since I was not fond of his character much, Vicky Kaushal’s acting did not impress me either. Honestly, it sometimes felt too forced or like the actor was trying too hard. In some scenes, Akhil Chadha’s character looked caricaturist and at one point, it just became unbearable. What was more surprising was his chemistry with Triptii Dimri. The hopes and promises made through the song ‘Jaanam’ did not live up to the hype in the final product. Rather, Triptii Dimri’s on-screen presence with Ammy Virk looked more adorable (that lasted only for a few minutes, haan!)
Triptii Dimri as Saloni Bagga has delivered just as much as the character demands (little). The amount of sympathy and concern that I should have been feeling for the woman experiencing a rare pregnancy phenomenon gets lost in the writing and Triptii Dimri’s acting adds no value (again writing).
Ammy Virk as Gurbir is adorable at first and his performance is average! Our face after watching the film!
Verdict
Vicky Kaushal, Triptii Dimri and Ammy Virk starrer Bad Newz is a film that makes you cringe hard, and pushes you to a point where you may find yourself pulling your hair in disgust! The combination of frivolous writing, broken humour and unrealistic characters is too much to take in 2 hours 22 minutes. Directed by Anand Tiwari, Bad Newz educates little to nothing about the rare pregnancy phenomenon of heteropaternal superfecundation, the only bit where it could have made sense. Performances by the lead cast fail to redeem the film. It has been released in the theatres and I suggest that you skip this one!
First Published: July 19, 2024 11:19 AM
