OTT Review : Bawaal – Hindi film on Prime Video

Director Nitesh Tiwari, who delivered masterpieces like Dangal and Chichchore, has now come up with a romantic drama titled Bawaal. It stars Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor in the lead roles. The film was released directly on the OTT platform Prime Video. Let’s see how it is.

 

Story:

Ajay Dixit (Varun Dhawan) is a high school teacher who is unhappy with his life. But to the outside world, he is a different person altogether due to the way he projects himself. He marries Nisha (Janhvi Kapoor), but his married life is miserable as Nisha has an epilepsy issue. Nisha reveals her health issue to Ajay even before the marriage and also tells him that she hasn’t experienced it in the last ten years.

But on marriage night, Nisha experiences the issue again. Ajay thinks Nisha will affect his reputation and distances himself from his wife. One day Ajay gets into a small tiff with Nisha and exhibits his anger towards his school student by slapping him. He later finds out that the student is the son of the local MLA. Ajay’s job is now at risk. What did Ajay do next? Did he sort out his issues with Nisha? This forms the crux of the story.

 

Plus Points:

Varun Dhawan is a gem of an actor who can easily pull off any role with ease. The actor deserves special appreciation for choosing to be part of a different film like Bawaal. This is not the first time the actor has done an experimental flick. He has done offbeat films, including Badlapur and October, in the past. Bawaal will now add to this list undoubtedly. The actor’s performance as a youngster who isn’t happy with his life is commendable. The way he exhibited various emotions is superb.

Janhvi Kapoor initially received huge flak for her acting, but the actress is improving a lot with each passing film. Janhvi got a solid role in Bawaal, and she performed it to the best of her capabilities. Her character is as important as Varun’s in this romantic drama, where the entire focus will be only on these two actors.

As the entire focus was on the lead actors, it is also important that they share a neat chemistry, and Bawaal succeeds in this aspect. Manoj Pahwa and Anjuman Saxena, who played Varun Dhawan’s parents, did what was expected of them. The film’s first hour runs at a good pace and is engaging. The way Varun’s character is introduced and the follow-up sequences are well conceived.

 

Minus Points:

The very concept of Bawaal is not something that would be liked by everyone. It is a film that highlights a dysfunctional relationship, and the main lead solves their marital conflicts by imagining themselves in the shoes of the World War 2 victims. Bawaal thus deals with a sensitive topic that is highly subjective, and it will surely raise many eyebrows in the days to come.

There are a few controversial dialogues as well, which might not go well with everyone. For example, Varun Dhawan’s character learns an important lesson from Adolf Hitler’s life, the man who is responsible for many massacres. Also, Janhvi says a dialogue that everyone has greed in their lives, just like Hitler had. These are very debatable issues that might draw severe criticism.

The makers took a perfect decision to release this flick on OTT as it is devoid of any commercial elements. If someone is looking out for timepass stuff, then Bawaal, indeed, isn’t the right film as it runs on a serious tone throughout. The second half is slow-paced, and the makers could have edited out a few sequences.

 

Technical Aspects:

The songs composed by Mithoon, Tanishk Bagchi, and Akashdeep Sengupta are good. The background score rendered by Daniel B. George is excellent, especially in the final moments. The cinematography by Mitesh Marchandani is fair enough. The editing is just okay. The production values are superior.

Coming to the director, Nitesh Tiwari, he did a decent job with the film. Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari penned the story, and Nitesh Tiwari directed Bawaal in the way he intended to without worrying about the aftermath. Bawaal will surely stimulate a lot of discussions in the future.

 

Verdict:

On the whole, Bawaal is a romantic drama that targets a niche audience. The lead cast, Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor, gave compelling performances. The movie is about a couple dealing with their marital conflicts in a different manner. Bawaal doesn’t have any commercial aspects and is filled with controversial elements. Only if you are okay with the mentioned points you can give it a shot.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.75/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team