Review: 'Yodha' solidifies Sidharth Malhotra further as an action star in a highly entertaining extravaganza

An action hero, Sidharth Malhotra, just seems to be the voice and forte the actor was looking for in almost a decade of his career as he pirouetted through multiple projects ranging from romcoms to quintessential love stories and so on. After Shershaah, the actor has been on an upward graph in his filmography and playing the likes of on-screen army officers, policemen, and others has struck a chord with viewers and audiences alike. 

Now, he arrives with an ambitious Dharma Productions project, Yodha, which is as action-packed and high-stakes a film as you can imagine it to be. Also starring Raashii Khanna and Disha Patani in lead roles, the film, directed by debutant director Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha, has now been released in theatres in India. Having had the chance to see the film beforehand, here's what I thought about it-

An Action Spectacle That Delivers

What works for Yodha the most is the constant edge-of-the-seat action and urgency that the screenplay catapults from one situation to another. There is barely any dull moment as the film deals with not one but two hijack situations. It seemed to be a conscious call to have the madness take centre stage, where emotions and love stories take a backseat and act just as a backdrop. One cannot rave enough about the action choreography and cinematography of this film, where being labelled as an 'actioner' is justified to the maximum. 

Craig Macrae, who has a fabulous resume of directing action in films like Pathaan, Jawan and even Mad Max: Fury Road, is fabulous with his design of action set pieces, be it in a confined space that of an aeroplane washroom or in a huge setting like that of a Parliament Hall with guns, fireworks and chaos. Add to that, Jishnu Bhattacharjee's camera work is splendid as well, especially in one scene where the plane is shown to be rolling 360 degrees, and Malhotra and another actor are exchanging blows and punches while appearing as if they are defying gravity. 

Malhotra Becoming More Efficient with Action

The spectacle aspect of Yodha ensures that you aren't disappointed, and apart from a couple of obviously shoddy CGI shots, the rest finished product is done rather well. Malhotra continues to be incredibly limited in his ability to emote, but that's exactly what the directors have worked with in their favour. 

His tall personna, charm, and good on-screen action prowess collectively take over to be the central focus. This makes sure that his limitations are never highlighted and even has you rooting for him as the 'hero.' Raashii Khanna doesn't have much to do, but she does well with what she's provided, and even Disha Patani does a great job with her limited screen time. It is Sunny Hinduja though, who once again reminds that he needs to be noticed more as he plays a formidable antagonist.

Emotions Take a Backseat, And Sometimes So Does The Logic

Yodha does have its own set of limitations, though. In an attempt to make it the mammoth actioner it is, the emotions take a serious hit. The love story of Malhotra and Khanna flies by extremely quickly, pretty much in two montages - a happy one and a sad one. Malhotra's Arun Katyal is shown to have a backstory for his reason to be committed to the Yodha task force, but that is never exploited enough as Ronit Roy plays a blink-and-miss appearance, and this might be the first film where the hero has a grieving and loving mother, but her presence is irrelevant. She doesn't even have dialogues! 

There are one-two many twists and turns in the film, and while it is a lot of fun in a few instances, some others are predictable and almost 'too much'. The logic and technicality of operating an aeroplane in a hijack situation and the workings of a bruised and battered aeroplane always seem questionable even though, as the viewer, it isn't something you care about otherwise.

The Verdict

Nevertheless, these blank spaces never affect Yodha to a worrisome extent, where spectacular action pieces, whistling one-liners, or just some worthy plot twists are ready at the next moment itself to take over and get your attention once again before you lose the train of thought entirely.

Yodha might have its share of limitations, but it never stops being entertaining, thrilling, and, most importantly, engaging. It is a big-screen fest that assures you a good time at the movies, and that is a huge win in itself.

Rating - ***1/2 (3.5/5)