Yodha Review: Sidharth Malhotra, Disha Patani's Action Film Is A Turbulent Ride

Sidharth Malhotra starrer hostage rescue drama Yodha inadvertently draws comparisons with National Award winning film Neerja. The Ram Madhvani directorial was inspired by a real-life hijacking incident and traced how an unassuming flight attendant became an unlikely hero. However, despite being similar in treatment to Neerja on so many accounts, Yodha turns out to be a turbulent ride which is hijacked by a predictable screenplay and its preference to drama over action.

Hot Take

Yodha goes off the beaten track as it sets up the storyline. We meet the overconfident hero Arun Katyal (Sidharth Malhotra) at his most vulnerable as he fails in his mission to save a decorated nuclear scientist. The rest of the plot is his redemption story.

The plot gives ample space to Sidharth to tap into his vulnerable side and strike a balance between brawn and emotions, something that he did quite well in Shershaah. However, unlike the Vikram Batra biopic, the tonality shift in Yodha becomes its flaw, a burden it fails to shrug off.

Does Yodha live up to the hype?  

Yodha kicks off in style with an action sequence, then jumps into a romantic number which is quickly followed up with an in-flight rescue mission. While the film sails on two boats, it fails to find a firm footing in either. By the time we expect more action to kick in, the romance and eventual discord between husband-wife push the story into a drab zone. The plot then keeps building with scattered action sequences thrown in.

Sidharth's film does injustice to its action film tag by indulging in too many details. The "who did what" bears well in a whodunit and not in a film that is supposed to take you on a ride - quite literally inside a flight. At some point, the big twist of the film is also a give away. This is a direct consequence of overindulge in the plot, hoping the lead actor to carry the audience with the flow. However, Sidharth's limited range in acting becomes quite the burden.  

The Kashmir plot returns

No points for guessing but Yodha builds up on India-Pakistan rivalry. With terrorism and 'Azad Kashmir' incorporated, the context doesn't offer anything new either. Clichéd dialogues are thrown in to simmer tension. Despite its in-flight action novelty, the done-to-death context is enough to undo all that the film had going in its favour.

Sidharth saves the day

Sidharth saves the day as a redemption-seeking member of the elite task force Yodha. He brings the brawn to the action scenes, which form the majority of the enjoyable moments in the film. He looks the part and with more combat and less dialogue involved, Yodha could have done better with the actor's towering presence.

Disha Patani as flight attendant Laila has something suspicious going on and it reflects in her demeanour. Ideally, that should not have been the case. Things take a turn for the worse when she begins to deliver one-tone dialogues, devoid of any modulation or emotion. Raashii Khanna has also been underused. Her scenes with Sidharth do have their charm but as the plot progresses, she fades into the backdrop.

Watch it or skip it?

Yodha is good in action sequences and there is a certain novelty in the manner it treats its combat scenes. They stick well with the audience but don't come as often as one would expect. The film, however, tries its best to build tension, but fails to land it correctly.

Bottomline

When you realise that Yodha is an action film with a storyline to follow, you start to lose interest in it. Until then, it's a fun watch. Unfortunately, this realisation dawns upon quite early, making the rest of the 2-hour film a dull watch.

Rating: 2/5 Stars