The song topped the charts. We all made reels. Vicky Kaushal’s swag broke the internet with that hook step. Triptii Dimri, hot off the success of Animal, is paired not with one, but two male leads. What more can a film ask for? Well, perhaps a good scriptwriter and a director with vision? Vicky Kaushal, Ammy Virk, and Triptii Dimri’s trio suffer at the hands of a shoddy screenplay, exhaustingly long sitcom-style jokes, and background music that deserved a mute button.
Bad Newz had one of the best pre-release hypes for a film. The music struck a chord, and those sleek visuals of Vicky and Triptii were giving us ‘take me away from my mundane existence’ vibes. Sadly, the film stayed too true to its title and delivered bad news!
Akhil Chadha (Vicky Kaushal) is your typical Punjabi munda who is tailor-made to star in a Dharma film. He charms the pants off Saloni (Tripti Dimri), an ambitious chef, and they get married. (Spoiler alert) But their values clash, and they soon separate. Enter Gurbir (Ammy Virk), who offers Saloni more than just solace, and things soon go from ‘just friends’ to ‘it’s complicated.’ What follows is a bizarre pregnancy track that leads to a climax which makes very little sense.
Bad Newz resembles an Instagram filter that loses its sheen after first use. The surface is shimmery and looks glossy, but there is no material to sink your teeth into. The writing is shallow and flat. The punches never land. The film even tries satire and parody, but the gags are so weak that they lose air before taking off. Some of the lines feel like leftovers from a prime-time TV laughter challenge audition.
The wafer-thin silver lining to the film is Vicky Kaushal. You feel for the man because he’s going all out and saying those dated lines with 100 per cent belief. Not once does he fall out of character or look defeated by the terrible dialogues and one-liners thrown at him. He’s looking his best and has that superstar glow-up, which we haven’t seen in a very long time.
Tripti needs to rewatch her performance in ‘Bulbul’ to perhaps course-correct and figure out what route she wants to take from here on. Having the potential can only come in handy if you are vehemently opposing substandard material offered to you. Some of the scenes with Vicky and Ammy stand out only because of their banter and chemistry.
In better words – Tauba Tauba ! There is no good news in this Bad Newz.
2 out of 5 stars
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