You know when you watch a movie trailer, and not only does it give everything away but nothing about the film seems novel enough to grab your attention. That’s how I felt about Yodha.
But I was wrong. Well, not completely wrong.
The film revolves around an elite unit called ‘Yodha Task Force’, which comes under scrutiny after a hijack incident led by Arun Katyal, played by Sidharth Malhotra. After years of proving his innocence and merit, losing his uniform, family, and friends, he mysteriously comes face to face with another hijacked aircraft that turns his life upside down.
And that leads me to some good and bad elements of the film, directed by Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha, without revealing any spoilers.
Action and pacing:
The film opens on a high with an action-packed sequence which sets the tone of the film, as well as the suave ‘Yodha Task Force’. It prepares you for an out-and-out action drama. However, the pace keeps dropping from time-to-time when, with forced romantic songs and some unnecessary “cute moments”.
The action in the film is impeccable, especially in scenes when it’s confined within the limited space of an aircraft. But over the run time of 130 minutes, it gets a bit exhausting to see fight sequence after fight sequence…after fight sequence.
You can compare it to Tom Cruise’s never-ending destructive action in the Mission Impossible series. There’s only so much that’s bearable.
One sequence that’s exceptionally well crafted and executed is a 360-degree moving shot capturing a tussle between “hero and the villain” in a revolving aircraft.
If you’ve ever faced discomfort due to some turbulence mid-flight, this may be triggering.
The Conflict
For a film like Yodha that rests on the theme of patriotism, nationalism and protection of its citizens, the film does a commendable job at providing a balanced and liberal perspective.
It’s refreshing to watch a film that doesn’t rest on jingoism and othering a group of people, to resolve conflict.
It is a fight for freedom and peace, and a war against terrorism.
Performances
I’ve never been a huge Sidharth Malhotra fan, but he has definitely worked on his acting chops to shine as a “Yodha” in this film. From his physicality to his traumatic and melancholy state, and even his fierceness as a commando, Malhotra has shown great range to fit the part.
Raashii Khanna doesn’t have much to play with but comfortably portrays her role. Shout out to Kritika Bhardwaj for grabbing a primary part in the film. You’ll recognise her if you’ve seen the Netflix series Mismatched.
Another surprise performance in the film is by Disha Patani, playing an flight attendant named Laila. Look out for her.
Yodha take too long to establish the primary synopsis and conflict, adding too many details for the audience to remember in a short space of time. The stretched action sequences get redundant in portions, especially when you’re inching towards a resolve.
But it’s the right amount of twists and turns that continually draw you back in the narrative and keep you hooked, on ground and mid-air. A good one-time watch.
