Yodha Review: It Is Sidharth Malhotra's Pitch For YRF Spy Universe, Rope Him Already!

The action-packed movie 'Yodha' stars Sidharth Malhotra, who has unquestionably outgrown his 'soft boy' phase.

New Delhi: Bollywood has got another ‘full-time action hero’! This movie genre, which has been ruled by Akshay Kumar for several years, has seen a surge in star entrants. We have seen an influx of new films and up-and-coming action heroes since Tiger Shroff, Hrithik Roshan, and Shah Rukh Khan stormed into the scene with a tonne of 'thrillers mixed with patriotism' blockbusters. The other actor who jumps on board is Sidharth Malhotra, who continues in the tracks of 'Aiyaary', 'Shershaah', and 'Mission Majnu' with 'Yodha', yet another film with a patriotic theme. Even though viewers have seen an array of films in the same category over the past few years—among which Shah Rukh Khan's 'Jawaan' and 'Pathaan' did exceptionally well at the box office—Malhotra seems to be heading on the road of forging his niche. 

The action-packed movie 'Yodha', which is directed by newbie filmmakers Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha, stars Sidharth Malhotra, who has unquestionably outgrown his 'soft boy' phase. If the film bears any resemblance to the recent wave of enormously popular, high-octane action films, it's because the director duo has worked on those movies, and it shows in the way certain sequences were handled in their latest movie. Sagar Ambre wrote the dialogue for films like 'Pathaan' and 'Uri: The Surgical Strike', while Pushkar Ojha served as assistant director for these projects.

At this point, the action plus patriotic theme has perhaps overwhelmed the audience, but Hindi filmmakers keep coming up with ways to cash in on the genre while attempting to present their perspectives. In 'Yodha', Sidharth plays an Indian soldier who is loyal to his country and seeks to shed the label of a traitor. In one scene, the actor claims, "Iss film ka hero main hoon," and it really was that way. The narrative mainly focuses on Arun Katyal, a Yodha task force member, and his personal quest to save both his beloved team—which was formerly led by his late father, Surender Katyal, played by Ronit Roy—as well as the country.

Since he was a kid, Arun has wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, and he ultimately earns the uniform. But during one of the hijack incidents, in which he was meant to rescue a nuclear scientist and other passengers, things took a whole different turn. When he fails to do so, Arun gets accused of disregarding orders from his superiors. Following that, a panel is set up to determine the Yodha task force's future. Due to his knack for taking huge risks when engaged in military missions, Arun gets himself into a lot of trouble from which he is never able to escape, not even with the help of his powerful bureaucrat wife, Priyamvada (Raashii Khanna).

After a few songs, a personal life crisis, and an emotional upheaval for the main character, the film jumps ahead a few years. Arun finds out that he is being framed as the hijacker while trying to save the hostages and the honour of his country during a plane hijack. This occurs simultaneously with a major peace summit between Pakistan and India taking place. Among the fliers Arun turns to for help are air hostess Laila (Disha Patani) and rookie pilot Tanya (Kritika Bharadwaj). 

During the film's 133-minute run-time, Sidharth's performance and the vision of the director take the stage as the overdone narrative evolves into a captivating thriller. The movie could have quickly grown bland, but the absence of forced romance subplots, pointless sing-and-dance segments, and an action-packed second half promoted it to earn scores from the audience. 

'Yodha' is a true blue entertainer with its flawless portrayal of a country in the throes of chaos. It gets some brownie points for having a fast-paced narrative that doesn't slow down after the intermission. This cutting-edge action thriller has some slick action sequences, particularly the hand-to-hand combat scenes, and lightning-fast lens work makes it stand out. The ones performed inside an airplane's enclosed space are undoubtedly well-choreographed, barring them from feeling overwrought.

The depiction of two complex female characters that genuinely contribute a lot of substance to a movie featuring a male protagonist surprised me, besides the lack of chemistry between Sidharth and Raashi. In her limited screen time, Disha Patani presents herself as the classic femme fatale, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the main lead. The role of Sidharth as Arun Katyal is a perfect fit for him, and you won't be able to look away from the actor, especially during the action scenes. And this would just make you want to see more fiery moments between Arun and Laila.

The storyline of 'Yodha' is quite uncomplicated, with plenty of charm and very little mystery (despite the director's best efforts to create some). The only wonder is, why was Disha's wig needed?