Bholaa (2023) :
Movie Review -
Ajay Devgn is back in the action zone, and with Tabu again in Bholaa. Lokesh Kanagaraj's Tamil flick "Kaithi" isn't a classic or extraordinary film at all, but I must say that it is better than other standard-rated action flicks down South. A simple story with a bit of realistic and stable action-no mindless stunts, thankfully-that's all, and Kaithi is called a masterpiece. May God improve their cinema taste. Anyways, Kaithi is a good action flick, far away from other mindless, loud, and exaggerated action sagas of other South superstars, and that's what gives it a chance to have a new set of retellings in some other industry. It's a good one for their standard, but sadly, Bollywood's standard is higher. Therefore, you can't expect their above standard film to work here unless you are going to take it a notch higher. Ajay Devgn is not a regular director; he is the primary actor but has enough experience to handle work behind the camera. He takes Kaithi's action to the next level with Bholaa, and that's amazing even by Bollywood's standards. The only things that go a step lower are the screenplay and storytelling. With the kind of vision Ajay has for action and visuals, I firmly believe that he could be the Rajamouli of Bollywood. All he needs is Vijayendra Prasad beside him.
IPS Officer Diana Joseph (Tabu) has hurt her arm during a raid in which she captured drugs worth Rs. 1000 crore. A gang leader, Ashwathama (Dipak Dobriyal), plans to kill Diana and her other colleagues, aka the Police Gang, but Diana survives the poison attack. Helpless and without an aide, Diana asks an ex-convict named Bholaa (Ajay Devgn) to drive them safely to the hospital. Bholaa was just released from jail after 10 years and has a daughter, whom he has never seen. The first thing in the morning he is going to do is meet his daughter, but will he survive against hundreds of devils? How Bholaa fights bunches of goons while a constable and a group of college students stand against Aswathama's gang at a police station, awaiting Diana and Bholaa, is all you see throughout the film.
The basic script of Bholaa is taken from Kaithi, and there are no changes to it except for the surprise in the climax. What Bholaa lacks is updated storytelling and advanced theories. In several scenes, it goes to Himmatwala level with an overly loud background score, screams, bird noises, or whatever. Many jokes are too North-oriented, and even if some are subtle with double meaning attached, you just can't spread the laugh so easily as it becomes difficult to understand the humour and accent of the North. Why do you need that loud background score after every scene? Why can't the melodrama have updated theories as the emotions of the internet era are expressed better nowadays? The 80s feel is so irritating nowdays. I won't blame the writing because even Kaithi had those flaws, but why can't the screenplay be different as the characters, places, and themes are being redesigned? I was curious to know how Trishul came into the picture from the moment I saw the teaser, but I got a good answer in the film. The temple scene is perfectly fine, but why didn't Bholaa try more like this? Makarand Deshpande's narration wasn't needed in parts. Saying a thing in parts actually breaks the momentum. Bholaa lacks momentum; that's it.
Ajay Devgn as an actor hardly disappoints. Even while playing cameos (Gangubai Kathiawadi and RRR), he leaves a mark. Runaway 34, two cameos, then Drishyam 2, and now Bholaa There are no complaints against him. He knows his power, his USP-the eyes-and uses them to elevate his screen presence. Those emotional speeches are short, but they seem to be coming directly from the heart. Tabu shines yet again. Drishyam 2's script did not do justice to her character since Akshaye Khanna came and overtook, but Bholaa has her in her free space. Dipal Dobriyal is a show stealer and the best-written as well as best villain in the entire film, while others are either steroids-based characters or screamers. Gajraj Rao, Vineet Kumar, and Makarand Deshpande were expected to do better, but the writing did not match the experience and talent they have. Amala Paul looks gorgeous in her small role, and Laxmi Raai is the UP-based Bomb for you in the song.
Bholaa has great action pieces-something you haven't seen in Bollywood till date. As mentioned above, Ajay Devgn's vision is outstanding. Every action segment has something new and big to offer. With 3D glasses on, it's another splendid action spectacle after Tanhaji. Bholaa could have been better without songs, I believe. Paan Dukania attempts situational advantages, but you can't help it because not every item song can be a chartbuster like "Beedi Jalay le." Nazar Lag Jayegi works just fine, be it audio or video. Dialogues have mass appeal, something we are used to since the Salim-Javed era, but words can't work alone, right? They need the right situations and conviction to leave an impact. Bholaa is somewhat scattered there. The major problems with the film are on the technical front, as the editing, BGM, and sound design are considerably poor. You get loud background music when you don't ask for it, and then you get low, compressed sound in those high-octane action scenes when you want to hear loud sound. The same Ajay Devgn would slap or punch someone in Singham Returns or Golmaal Again, and my ears and feet would vibrate. Why didn't I feel the vibrations today when the action was much higher? Watching it in IMAX gave a better idea of small small glitches like this, whereas the picture quality remained superior. With Runway 34 and Bholaa, I can say that we have a new full-fledged director, and that too with a vision. Ajay Devgn emerges as one of the best directors in recent times, and the way he has designed action sets and pieces in 3D, I think he is eligible to give tuition to his BFF Rohit Shetty. I wouldn't mind if he designed action scenes for Singham 3. As a whole, Bholaa is high on action and therefore highly entertaining, but the storytelling could have been better. Still, it can be viewed once for a new elevation of the action saga in 3D.
RATING - 5/10*
