Dharma Productions has been pushing the envelope and challenging its legacy, but this heteropaternal superfecundation fiasco was totally uncalled for. As good as they are, Vicky Kaushal and Tripti Dimri need to seriously introspect on the kind of scripts they choose.
Rating: ⭐️💫 ( 1.5 / 5)
By Mayur Lookhar
In late December 2019, producer Karan Johar gave us Good Newwz. Despite mixed reviews, it performed well at the box office. The Jyoti Kapoor-penned, Raj Mehta-directed film stood out for its unique story. A lab (test tube) mix-up, largely due to common surnames, results in a woman carrying the child of another couple, and vice versa.
The makers claimed it was inspired by a true story. The human error made the story more believable. Nearly five years later, Dharma Productions is inspired by another true story—a news article from China about a woman who became pregnant with twins from two different biological fathers. First Good Newwz (2019) and now Bad Newz (2024)—remarkable how such stories pique the interest of Dharma creatives.
Recently, Netflix released a Brazilian series, Desperate Lies, featuring a similar situation. However, that show is a serious, complex drama.
It would be naïve to call it a Newz franchise, but the common aspect of both Dharma films is pregnancy. There’s no human error in Bad Newz, though. Saloni Bagga (Tripti Dimri) is pregnant with twins, but with two biological fathers: Akhil Chaddha (Vicky Kaushal), her former husband, and Gurbir Pannu (Ammy Virk), her manager at the Savoy Hotel in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.
From the time the trailer dropped, we wondered how Dharma would play this out. We feared the moral police would question Saloni’s character. Good Newwz was born out of an accidental error. Pregnant with twins from two biological fathers, though, can’t be an accident. Thanks to the makers of Bad Newz, we’ve learned a new term: heteropaternal superfecundation. At first, we thought this was some lab-created dinosaur from Jurassic Park. In layman’s terms, it simply means a woman is pregnant with twins from two different fathers.
There’s mention of it in Greek mythology, but is it practically possible? The voyeur would let his imagination run wild with threesome tales. Alternatively, this could be due to an occupational hazard or a tragedy—gang rape. But again, can a woman be pregnant with twins from two different fathers?
Let’s just say timing is of the essence here. Writer Ishita Moitra and director Anand Tiwari lead into this primary conflict without compromising anyone’s dignity. Bad Newz is a once-in-a-million, perhaps once-in-a-billion possibility, but can such a unique tale be told through humour? Good Newwz had two squabbling couples. In Bad Newz, Saloni wasn’t even dating Gurbir, and she had divorced Akhil. What do we call this trio? More importantly, how does one react to such a situation?
Hey, if this is a once-in-a-billion case, most of us wouldn’t know how to react. Neither do Anand Tiwari or his writers, Ishita Moitra and Tarun Dudeja. For some strange reason, the only person who seems excited is Dr. Baweja (Faisal Rashid). The Dharma film soundly leads to the conflict, but then it has nowhere to go. The subsequent actions and reactions play out like a farce. The initial curiosity sparked in the first 40-45 minutes dissipates as the rest of this 140-minute film turns into a cringe fest. One can’t help but feel for the actors.
This is Vicky Kaushal’s fourth film, or rather four and a half films, with Dharma Productions. It all started with Raazi (2018), where his character was killed by his wife. Then Karan Johar directed him in the anthology Lust Stories (2018), where Kaushal was shown as a novice in bed. Bhoot: The Haunted Ship (2020) had him play a depressed officer unable to cope with the loss of his wife and child. Then came Govinda Naam Mera, where his wife demanded Rs2 crore to divorce him. Now, Bad Newz places him in this unique situation where he needs to take a paternity test. Does Karan Johar not want Vicky Kaushal to ever be happy in his cinematic personal life?
Jokes aside, it’s ultimately an actor’s choice. Raazi was a fine film, but it belonged to Alia Bhatt. Unfortunately, Takht was shelved. Kaushal’s subsequent films with Dharma leave a lot to be desired. Bad Newz is the worst of the lot, and going forward, Kaushal needs to seriously introspect on the kind of scripts he chooses, especially at Dharma.
Akhil Chaddha from Delhi feels like a Delhi cousin of Vicky Sandhu from Manmarziyaan (2018). While Sandhu was immature and a bit crazy, Akhil, the chaat shop owner, is impetuous. Akhil has nomophobia due to a tragic backstory, but the way it plays out, one might be tempted to steal the phone of this momma’s boy. He also invades his wife’s space, often gatecrashing at her workplace.
Kaushal has been competent in both roles, but the two characters are equally annoying. Aren’t North Indians themselves tired of these overbearing characters?
Tripti Dimri is a promising young talent, having charmed us with her stellar performances in Laila Majnu (2018), Bulbbul (2020), and Qala (2022). She explored a bolder side in Animal (2023), which made her the national crush, but genuine fans felt it was unwarranted for an actor of her caliber. Having previously portrayed grieving characters, she might have felt the need to unwind. Dimri is a sought-after name in top studios, but films like Bad Newz don’t do justice to her immense talent. While Dimri gives her all as Saloni, this film may spell bad news for her rising career.
Amninderpal Singh, better known as Ammy Virk, had a forgettable Bollywood debut in Bhuj: The Pride of India (2021). It was followed by another low-key performance in 83 (2021). Although he’s a singing star and popular actor in Punjabi cinema, Ammy is still a ‘Virk-in-progress’ when it comes to Bollywood. It’s bizarre how his character Gurbir Pannu, initially comes across as a smart, witty, and intelligent guy when dealing with a difficult guest, but then can barely lift his voice and is child-like in the presence of Saloni. He isn’t loud, but Gurbir and Virk seem lost in this chaotic plot.
Bad Newz has a few songs where the opening tune feels nostalgic before the desi touch takes over. The recreation of Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam from Duplicate (1998) sounds more authentic than a remake. The highlight is Tauba Tauba, where Vicky Kaushal’s mesmerizing dance moves have the nation and the globe grooving. Unsurprisingly, it turns out to be a promotional video slotted for the end credits. However, it does little to erase the painful experience of sitting through this 140-minute dour drama.
Given its plot line, a more appropriate song to recreate would have been Badi Mushkil Hai… main roun ya hasoon. After all, neither the characters nor the viewers know whether this Bad Newz is a tragedy or a comedy. Its once-in-a-billion probability story would make a fine snippet, perhaps a fitting query in an ‘Ask-the-Sexperts’ column, but it shouldn’t have been made into a film. Shockingly, Ananya Pandey (guest appearance) feels that Saloni’s story needs to be told to the world. Now that it has come out, it’s bad news for the audience.
Watch the video review below.
