While the Nikkhil Advani film condemns hate crime and casteism, it is so poorly executed that real victims might feel it only adds salt to their wounds. John Abraham and Sharvari are particularly disappointing.
Rating: ⭐️ (1 / 5)
By Mayur Lookhar
You’re running for your life, and the only person who can help you escape takes you, in the middle of the night, to the palace of the very man who is hunting you down. Hey, Major Abhimanyu (John Abraham), you’ve got to be kidding me. Fortunately for Vedaa Bairwa, the dangerous Jitendar Pratap Singh (Abhishek Banerjee) gives his victims a ten-yard head start. No matter how fast you run, Pradhan Jitendar will catch you.We don’t condone the evil Barmer Pradhan, but as a viewer, I really wished Jitendar and his goons had killed the duo, as that would have spared us from an additional 75 minutes of torture.
There could never be a more brutal introduction to a film review. While one might empathize with the story and social cause, it raises the question of what prompted director and producer Nikkhil Advani to make Vedaa. He is good friends with John Abraham, and the duo have collaborated before. Their first project together was when Advani produced director Milap Zaveri’s action cop drama Satyameva Jayate (2018), released on Independence Day. Exactly a year later, Advani directed Batla House, with Abraham in the lead. Despite stiff competition from Akshay Kumar’s Mission Mangal, Batla House found its audience and performed reasonably well. Two years later, Advani, Zaveri, and Abraham teamed up again for the disappointing Satyameva Jayate 2, which was not an Independence Day release.
Perhaps Advani hoped that releasing Vedaa on Independence Day might result in a miracle. However, there is stiff competition. Akshay Kumar’s Khel Khel Mein (2024) is already on the scene, but the real monster threatening to overshadow these films is Stree 2: Sarkate Ka Aatank (2024). With Vedaa being a bitter disappointment, the odds for a miracle seem slim.
There’s not much to commend about Vedaa, except that the film defends the right to live for Dalits. It condemns hate crime and casteism and even reads out relevant Articles from the Indian Constitution in a bizarre climax. While there is symbolism behind the idea, the execution is flimsy. The end credits reveal that Vedaa is loosely based on real incidents of hate crime, including the Manoj-Babli case of 2007 and the Meenakshi Kumari case. We don’t recall much about these cases, other than that they likely didn’t attract significant media attention. While Vedaa draws attention to hate crimes and casteism, it also unequivocally questions the role of certain biased Khap Panchayats found in Rajasthan and Haryana.
Pradhan Jitendar Pratap Singh, the chief tormentor here, strongly believes that it’s the Gods who have divided society based on caste, and that nobody, not even he, can change it. Criminals often use such false beliefs to exploit Dalits. While Hathoda Tyagi from Paatal Lok (2020) was more brutal, he still evoked some empathy. There is none for Jitendar Pratap Singh, who is a manipulator and tyrant, misusing his position to impose his own laws to run banana Khap Panchayats. Abhishek Banerjee’s performance is the lone bright spot in Vedaa, but it’s not enough to uplift this painstaking film.
Sharvari Wagh has been in the limelight since the success of Munjya (2024), despite having only a few scenes. Additionally, we found Maharaj (2024) overrated. With each underwhelming film or performance, one is reminded that Sharvari is the granddaughter of the late Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi.
For all her previous underwhelming work, Vedaa was undoubtedly intended to be a career-defining film. Sharvari plays a Dalit from Barmer, Rajasthan, who dreams of becoming a boxer, but the envious Jitendar and his gang thwart those dreams. Much like Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Vedaa is kept at bay in the boxing facility as she watches from the window while the coach trains the men. However, this is not what incenses Jitendar. The cruel upper-caste man takes offence at Vedaa’s brother being in a relationship with an upper-caste woman. Interestingly, after some initial reluctance, the girl’s family agrees to the marriage, and it’s Jitendar himself who blesses the couple. It becomes evident, though, that this was a publicity stunt, as the cruel Pradhan had sinister plans in mind.
Just reading about the Wagh surname, we learned that it represents the Kunbi caste. While we don’t want to speculate on her personal background, we felt this was an opportunity to proudly state her name. However, over the years, Sharvari has preferred to use only her first name in showbusiness. Wagh also means tiger in Marathi. This character potentially had fighting qualities, but Vedaa is let down by Sharvari’s pedestrian performance.
And what about good ol’ John Abraham? Here, he plays a former Indian Army Major who was court-martialed for acting on his own during a terror operation. The disgraced Abhimanyu returns home to Barmer, where his father-in-law requests Jitendar to employ him. A personal tragedy has left him a broken soul, one who carries a stone-cold look throughout. That kind of stoicism comes naturally to Abraham. However, Aseem Arora’s shambolic screenplay, along with another average performance by John Abraham, makes you want to forget this Nikkhil Advani directorial.
Given how Nikkhil Advani and his production house Emmay Entertainment have, over the years, largely focused on biopics and historical series, it’s surprising to see Advani directing Vedaa. Was this a script pulled from the trash just to please his good friend John?
The Vedaa trailer held promise, suggesting a modern retelling of the Krishna-Arjuna dynamic from the Mahabharata, with John as the saarthi (charioteer). Vedaa is far from being an Arjuna, but the symbolic resemblance is hard to ignore. While the story is fine, the extremely poor screenplay and hollow performances by the protagonists fail to build any engagement. This plot called for a much shorter runtime. Once Vedaa and Abhimanyu are on the run, the screenplay becomes repetitive, with one action sequence after another. Even the action sequences are lackluster.
John Abraham and action films are often seen as inseparable. Oops! Maybe we shouldn’t say that. Not long ago, Mr. Abraham lost his cool when a journalist questioned why he keeps doing action films. Though the point was valid, the scribe’s authoritative tone didn’t sit well with Abraham, who responded by wondering if he could call out idiots and bad questions. The seasoned actor challenged the journalist to watch the film first, promising to be at his disposal if proven right, but if wrong, he warned, he would tear him apart.
Now, there may have been sarcasm in his tone, but such reactions from a celebrity are unwarranted. Unfortunately, in recent press conferences, Abraham has consistently had a frown on his face.
Once words are spoken in such settings, they can’t be taken back. The media wouldn’t complain, though, as these tiffs often attract views on digital platforms. While no one expected an apology, John later suggested in an interview, that it could be a plot to sabotage his film’s prospects. He even claimed that film journalism is almost non-existent.
That’s a debate for another day. What can’t be denied is that despite all the bold talk, Vedaa turned out to be yet another disappointing action film from John Abraham. Honestly, we have no issue with Abraham doing ten more action films, but one hopes he can deliver at least two or three quality ones along the way.
We live in an age where producers and stars can shape opinions to their liking, but your reviewer remains notorious for honest views. We don’t make grand claims about film journalism, but we’re hopeful that if John Abraham ever reads this review, he might find some merit in our critique of Vedaa.
Watch the video review below.
