Yodha Movie Review: Yodha Saves Plane, But Film Crashes

Movie: Yodha
Rating: 1.75/5
Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Raashii Khanna, Disha Patani, Ronit Roy, Sunny Hinduja
Produced by: Hiroo Yash Johar; Karan Johar; Apoorva Mehta; Shashank Khaitan
Director: Sagar Ambre & Pushkar Ojha
Release date: March 15, 2024

After "Shershaah" and "Mission Majnu," Sidharth Malhotra chooses yet another patriotic-based action thriller. For "Yodha," he teams up with directors Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha. Sidharth is joined by Raashi Khanna and Disha Patani.

Let's check out whether he succeeded in his mission or not.

Story:
Arun Katyal, who is part of the Yodha Task Force, gets suspended for his failed mission. He is living separately from his wife, Priyamvada (Raashi Khanna), who works for the government.

Their professional rivalry affects their personal life. Arun returns as an Air Commando. However, he accidentally becomes part of a plane hijack.

The terrorist Jalal (Sunny Hinduja) behind it builds a story that Arun hijacks the plane and the target is Pakistan. Will he rescue the passengers from the flight mishap, and will he rescue his nation's reputation?

How Arun fights against all the odds and acts in this mission forms the crux of "Yodha."

Artists' Performances:
Sidharth shines in his role as Yodha. Being an action thriller, his forte, he pulls off the character and the film with ease.

Raashi Khanna is decent, though her role lacks substance. Disha Patani plays a flight attendant, but her role is backed by a predictable twist.

Sunny Hinduja portrays the mastermind behind the entire issue, but lacks the necessary punch. Kritika Bhardwaj is good in her portion and does justice to her role.

While the artists have performed well, it is the writing and narration that bog down the film.

Technical Excellence:
Formulaic writing is the major stumbling block for "Yodha." Some action episodes are well-made, but they are not adequate. The film lacks thrilling elements, blaming the direction.

The background music is intense, but the thin plot plays the spoilsport. Editing is fine, but the stretched-out scenes in the second half need to be trimmed.

Highlights:
Occasional Drama
BGM & Technicalities

Drawbacks:
Thin Plot
Lack of Emotion
Stretched-Out Scenes
Climax

Analysis:
Right from the film's takeoff, there is a rush in the narrative. Directors Sagar and Pushkar give us a sense of delving into the story, but sooner, we realize that it is a "trap" into a weakly-written script. The film creates unwanted urgency and seriousness, but the impact is inadequate. The underlying emotion fails to connect. 

The protagonist sustains grievous injuries and takes bullet shots on multiple occasions during his missions in fighting against the terrorists and the hijacked plane, yet he walks and acts normally. 

One of the biggest shortcomings of "Yodha" is that the audience won't care for the protagonist or his life. The reason is the film's predictable and clichéd portions, typical of such patriotic Indo-Pak combat films. 

Another letdown is the lack of a personal connection with the protagonist and his family. The directors intentionally avoided emotional scenes between Arun and Priya, husband and wife, but this acts against the film. The "Yodha Task Force" has a fatherly sentiment attached to it, but it fails to touch the heart. 

While the first half is somewhat manageable and keeps hopes for the film alive, the interval sequence is a saving grace that sets curiosity for the film. However, the latter half nosedives entirely, going on and on. There are twists (which the makers felt) and twists within the twists, but all these are very plain and guessable. 

The silver linings in the film are the background score, visuals (thanks to camera movements), and technical aspects. The in-flight sequences look authentic, but the entire proceedings take place here, which also turns monotonous as time passes. The hijack episode, the mission, the political touch only worsened. The protagonist Arun says, "I'm the hero." He also says, "It will be war," but there is no war in reality and his heroic portions lack logic. The hype doesn't sync with the film's substance. The end is a messy film with tons of mistakes. 

Like Yodha says, negotiating isn't his style. Well, it is a total disappointment and it's not negotiable. The film neither thrills nor engages. It's bad luck for Raashi Khanna as her Bollywood attempts keep failing again and again. For Sidharth, from "Shershaah" to "Mission Majnu" to "Yodha," he is on a descending path. It is time for introspection. Even if you really like Sidharth Malhotra, this film is worth a miss.

Bottom Line: Mission Fails