Bad Newz Review

The journey of Saloni (Triptii Dimri) through her unexpected pregnancy becomes a battleground for the two potential fathers, Akhil Chadda (Vicky Kaushal) and Gurbir Pannu (Ammy Virk). What should be a straightforward paternity test is complicated by heteropaternal superfecundation (a rare medical condition where two different men's sperms fertilize two eggs during the same ovulation cycle). As the male egos clash, the film portrays their competition to prove themselves as the ideal partner, set against Saloni's struggle to navigate her pregnancy and aspirations.

Two-guys-one-girl tracks have plenty of potential to be pot-boilers, and adding "heteropaternal superfecundation" to the mix gave Bad Newz so much potential to be a fun ride. However, that's for next time - this time it's mostly, um, bad news. The screenplay is not engaging, and suffers from a rushed pace that often sacrifices emotional depth for quick laughs. The movie aims to be a carefree comedy and is peppered with comedic gags, but only some of them hit the mark, and most feel forced and unnecessary - such as the stereotypical references to social media and Chinese terms - and fall flat.

The movie's setting in West Delhi is also overdone, with too much of Punjabi influence - in the songs, dialogues, and everywhere else - that's not funny. And all the excessive references to pop culture and recent movies end up making the film a cringe fest. The allusions to Mohabbatein, Dil Toh Pagal Hai and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, among others, are barely subtle, and make the movie more confusing than amusing. Indeed, thanks to all the referencing, both the movie and the audience lose the plot just a few minutes into the screening.

The film also occasionally relies too much on background music to enhance comedic and emotional moments, making them feeling overdone. And its attempts to explore the interpersonal dynamics among the characters fail big time. Then there's the banal dubbing of Dimri as the "Second Bhabhi" and "National Crush", referring to her character in the movie Animal.

Performance-wise, the movie starts well. In the early moments, Vicky Kaushal shines as Akhil, embodying the character with a natural ease and charm that makes even the absurd situations enjoyable. Then on, he gets loud and louder, to the extent that you'll scream "Cut!" as if you're the director. Ammy Virk provides solid support, bringing a refreshing and humorous touch to his role.

Tripti Dimri, despite initial doubts about her fitting in a commercial movie, delivers a commendable performance as Saloni. Her portrayal of a woman torn between her professional dreams and societal expectations resonates well. Supporting actors like Neha Dhupia and Sheeba Chaddha, however, are underutilized, leaving their potential untapped.

The film's technical aspects, such as cinematography and music, don't contribute to its overall appeal. The background score, though sometimes overused, does not help set the tone for various scenes. The soundtrack is a mishmash of song snippets from many Bollywood classics. And where it's not a mishmash, it's an ear-deafening Punjabi song. Overall, the music is an example of too many cooks spoiling the broth - seven composers have worked on the score and songs.

To conclude, Bad Newz is not a fun or carefree ride, and is not ideal for a light-hearted movie night. It is bad news for Bollywood and Vicky Kaushal fans. The movie's most popular song Tauba Tauba runs when the end credits roll, and it felt like people were exiting the theatre saying just that.