Bawaal Review {3.5/5} & Review Rating
BAWAAL is the story of a dysfunctional couple. Ajay Dixit aka Ajju (Varun Dhawan) resides in Lucknow with his father (Manoj Pahwa) and mother. He strongly believes in maintaining an image and aura around himself. This strategy has worked big time for him. He’s a history teacher in a school and though he doesn’t know the subject well, he’s able to maintain the perception that he’s good at it. His marriage is arranged with Nisha (Janhvi Kapoor) and he agrees as it would help maintain his image. This is because Nisha ticks all boxes – she’s good-looking, belongs to a reputed family and was a topper in college. However, Nisha suffers from epilepsy. She confesses about it to Ajju and also adds that she hasn’t suffered a fit in 10 years. Ajju accepts her condition, thinking that it won’t be a problem. However, on the day of the wedding, Nisha suffers a fit as she forgets to take her medicines. Ajju is devastated and he starts maintaining a distance, much to the annoyance of Nisha and his parents. Once, they all confront him over it and he leaves home in a huff. In school, he slaps a student in anger when the latter asks him a question related to World War II and taunts Ajju that he doesn’t have the answer. Unfortunately for Ajju, the kid turns out to be the son of an MLA (Mukesh Tiwari). On MLA’s pressure, Ajju is suspended. Realizing that his image has taken a beating, he devises a plan. He decides to take a Europe tour and educate his students about World War II by visiting the locations where the war was fought. He doesn’t have the money and his father won’t sponsor his trip if he goes solo. Hence, he tells Nisha to accompany him on the trip. How this trip changes their lives forms the rest of the film.
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari's story is novel and promising. Nikhil Mehrotra, Shreyas Jain, Piyush Gupta and Nitesh Tiwari's screenplay does justice to the unconventional plot in hand. They follow the DANGAL [2016] and CHHICHHORE [2019] model effectively – give a strong message but at the same time, ensure that there’s sufficient entertainment to entice the audiences. Nikhil Mehrotra, Shreyas Jain, Piyush Gupta and Nitesh Tiwari's dialogues are witty and a few of them raise laughs.
Nitesh Tiwari's direction is neat. One of the best aspects of his execution is that he keeps the narrative uncomplicated. Despite the World War II backdrop, it is very easy for the layman to understand what’s going on and what the makers are trying to indicate. The characters of Ajju and Nisha are also well-fleshed out and how their dynamics change over the course of the trip makes for a riveting watch.
On the flipside, the second half gets a bit heavy. Though the masses would understand the goings-on, they might not relate to it as the idea is niche. The run time is also longer in the second half. Moreover, the writing is unconvincing in several places. It’s difficult to digest that Ajju is able to pretend that he’s teaching history well and the principal or the management don’t even have a whiff of it simply because he is able to create a ‘mahaul’ about it. It’s also strange that no guy ever dated a girl like Nisha especially when she hasn’t suffered an epileptic attack in a decade. The bag exchange track is funny but one wonders why Ajju doesn't call the Gujarati person and get the bags exchanged, especially when he has his contact details. This along with the fact that Ajju not knowing about the viral video is difficult to fathom since he is quite concerned about his image.
BAWAAL starts on a fine note. Ajju’s entry is heroic but Nisha’s introduction scene comes as a surprise. The marital problems and Ajju being compelled to go to Europe are entertaining scenes. The character of Kalpesh is hilarious and after ages has one seen a comic relief track in a Hindi film. Ajju and Nisha going on separate Paris sightseeing tours is lovely. The intermission point might have seemed interesting on paper but didn’t have the desired impact on screen. Post-interval, it’s heartening to see Ajju and Nisha getting close. The World War II parallels are intriguing. The first such scene is superb. The second scene in the climax, however, seems repetitive. The finale is a little stretched but the film ends on a fine note.
Bawaal – Official Trailer | Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor | Prime Video India
Varun Dhawan delivers an accomplished performance. He played a character in a similar zone in BADRINATH KI DULHANIA [2017] but he ensures both performances don’t seem similar. He shines in the second half, especially. Janhvi Kapoor, too, shows a marked improvement in her performance. She’s a bit subtle and that works best for her performance. Manoj Pahwa (Ajju's father) and Anjuman Saxena (Ajju's mother) leave a huge mark. Prateek Pachori (Bipin) is dependable. Vyas Hemang (Kalpesh) is the surprise of the film. Shashie Vermaa (Principal) and Mukesh Tiwari are okay.
As for the songs, 'Dilon Ki Doriyan' is the best of the lot and is well choreographed. 'Dil Se Dil Tak' and 'Tumhe Kitna Pyaar Karte' are okay. 'Kat Jayega' is terrific and very well-picturized. Daniel B George's background score has a cinematic appeal.
Mitesh Mirchandani's cinematography is beautiful and the European locales are well captured. Aditya Kanwar's production design is realistic. Stefan Richter's action is not too gory and is there to give an idea of the atrocities committed in the bygone era. Maxima Basu's costumes (for India schedule) are straight out of life and glamorous in the song 'Dilon Ki Doriyan'. Shahikant Sinhaa's costumes (for the Europe schedule) add to the fun, especially Ajju’s clothes. White Apple Studios' VFX could have been better. Charu Shree Roy's editing should have been crisper.
On the whole, BAWAAL makes an important comment in a novel yet entertaining manner. It also rests on the bravura performances of Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor.
