Helmed by Nitesh Tiwari and Ashwini Tiwari's EarthSky Pictures and led by Varun Dhawan and Jhanvi Kapoor, Bawaal comes across more as a YouTube lesson on the Second World War for kids than a movie with substance. This is a cringefest, at best. Despite Dhawan's immense talent and aptitude to set the screen on fire with his presence, the script not only fails him but leaves one to wonder if he really reads his scripts before committing to a project.
Coming to the storyline, Lucknow-based Ajay aka Ajju Bhaiya (Dhawan) is a high school teacher who is highly depressed about his life. He is insecure, envies his friends for their wealth and prosperity, and in order to feel in control, he lives a life based on bluffs and lies. He builds an image of himself in the eyes of everyone he knows, with a fake swag. Even the job of a history teacher seems to have been bagged by fraudulent means, given that he has zero knowledge of the subject and slaps his students when they raise doubts. His family comprises long-suffering parents (Manoj Pahwa and Anjuman Saxena), his wife Nisha (Jhanvi Kapoor), and his best friend (Prateek Pachori).
Ajay feels he got a 'defected piece' in Nisha as she suffers from epilepsy. Their relationship as a married couple hasn't taken off and during that time Ajay faces humiliation of suspension back at school for slapping the son of an MLA in class. In a bid to set things right, Ajay decides he will teach his students about World War 2 by actually traveling to places in Europe that were most impacted by World War II — Paris, Amsterdam, Normandy, Berlin, culminating in Auschwitz. Yes, this teacher goes around posing in front of monuments and creates reels that his students back home are meant to watch and learn. Well, couldn't the teacher simply play some videos on a projector in class instead? And whatever happened to books?
He does all these even as he wouldn't talk to his wife or have any contact with her. We are aghast by his disgust and deep resentment for his wife. He wouldn't even appear in public with her for fear that she may have an episode and embarrass him. But then, vaguely enough, by the end of the WW2 tour, he suddenly sees her for what she is—a smart, intelligent and educated woman and confesses his love for her, and just like that the film is over. It seems as if the makers weren't sure of what this should be about and so they somehow managed to fix something which has neither a head nor tail and fails to keep up its momentum.
Janhvi Kapoor is insipid and unremarkable. Her dialogues lack punch; even those that are meant to evoke emotions, hardly connect with the viewer. Even though one could spot a few sachhire moments in Bawaal, they quickly fizzle out even before they can establish a connection with the viewer. Bawaal can be skipped for something more interesting.
Movie: Bawaal
Directed by: Nitesh Tiwari
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Jhanvi Kapoor
Rating: 1/5
Coming to the storyline, Lucknow-based Ajay aka Ajju Bhaiya (Dhawan) is a high school teacher who is highly depressed about his life. He is insecure, envies his friends for their wealth and prosperity, and in order to feel in control, he lives a life based on bluffs and lies. He builds an image of himself in the eyes of everyone he knows, with a fake swag. Even the job of a history teacher seems to have been bagged by fraudulent means, given that he has zero knowledge of the subject and slaps his students when they raise doubts. His family comprises long-suffering parents (Manoj Pahwa and Anjuman Saxena), his wife Nisha (Jhanvi Kapoor), and his best friend (Prateek Pachori).
Ajay feels he got a 'defected piece' in Nisha as she suffers from epilepsy. Their relationship as a married couple hasn't taken off and during that time Ajay faces humiliation of suspension back at school for slapping the son of an MLA in class. In a bid to set things right, Ajay decides he will teach his students about World War 2 by actually traveling to places in Europe that were most impacted by World War II — Paris, Amsterdam, Normandy, Berlin, culminating in Auschwitz. Yes, this teacher goes around posing in front of monuments and creates reels that his students back home are meant to watch and learn. Well, couldn't the teacher simply play some videos on a projector in class instead? And whatever happened to books?
He does all these even as he wouldn't talk to his wife or have any contact with her. We are aghast by his disgust and deep resentment for his wife. He wouldn't even appear in public with her for fear that she may have an episode and embarrass him. But then, vaguely enough, by the end of the WW2 tour, he suddenly sees her for what she is—a smart, intelligent and educated woman and confesses his love for her, and just like that the film is over. It seems as if the makers weren't sure of what this should be about and so they somehow managed to fix something which has neither a head nor tail and fails to keep up its momentum.
Janhvi Kapoor is insipid and unremarkable. Her dialogues lack punch; even those that are meant to evoke emotions, hardly connect with the viewer. Even though one could spot a few sachhire moments in Bawaal, they quickly fizzle out even before they can establish a connection with the viewer. Bawaal can be skipped for something more interesting.
Movie: Bawaal
Directed by: Nitesh Tiwari
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Jhanvi Kapoor
Rating: 1/5
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