Saloni Bagga (Triptii Dimri) is a chef at an upscale restaurant. Her dream is to win a Meriyaki star. Her parents have always been after her to get married. She and Akhil Chadha (Vicky Kaushal) have the most Bollywoodish meet-cute. They meet at a wedding, sparks fly and before you can locate Greek on the world map, they’re zooming off on their honeymoon to the very destination. The fly in the ointment is that Akhil is somewhat of a mama’s boy. He’s also an ass who can’t see beyond his own selfish needs. When Saloni can’t tolerate his juvenile antics any more, she decides to part ways and moves to the hills. There, she meets the woke owner of the hotel she has joined and begins to find him interesting. Gurbir Pannu (Ammy Virk) is the very image of soft masculinity. He’s courteous to a fault, respects a woman’s wishes and in short, is everything that Akhil was not. One day, or rather night, slightly drunk, she ends up sleeping with him. To make matters worse, she then proceeds to sleep with her ex right afterwards while even more drunk. This leads to the above mentioned complication, where she finds herself preggers with twins, only the twins have different fathers. The boys, surprisingly, are okay with the whole thing and even compete for her hand, while tag-teaming as concerned fathers. Who actually gets the girl and the twins forms the crux of the film…
The film has a surprising premise alright which is bold and innovative. It tries to tick all the right boxes too, showing a heroine who champions the fact that her goals are as important as a man’s. And that she’s not going to take things lying down. Later in the film, she also decides that the kids belong to no one but her and she won’t let anyone else take a decision concerning them. While the heroine is shown as the most sorted individual, her heroes need some growing up. Vicky Kaushal’s character, in particular, kind of finds himself through the film’s journey. Ammy Virk too is shown to have his share of insecurities, however childish they are.
Bad Newz could have been a compelling drama about human follies. But it’s not well put together. There’s no sense of finesse, which is surprising for director Anand Tiwari, who has given us a mature musical like Bandish Bandits in the past. It does offer you moments of hilarity, especially when it takes good hearted digs at iconic Dharma productions of the past. The dialogue is indeed witty and would bring a smile to your face, as would the inside jokes. The most hilarious scene in the film is when Saloni’s family doesn’t listen to her rant as they’re busy watching a reality show featuring none other than Karan Johar.
This is Triptii Dimri’s proper commercial launch and she lives up to the hype created by Bhabhi No 2 memes which became famous after her hot, hot cameo in Animal. She’s always been a natural in front of the camera and holds her own in the emotional scenes. Given her range, one feels it’s all too easy for her here. She’s also someone who doesn’t look cheap putting on a skin show, a fact which has been amply utilised by the director. Ammy Virk is a superstar of Punjabi cinema and is known for his comic timing and deadpan delivery. He infuses his character with the earnestness it needed. Vicky Kaushal is another actor who has the knack of making every character he plays feel alive. He coasts along all the silly parts but his emotional scenes, one with his mother – played by the brilliant Sheeba Chadha– where he breaks down during introspection and another with Triptii where he talks about his late father, tell you how much more he could have offered the film, given better writing.
Summing up, Bad Newz is an over-the-top comedy served well by credible performances by the three leads. Watch it for the goofy laughs and don’t take its science too seriously.
