Alpha Movie Review Alia Bhatt Sharvari Hrithik Roshan Cant Rescue Dull Dreary Yrf Spy Universe Film

Alpha movie review: Alpha, the much-awaited female-led edition of the YRF spy universe is finally here, and all I can say is that it isn’t worth the wait.

Not because Alia Bhatt doesn’t strain every sinew to play Alpha, her slight frame belying her skills as a highly trained fighting machine, nurtured by the numero uno soldier Fateh Singh (Bobby Deol). Not also because as Alpha’s second-in-command, Sharvari isn’t too bad herself, getting a few solo scenes in which she shows her moves.

Both Bobby Deol’s fauji and Anil Kapoor’s RAW chief are clearly working hard at their job descriptions: the former is convinced that Alpha is the answer to all weakness amongst the armed forces; the latter wants to save her from all her enemies, of whom she is oblivious.

What prevents Alpha from being a slick, smart spy thriller — which is clearly the intention — is that old YRF weakness: the writing is borrowed and stale, reminding us of numerous films we have seen before. Amongst the few nice touches is a brief appearance by Dia Mirza, as the mother of the brave Alpha, and manages to leave a mark. And some well-executed action sequences, in which Alia and Sharvari go bang-bang.

When there is RAW, there will be the enemies from across the border. There is, horrors, a Pakistani mole in our midst. Now when have we seen that before? There are patriotic Indian soldiers arrayed to keep the nation safe. A forgettable song-and-dance set in a sunny European destination is stuffed in clearly because well-toned mid-riffs need airing: if you insist, maybe it needs to be better choreographed?

Some chunks are set in wet Cherrapunji — now that’s a new one — but for the rest, the film takes us into usual dank offices in New Delhi with officials exchanging dire notes, and to scenic but familiar stretches in Rajasthan and Ladakh and Kashmir, with ‘copters carrying troops, jeeps hoisting bazookas, and fellows in fatigues shooting and scooting. No one speaks in lines, they lurch from one dialogue to another, while daddy issues and parental props come flooding in.

In a picturesque monastery, old YRF spy universe hand Kabir (Hrithik Roshan) shows up, to help the girls. He is addressed, believe it or faint, as Monkji. An action sequence featuring said monk and the girls ensues, which feels as if it took inspiration from a John Wick film. He instructs them, now leave. Other men, including the RAW chief, give them orders.

To me, that’s the worst part: here’s a film telling us to believe that a lone female ranger can blow up a massive superstructure, housing a gigantic lab running a scheme thought up by a mad scientist type, and this highly trained assassin will then meekly do what she’s told? It would fit in if the film was going for the fun comic-book feel of ‘Pathaan’, where eye-rolls are served along with eye-watering high octane scenes, but Alpha asks us to take it seriously.

Alpha movie cast: Alia Bhatt, Sharvari, Bobby Deol, Hrithik Roshan, Anil Kapoor, Dibyenndu Bhattacharya, Dia Mirza Alpha movie director: Shiv Rawail Alpha movie rating: 1.5 stars