Bholaa Review: This remake rides solely on Ajay Devgn's stardom

New Delhi: Yet another remake of an action-packed thriller from the south fails to create a lasting impression on its audience. Ajay Devgn starrer “ Bholaa” is a recent offering by Ajay Devgn after his last unsuccessful film, “Runaway 34”.

“Bholaa” is a rehashed version of the superhit Tamil movie, “Kaithi” which joined the Rs 100 crore club in 2019. The film is loaded with action-packed sequences which Devgn tries to rehash and replicate with this IMAX, 3D release. However, the 3D effects were unable to contribute much to the film.

Linear Plot

Action films are mostly easy on the plot. The narratives are linear and not too complicated. Originally written and directed by Lokesh Kangaraj, the Hindi remake can justify the “cat and mouse” chase effectively and is not heavy on the brain.

The film starts with IPS Diana Joseph played by Tabu, cinematic truck chasing sequence where she can seize Rs 1,000 crore worth of Cocaine along with the character “Nithari” ably played by the veteran actor Vineet Kumar. The news of “Nithari” and Cocaine being captured by the police creates havoc in “Ashwathama's” world played by Deepak Dobriyal.

In the meanwhile, Diana escapes a trap where 40 high-ranked police officials were intoxicated at a higher official retirement party. The task of the injured Diana is to now take these 40 officials to the hospital in a truck. There is no one left who is up to the task, except, “Bholaa” played by Ajay Devgn.

The plot is linear enough to understand, except for the back story which doesn't interrupt, but rather adds to the vastness of the immortal- “Bholaa”.

Performances

The film is loaded with an ensemble cast of talented actors, yet none of them got enough screen space. Though Tabu was there in almost every frame with Devgn but wasn't given powerful scenes to enact or an action sequence to her credit. Sanjay Misra and Vineet Kumar were wasted badly. Deepak Dobriyal took as a crazy drug lord took off well in the first half but the persona was chopped off in the second half.

The unique quality of character actors or supporting cast is that they can connect with the masses as we see a lot of us in them. Unfortunately, none of them were given any scenes that could create an impact or a signature dialogue that audiences would carry with them. Even Devgn's character lacked a punchline. And Gajraj Rao was almost neglected with his “Southie” accent.

Action sequences and Visual Effects

James Cameron once said, “it's inevitable that entertainment will be 3D.” He further said that it will all be 3D because that's how the world we see the world. “Bholaa” makes an earnest attempt that we get transported to the jungle and live those action sequences as “Bholaa” did. But unfortunately, the action sequences were gimmicky and lacked novelty and gravity. The 10-minute chase sequence didn't quite carry well to bring chills. The 3-dimensional enhancement was not enough to give an ‘edge on the seat’ thrill and entertainment. One doesn’t experience the action along with the character. 

Overall, the 3D was unable to enhance the cinematic experience, it was unable to do justice to the gorgeous, lavish set design and the magnanimous image of the Lord “Shiva.”

In conclusion, one could see that Devgn had a vast vision and a massive blueprint of “Bholaa” which didn't quite translate onto the big screen, however, it is still a one time watch if you like action films or a huge fan of Ajay Devgn.