It is unfortunate that Bollywood continues to glorify and romanticise anger issues in men. In Ravi Udyawar’s action drama Yudhra, violence and hyper-masculinity are pervasive themes. Below-average writing barely holds the weak plotline together. The visuals and soundtrack are perhaps the only aspects the film gets right, as they create the right ambience for the intense and dramatic combat sequences.
Yudhra (Siddhant Chaturvedi), the son of a prominent police officer, is rescued from his mother’s womb after his parents meet with a fatal car crash. He is then raised by his father’s colleague. He grows up with anger issues stemming from the unfortunate circumstances of his birth. All efforts to put an end to his recklessness end in vain. He finally gets recruited to work on a high-profile top-secret mission that will take forward his father’s unfinished business. This lets Yudhra plot revenge for his father’s death.
The film marks the launch of Chaturvedi as a mainstream hero. He delivers a fairly decent performance. Malavika Mohanan is introduced as Nikhat, the only female character with a semblance of agency. However, she remains a plot device with no personality. Raghav Juyal (Shafiq) plays an interesting villain with his quirks, while Raj Arjun (Firoz) creates an even better villain with his command over his character.
The movie lacks any real thought-provoking engagement, the only hook being the impeccable fight scenes. It is an average watch for lovers of mindless action and just pure entertainment.
However, Yudhra might be a let-down if you are looking for a solid storyline, however promising the direct address by our eponymous hero in the opening scene might be.