Vedaa review: Abhishek Banerjee, Sharvari shine in John Abraham's 'same-old' action flick that misses it punch

Director- Nikkhil Advani 
Cast- John Abraham, Sharvari, Abhishek Banerjee, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ashish Vidyarthi, Kshitij Chauhan
Where to watch- Theatres
Ratings-2.5

Bollywood is currently soaking in the wave of action thrillers. At this time, John Abraham, who is more or less synonymous with action, brings another action flick in Vedaa. The film earnestly tries to be more than just an adrenaline-driven action fest but fails miserably. Vedaa looks like a combination of several action films mixed with an emotional message - the usual, to say briefly. 

Vedaa revolves around Major Abhimanyu Kanwar (John Abraham), who gets court-martialed for not following orders. He returns to his in-laws' home in Barmer to fulfill his promise of protecting his late wife's father. There, he takes up the job of a boxing coach in a college where he crosses paths with Vedaa (Sharvari), a Dailt girl out to fight and protect her family and community from upper-caste oppressors. After seeing the plight of Vedaa and his family, how Abhimanyu helps Vedaa in her quest to save her family and fight for justice is what forms the crux of the story. 

The first half of Vedaa, though a little slow, successfully establishes the struggles faced by Vedaa and her family. It gives you hope this could be more than just an action drama and maybe you could even see more of Sharvari in action than John. hHwever, all your hopes are quashed as soon as the second half begins. While most fight scenes are intense and entertaining, there are some senseless things thrown in as well. For instance, Vedaa, who John Abraham teaches boxing, never uses it and keeps running from all the situations she learned the sport for.
 
John Abraham, the action star, is back to his forte. While initially, the audience might find it difficult to connect with his character, as the story develops, you warm up to him. However, there's nothing new that John has to offer in the film. His character looks similar to any of his previous action flicks where he loses his loved ones. His action sequences also have a throwback quality to them. Sharvari impresses with her emotional and powerful act in the film. You can easily relate to her sorrows and feel pity for her. But her character frustrates too as she turns into a damsel in distress all too often after being built up as a strong girl. Abhishek Banerjee shines in this action film without resorting to any punches or summersaults. He plays the perfect foil to John Abraham and makes you detest him in every frame. Even in the presence of a stalwart like Ashish Vidyarthi, Abhishek stands out. 

The songs in the film are distracting and do not blend well with the storyline. Whether its the Holi song or Mouni Roy's 'Mummy Ji', they looks nothing more than forced detours in the movie. While the action scenes in the movie do make your jaw drop, there's harly anything new to look for. The second half suffers from an overuse of fight sequences, which slows down the narrative and loses focus from the central theme of caste discrimination and Vedaa's struggle. The climax is somewhat stretched and lacks the emotional impact it should have had. While the first half shows Vedaa (Sharvari) preparing for a fight, trying to become a messiah for her community, the second half disappoints with just a few scenes of her in action making you question if it was ever about her or just about Abhimanyu (John Abraham)'s urge to initiate a war. 

It looks like John Abraham was training Sharvari Wagh for her upcoming spy film Alpha because, in Vedaa, all her training goes down the drain. The film has some emotional depth which could have been explored more. While social issues and caste discrimination have been explored in the movie, they desired more nuanced handling The film tries to add a Mahabharata touch projecting John as Lord Krishna, who is guiding Sharvari (Arjun) in this battle. However, the makers forget that Lord Krishna didn't have to fight the whole battle for Arjun, and he was just his guiding light. 

Vedaa could have been an entertaining action flick with a powerful message. However, it fails to deliver the message properly due to the overuse of fights. It's at best a one-time watch and might prove to be entertaining for cine-goers who love actions. John Abraham and Sharvari's film proves that Bollywood can set unrealistic expectations for not just love but also action.

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