Rating – *** (3/5)
Tauba Tauba – the endless potential and the wait for something meaty to transpire in Bad Newz is a recurring feeling you’re left with as you see Vicky Kaushal being smooth as butter with the viral Tauba Tauba step. It isn’t to say that Bad Newz is bad but it never quite manages to wow you either which perhaps is infuriating given the prospect was encouraging.
What works to the largest extent in this comedy drama is the humor and more so the incessant instances of meta humor. Right from parodying music, dialogues and scenes from classics like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Mohabbatein and more to the line blurring moments of referring to Triptii Dimri as ‘national crush’ and ‘bhabhi 2’, you will find yourself doing the spotting exercise of such moments because when humor doesn’t prevail, the story keeps faltering.
The dodgy screenplay doesn’t help either where the convenient and rapid developments between Kaushal and Dimri’s relationship feel banal and perplexing. Even though, this isn’t a sequel to Good Newwz but it adapts the theme of a rare pregnancy phenomenon but unlike the 2019 film, this one never cares to focus more on the reactions and willingness to adapt.
Granted that Kaushal and Virk’s nok-jhok moments are natural but still their willingness to actually care about the baby and the mother is never explored. They just want to one-up on each other, and that’s jarring after the funny moments fizzle out.
Virk has a natural charm and his vocabulary with Punjabi, his innocent look and his comic timing is phenomenal. Kaushal doesn’t need too many adjectives to be described as a versatile actor, and here once again, he is in his element – almost as much as if Akhil Chadha is an extended version of himself. Dimri was always touted to be one of the finest with her acts in Qala and Bulbull but entering the commercial space, she also seems rather comfortable even though she dwindles on a few occasions.
Anand Tiwari is a skilled director who has a knack of understanding and portraying relationships and humor, which he so fantastically did in the Prime Video series, Bandish Bandits.
However, the limitations of a 2 hour 22 minute runtime somehow leaves him puzzled where he is trying too much and seemingly loses his way with the execution. To see an actor like Sheeba Chaddha reduced to a role that pretty much offers nothing for her to do is sad, to see Neha Dhupia play an insignificant supporting character is also unfortunate, and to see a partly hilarious ride lose its way is disheartening.
In the end, Bad Newz falters too often and too much to be labelled as a wholesome entertainer, which it easily could have been – instead it ends up being a half-baked broth with ample ingredients that don’t quite refine the taste and just remain raw.
