A leopard appears around one hour into Bholaa, the latest film directed, produced, and starring Ajay Devgn. The beast was produced totally using CGI, as a disclaimer in the opening titles states, but that’s hardly the most frightening aspect about it. The leopard retreats and escapes as Ajay, who plays our protagonist, Bholaa, swoops down from a vehicle and does little more than a brief hero’s walk. In the film, Ajay’s heroism is so tremendous that he transforms an apex predator into a real (and hilarious) scaredy cat.
The leopard is one of several differences between Bholaa and its source material. The film is a replica of the Tamil movie Kaithi, which was released in 2019. The original, written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj – unquestionably one of the country’s most thrilling action films – is a study in delayed pleasure, punctuating its pay-offs and massive action set pieces with extended stretches of building and dread. Kanagaraj, aided by his enigmatic leading man Karthi, keeps us on pins and needles until unleashing the craziness in the film’s second half… where it belongs.
Bholaa, on the other hand, is insane from the start. Ajay and his authors (four in all) waive any and all claims to restraint.
The film is too sweet and too eager to please, with animals, item numbers, and balletic nighttime bike chases. It’s a combination between Mad Max: Fury Road and K.G.F. at points, neither of which is really suited to a sparse, emotional narrative like Kaithi. Following in the footsteps of Bachchan Pandey and Vikram Vedha, this is another over-the-top Hindi adaptation. It provides Bholaa with a unique visual character, although without any suspense or edge.
A narcotics bust was successful, with 900 kgs of uncut cocaine confiscated. Both the loot and its carriers are being held at the mysterious Lalganj prison in Uttar Pradesh. When police officer Diana Joseph (Tabu) finds herself in a jam, she believes the worst is over; several of her colleagues had passed out after drinking tainted wine at a senior’s goodbye party. In a rush for time and alternatives, Diana hires Bholaa, an ex-convict on his way to visit his daughter, to put the officers onto a truck and bring them to the hospital. It’s a two-hour trip, enough time for Ashwatthama (Deepak Dobriyal), the drug ring’s insane leader, to lay siege to Lalgunj.
Bholaa is really two films in one: an action road movie mixed with a last-stand survival story.
Sanjay Mishra plays an elderly officer tasked with fortifying the Lalganj station against invading gangs. At the same time, a bounty is placed on Diana and the knocked-out cops, causing other gangs to pursue and prevent the truck’s journey. Dharmendra Sharma, the editor, seamlessly transitions between the two songs. The focus, though, is on the violence, as Ajay’s Bholaa crushes limbs, breaks bones, and bashes out teeth to protect his sponsors, who have promised to help ensure his daughter’s future.
The pursuit scenes are admirably insane. Ajay and his colleagues spare no money in the vehicle section, from exploding motorcycles and police vehicles to a fleet of tractors that stand up on their rear wheels. His action choreography is harsh and erratic. Yet, the shoddy VFX — notably a phony waterfall in the closing act — and the lengthy day-for-night filming detract from the sense of witnessing in-camera action. The picture has some abrupt tone swings, such as violence interrupted by humor interrupted by melodrama interrupted by romance.
Ajay appears terrifying when cutting up thugs with his trident in hand, his brow plastered in sacred ash, but otherwise tries to portray the epic characteristics of his persona. The film contains several references to the actor’s previous blockbusters, including the truck-based action of Kachche Dhaage and Badshaaho, the forest frenzy of Kaal, and a similar cop-and-criminal equation between Tabu and him as in Drishyam. “I understand your zakhm,” Diana says at one time, alluding to a 1998 Ajay film.
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Bholaa, a pan-India release, comes with the typical trappings, such as IMAX 3D and 4DX screenings and appearances by Amala Paul & Rai Lakshmi. The picture exudes crowd-pleasing qualities, but will this be enough? “These days, movies don’t function unless they have a plot,” a character in Kaithi explains. It’s clever that the sentence isn’t repeated in Bholaa. This is a film that stakes everything on its embellishments.
Bholaa is now on the big screen.
