As the year 2024 is also set to release a riveting action thriller from Bollywood, Yodha, the fans of amazing thrillers will surely rejoice. While also starring Sidharth Malhotra, Yodha is an action-packed drama that may be classified as a survival drama as it incorporates emotion, action, and patriotism all at once in the narrative. The film, directed by Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha, is yet another gem in the crown of Dharma Productions which has been experimenting with various genres of late.
In this piece of writing, I am going to give all aspects of the film namely, the plot, performances, technical aspects, and the general vibes of the film, Yodha.
Plot Summary
Yodha chronicles the thrilling escapade of a special forces soldier, Major Shantanu (played by Sidharth Malhotra), wherein he attempts to rescue the people held hostage on a plane that was hijacked. Right from the word go, the central theme focuses on the contemporary threat of international terrorism taking it to a whole new level and making it about life and death and more so, for the main character.
The movie takes an even more exciting angle when Shantanu ends up all alone, in a deserted place, with no one to come to his aid and no immediate means of being rescued. What comes next is a survival competition, in which not only his body is put to the test but his mind and emotions are put to the test also.
It can be seen that the film effectively interweaves patriotic sentiments and individual sacrifices especially because Shantanu has to decide how to save the hostages and how to save himself. The plot is developed in such a way that the audience tension is maintained even to the last moment.
Themes and Message
Yodha at the crux of it is a story of grit and courage. Count Shantanu here is the epitome of many soldiers who sacrifice for the safety of the homeland. This film tries to discover the aspect of the other side of the soldiers, the soldiers’ sacrifices, and the burdened challenges of these missions on their psyche and their families.
In the bigger picture understanding all these aspects would help in war-related activities as well as redress other angry activities of the soldiers. It also stresses the mental attack that a soldier has to endure when faced with a difficult target. Team and its leaders and never-give-up attitude of work culture – seem to appeal watching the masses utmost nowadays.
Balance of Performance
In the role of Major Shantanu, Sidharth Malhotra once again delivered.
Indeed, Sidharth Malhotra proves once again that he is not the actor to ignore when it comes to stunts after his star-rousing success in Shershaah. Major Shantanu Singh has layers beyond the action and its physicality, which makes it the need of the hour. From action pieces with heavy risk to calm pieces where Malhotra is inside himself, he manages to accomplish all and even more, portraying the character as a real one with all its peculiarities and a specific hero.
His physical transformation for the character was noteworthy. The fighting exercises, training, and emotional breakdown are all about how versatile he is as an actor. People who have seen him in Shershaah will enjoy his character in Yodha.
Other Characters: Supporting Cast
Disha Patani and Raashii Khanna are also prominent names in the film who have a lot to do, as they are known to have quite a large supporting cast. For the limited time that they overlooked Malhotra on the screen, they left an impression, especially in the emotionally charged lovemaking scenes. Although brief, Patani’s character in the movie enhances the emotions of the plot, particularly in the flashback scenes focusing on Shantanu’s life.
Strapping an equally impressive actor into the antagonist’s role only injects the story with more threat and craziness. His energetic performance as a terrorist leader raises the atmosphere and creates astonishing discussions with pyramidal Malhotra’s character.
Action Sequences and Cinematography
Action:
Considering the film is called Yodha; it doesn’t take a wild guess to say that the film’s action scenes are one of its greatest assets. Be it from the impressive long aerial shoots to even in-your-face, hand-to-hand fighting, the film does not spare any effort and packs high-octane shots. The fight scenes choreographed are sharp and realistic which is such a big win for action lovers.
Some of the positive highlights are the aircraft hijacking scene and the hand-to-hand fighting scene in the wilderness, where ‘Shantanu’ has to use his training and cleverness to overcome his opponents. Such action sequences are a hallmark of the film and underscore its excellent action direction as they lend a degree of believability to the tension created in the film.
Cinematography:
Jishnu Bhattacharjee’s effort in the film’s cinematography is that it has a lot of influence on the mood of the film. The images are breathtaking, especially in those scenes which are completely lost in the landscapes of the wilderness. Bhattacharjee can evoke a fading inner environment projected by the cut from the airplane to the outer open – life-threatening environment furthering the tension of the story.
There must be some praise for the camera work, as it has been slow to any disorientation during the action scenes. It’s all captured so skillfully that it’s hard to recall any moments where the viewer could step out and stop caring about the action, be it every punch, every explosion, or every emotional scene.
Direction and Screenplay
The sharp direction from Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha is praiseworthy. They keep the narrative intriguing and more or less under control even though the direction for this action drama film appears rather simple. What could have been a run-of-the-mill survival-action genre-dominated film is transformed by their focus on characters and their development abilities.
The screenplay is one more attention-grabber, as it masterfully combines action and a load of true feelings and emotions. The background dramatization parts particularly Shantanu’s speeches are quite engaging and they make a contribution to the whole dominated army theme but without going overboard.
There is also praise to be given to the film about its pacing. There are no tedious minutes and every single moment pushes the suspense envelope a step further closer to the climax. The approach to depicting survival’s mental equation in detail is a cut above other combat action films.
Taking Music and Sound Design To Another Level
The score by John Stewart Eduri enhances the stir of the movie. The action scenes are emphasized with music in a way that creates a rush while a rather lovely underlying score provides support for the emotional scenes. The soundscape in the film, particularly in the airplane hijack and wilderness scenes tenses up and keeps the viewers on edge.
Even if there are only a few songs in the movie, they are executed to such an extent that they belong in the story without affecting the pace of the film. The filmmakers use the songs to advance the feministic narrative of the film as opposed to typical Bollywood dance sequence numbers.
An Action Packed Must-Watch
Yodha is a heart-racing survival drama, Sidharth Malhotra is blossoming in the action genre. It is not just another action flick; it is a story of determination, sacrifice, and hope. With spectacular action sequences, outstanding actors, and deep emotions that revolve around this military action drama film, there is no way anybody should miss watching this movie.
Yodha impresses both in terms of direction and technical execution and … and … it is one of the most awaited TIFF movies of 2024. If you are looking for an extraordinary action and thriller or perhaps an emotionally satisfying film with patriotism and self-sacrifice, then Yodha will not be forgotten in your memory.
