Bholaa Movie Review: An action-packed fast-paced thriller

Review: Ajay Devgn is action- master in his own way and this time around he engages you with intricately woven action sequences that boast of a certain expertise and finesse. An ever-reliable performer, Ajay also has you rooting for Bholaa, a father waiting to unite with his daughter. As a protagonist here, he is a man of very few words, who shows all his angst and pain through his eyes. Bholaa, a devotee of Lord Shiva, channels his inner rudra avatar to fight like a fearless warrior. He battles a horde of gangs in all modes to remove all the obstacles that come in the way of him meeting his daughter.

Tabu lends solid support as a police officer who is never deterred by any danger. However, apart from a brief glimpse of her life beyond the uniform, her character has a limited arc, but here again, she stands tall in a story full of hulky men, with devious missions and menacing looks. Deepak Dobriyal, as the evil and unpredictable Ashwathama, is impressive. He is one actor who knows when to pull out the stops – as the main antagonist here, he is brutal and flamboyantly evil.

As a director, it is challenging to hold together a gritty tale that unfolds over one long night, but Ajay manages to do that to a large extent. There are several events happening at a quick pace parallelly through the night and each of them adds an element of thrill and excitement to the experience. His penchant for VFX is on full display here. That, along with Aseem Bajaj’s cinematography, creates interesting imagery throughout the film, which is an adaptation of the Tamil film Kaithi (2019). While the action is main genere of the film, the story also has an emotional graph that will find a connect with the audience. An able supporting cast, including Sanjay Mishra, Gajraj Rao and Vineet Kumar, aid the narrative. The use of Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai is lyrical and apt.

Very little is revealed about Bholaa’s past - apart from a brief glimpse of his romance with Amala Paul for obvious reasons(unveiled by the end of the film).You are left with many questions about the protagonist’s life, which an origin story is likely to help unfold - à la Baahubali. Stay back post the climax to know who will be Bholaa’s arch-enemy ahead.