Yudhra movie review: Siddhant Chaturvedi actioner starts well, but succumbs to predictability

A huge cocaine haul is at the centrepiece of this conflict between the law enforcement agencies and mobsters in Mumbai. On the warpath is Yudhra (Siddhant Chaturvedi) and his handler, an old-time cop, set against the villains of the piece, drug lord Feroz (Raj Arjun), and his spoilt son Shafiq (Raghav Juyal).

The screenplay hands out a traumatic childhood and anger issues to the orphaned young Yudhra, even as he becomes an honorary son to his guardian angel (Gajraj Rao) and the latter’s colleague (Ram Kapoor). A couple of incidents stand out. But then Yudhra grows up and proceeds to butt his head against those who bother him, and his mentor dutifully gets to lecture him on the importance of using his rage wisely. Bam, our hero gets with the plan, and goes after the bad guys responsible for his tragic past, and that’s that as far as novelty is concerned.

Siddhant Chaturvedi is still new enough to liven up his undercover agent character, and he does try, but except for a few moments, he comes off as just another ripped actor playing out his required beats. Not so much down to him, but when you think of the recent ‘Kho Gaye Hain Hum Kahan’, you know he can do more.

The same goes for Raghav Juyal, whose baddie-with-a-manic-edge (he also emits a high-pitched giggle at one point) is already feeling old. And this is after just one film, ‘Kill’, in which he uses those things to good effect. This is a performer who leaps off the screen, but new blood needs cracking writing, even as they do well in cracking bones and splintering flesh.

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Malavika Mohanan as Yudhra’s childhood sweetheart Nikhat gets more to do than your standard heroine, just in the way she participates in one of those few zingy set-pieces, instead of clapping her hands to her mouth and screaming in a corner.

But guys, you do not give me a song, no you do not, when you want to pull off a racy, pacy actioner. It stops everything. All your high-octane biff-bang-thuds turn into molasses when you bung in a song on a beach, in slo mo.

Yudhra movie cast: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Raghav Juyal, Malavika Mohanan, Garjraj Rao, Ram Kapoor, Raj Arjun, Shilpa Shukla
Yudhra movie director: Ravi Udyawar
Yudhra movie rating: 2 stars