Vedaa: Despite a fresh perspective, it misses out on making its point!

Nikkhil Advani's Vedaa is a hard-hitting social commentary wrapped in a well-crafted action thriller, but unfortunately, it doesn't pack a punch.

If, like me, you watched Vedaa's trailer expecting it to be another action flick with a twist—where a male mentor trains a female mentee to stand on her own—you'd be partly right. But John Abraham and Sharvari's film goes beyond that premise, offering a surprising depth that holds up a mirror to society's blindsidedness. Unfortunately, despite its ambitions, the film leaves a middling impression, which is disappointing for a story that aims to address caste-based discrimination.

Inspired by the true stories of the 2007 Manoj-Babli honour killing case and the 2015 Meenakshi Kumari case, Vedaa can be seen as a revenge thriller where two individuals scarred by trauma unite in their pursuit of justice. Abhimanyu (John Abraham) is a court-martialed ex-Gorkha regiment officer haunted by grief, while Vedaa (Sharvari) is a Dalit college student and aspiring boxer who, along with her family, suffers at the hands of upper-caste men who are the self-proclaimed rulers of Barmer, Rajasthan, bent on preserving their dominance through the age-old "pratha of jaat-paat". 

Also Read: Stree 2: A fun-filled horror sequel that almost manages to live up to the original

What sets this film apart is that it's not your typical revenge action thriller that merely sets up a hero on a killing spree saving the girl in the process while paying lip service to a social issue. Instead, Nikkhil Advani and Aseem Arora refuse to downplay the dark, troubling issue of caste, packaging it within the mass-commercial beats of an action film and making it accessible to a broader audience. Hence, apart from keeping in mind all its mass commercial aspects, the film doesn't shy away from depicting the brutal torture inflicted by upper-caste men, the complacency of educated Dalits weary of systemic injustice, and a justice system too afraid to act.

However, the film struggles to seamlessly blend its hard-hitting social commentary with its action sequences. The result is a confused tone that swings between tactical action set pieces and deeply unsettling dramatic moments, making the film engaging in parts but lacking coherence as a whole. This tension causes the well-choreographed action scenes, beautifully shot by Malay Prakash, to lose impact, while the grounded dramatic scenes fail to evoke the necessary emotional connection. Even though the film has everything—from rooted storytelling to high-octane moments—the transitions between them feel unnatural, and the poorly placed songs only add to the disjointed experience. However, the cast delivers strong performances, with John Abraham embodying his silent, brooding action persona, and Abhishek Banerjee excelling as the vile engineer-turned-pradhan. Sharvari shines as the young Dalit girl who suffers a lot but learns to fight for herself, and Kshitij Chauhan stands out as the entitled young pradhan who gives you the creep. 

Despite its unique perspective, genre-blending, strong dialogues, well-developed characters, technical prowess, and intriguing plot based on real-life events, Vedaa fails to create a lasting connection and feels overly stretched. Yet, it's still an important film that takes a significant step in bringing the issues from the hinterlands of India to the big screen. It's just unfortunate that the experience is so middling, leaving you neither hating the film nor loving it, which is regrettable, especially given the weighty subject it seeks to highlight.

Vedaa is currently in theatres near you! 

For more such content, interviews, and reviews, follow us on @socialketchupbinge.