YUDHRA suffers from a routine and predictable plot

Yudhra Review {3.0/5} & Review Rating

Director: Ravi Udyawar

Yudhra Movie Review Synopsis:
YUDHRA is the story of an angry young man. Girish Dixit (Saurabh Gokhale) is an honest police officer who deals a huge blow to the drug mafia in India. He and his pregnant wife Prerna (Sharvari Deshpande) get killed in a road accident. The doctors, however, are able to save the child miraculously. Girish’s police colleague Kartik Rathore (Gajraj Rao) adopts the child, and he’s named Yudhra. Since childhood, his only friend has been Nikhat, the daughter of Rehman, also a cop and a friend of Kartik. Yudhra (Siddhant Chaturvedi) grows up with anger issues. He also becomes a rebel without a cause, which becomes a cause of concern for Kartik, since he is now in public life. Rehman suggests that Yudhra should be enrolled in NCTA (National Cadet Training Academy) and then he can get into the armed forces and serve the country. Nikhat (Malavika Mohanan), who is studying to become a doctor, convinces him. Yudhra is doing well at NCTA when one day, he almost kills a civilian over a fight. Yudhra is rusticated from NCTA and he’s imprisoned for 9 months. Rehman asks him to channel his anger just like how his father did and help him fight the drug mafia. He also reveals to Yudhra that his father was killed by the biggest drug lord, Sikandar (Joao Mario). Yudhra agrees. His first mission is now to befriend Naidu (Parmeshwar K R), who is a trusted aide of Feroz (Raj Arjun), the second biggest drug lord. He used to work once for Sikandar and now, they are sworn enemies. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Yudhra Movie Story Review:
Shridhar Raghavan’s story is routine. Shridhar Raghavan’s screenplay is weak as the writing gives a feeling of been-there-done-that. But a few scenes are well thought out. Farhan Akhtar and Akshat Ghildial’s dialogues are okay. A film like this ought to have clapworthy dialogues. Moreover, the scene where a character suggests that it’s easier to kill someone in Portugal than in India might lead to unintentional laughter in cinemas.

Ravi Udyawar’s direction is stylish and saves the film to some extent. There’s a lot of thought which has gone in each and every shot and it makes the film watchable. A scene where Ravi shows his brilliance is the chase sequence in Portugal and the madness, which ensues in the music shop. The scene in the bathroom towards the end is also quite novel. The film also has been mounted on a huge scale and this makes it apt for the big screen.

On the flipside, the story reminds one of DON (1976) and many other films. Hence, one can guess a few twists from a mile away. A scene at an important juncture in the film seems like a rip-off of a scene from ANIMAL (2023). A few developments are bewildering. The manner in which Yudhra is able to eliminate a dreaded fugitive without any effort is laughable. The makers could have at least shown him facing some challenges before achieving his target. The scene in the jail is unexciting and the amount of bloodshed puts viewers off. The film also doesn’t end on a high.

Yudhra | Official Trailer | Siddhant Chaturvedi | Malavika Mohanan | Raghav Juyal | Ravi Udyawar

Yudhra Movie Review Performances:
Siddhant Chaturvedi gives his best shot. He is well built and hence, when he fights multiple baddies at the same time, he looks convincing. Malavika Mohanan looks stunning and delivers a confident performance. She looks great in the action scenes. Raghav Juyal (Shafiq), last seen in a KILL (2024), plays a villain here as well and yet again, he is terrific. Ram Kapoor is dependable while Gajraj Rao lends able support. Raj Arjun is decent and hams in the climax. Shilpa Shukla and Joao Mario are wasted. Saurabh Gokhale, Sharvari Deshpande, Parmeshwar K R, Zhokhoi Chuzho (Baghol), Jared (young Yudhra) and Drashti Bhanushali (young Nikhat) are okay. 

Yudhra movie music and other technical aspects:
The music is poor. A film like this should have been a chartbuster. ‘Sohni Lagdi’ and ‘Hatt Jaa Baaju’ fail to entice. ‘Saathiya’ is well shot but the song is not memorable at all. Sanchit and Ankit Balhara’s background score, however, is praiseworthy and innovative.

Jay Pinak Oza’s cinematography is splendid, and the various locales have been shot breathtakingly. Federico Cueva and Sunil Rodrigues’ action is needlessly gory in many places. Rupin Suchak’s production design is appealing. Shaleena Nathani and Sabina Halder’s costumes are rich, especially the ones worn by the lead actors. Tushar Parekh and Anand Subaya’s editing is slick.

Yudhra Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, YUDHRA suffers from a routine and predictable plot but is watchable due to the direction and performances. At the box office, the film will get benefit of cheap tickets on the occasion of National Cinema Day.