Movie Review – ‘Alpha’: Alia’s film moves ahead with the impression of Dhurandhar, but loses momentum before reaching the destination.
Yash Raj Spy Universe’s first female lead film Alpha hits the theaters with big scale, high octane action and a fresh concept. It was expected from the trailer that it would give a new place to the spy universe, but the film does not fully live up to that expectation. Director Shiv Rawail has worked hard to give it the look of an international spy thriller. The visuals, action and production values impress, but the weak screenplay and low emotional engagement hold the film back time and again. The story of the film, about 140 minutes long, starts from July 27, 1999. Indian Army’s Vikrant Kaul (Anil Kapoor) and Fateh Singh Lakhawat (Bobby Deol) dream of creating the country’s most dangerous secret force. With this thinking, Team Alpha starts, whose soldiers are given Alpha serum. This serum increases a person’s strength, reflex and recovery manifold. Meanwhile, Vikrant gives Alpha serum to his pregnant wife Janaki (Dia Mirza) to save her life. This decision changes his entire life. Fateh believes that only the army had the right on this serum. He separates Vikrant’s newborn daughter from him and makes him believe that his daughter is dead. Years later, the same daughter Sita (Alia Bhatt) has become a dangerous weapon under Fateh’s watch. Since childhood, she is given missions and she keeps eliminating the enemies of the country. But one day she realizes that the person whom she considered her guru is the biggest culprit. On the other hand, Vikrant’s second daughter Durga (Sharvari) who grew up in Spain enters. The two sisters face off and the story reaches the mystery of Operation Odyssey. After all, what is Fateh’s real mission, what is his motive behind Operation Odyssey and will Sita be able to stop him, the climax of the film answers these questions. Alia Bhatt has worked hard to play the role of Sita in the film. She has given all her strength in the action sequences and also leaves an impact in many scenes. However, in emotional scenes his character does not connect with the audience as much as was required. Sharvari has got less screen space, but in whatever opportunity she has, she has done a good job and has done justice to her character. Bobby Deol is the biggest surprise package of the film. In the role of Fateh Singh Lakhawat, his passion, silence and dangerous screen presence emerge as the biggest strength of the film. Anil Kapoor also fits perfectly into his character. Hrithik Roshan’s cameo at the end of the film comes as a nice surprise for the fans of the spy universe and also increases the curiosity for the future films. Direction and technical aspects of the film: Director Shiv Rawail has tried to give the film a treatment like a Hollywood style spy thriller. The cinematography is fantastic. The sepia tones, large sets and beautiful locations give the film great visual appeal. Especially the first fight sequence between Alia and Sharvari is the strongest part of the film. However, at the level of story, the film becomes weak at many places. The screenplay is loose and many events proceed without a solid foundation. There are definitely some twists, but they do not have the thrill that can keep the audience engaged throughout the film. The film fails to leave an impact even in emotional scenes. At many places the spy agents have been made so superhuman that the story feels moving away from reality. Despite having such a good concept, the writing does not fully capitalize on it. The first part of the film progresses at an average pace. The real game begins after the interval, when a bigger truth about Bobby Deol’s grey-shaded character is revealed. This twist adds new life to the story and for some time the film starts giving the feel of a spy thriller like Dhurandhar. However, even after this, the weak screenplay does not allow the film to take off completely. The twists coming after the interval and the layers of Bobby Deol’s gray-shaded character make the film better, but the weak writing cannot maintain its pace till the end. Music in the Film The background score of the film fits the tone of the story and supports the action. But there is no such track among the songs which is remembered even after the film is over. Final Verdict on the film: Alpha is visually stunning, the action is strong and Bobby Deol impresses the most with his character. Alia Bhatt has also tried to handle the film with all sincerity, but the weak screenplay, low emotional connect and average thrills become its biggest weaknesses. The film could have been a strong start to a new spy chapter, but this opportunity could not be fully capitalized on. If you are a fan of stylish action and Yash Raj Spy Universe on the big screen, then you can watch the film once, but at the level of story, it will not be able to satisfy you completely.
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