Bawaal review: Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor's film is a misplaced lesson in history

Never in my wildest imagination did I think that a Bollywood film featuring two commercial stars like Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor would give me history lessons on World War II and Hitler. Don't get me wrong, I do not think that the actors are not capable of being associated with something as serious as World War, they have proved their mettle in several films before and are stellar performers if given the right script, but in Nitesh Tiwari's latest film Bawaal, the two actors meander through a convoluted plot which is a coming of age saga with World War II as the backdrop. Now, the trailer of Bawaal had left me, like many others, very confused. I simply could not fathom how the holocaust and present-day Lucknow could be connected. But the film does. Writer Ashwini Iyer Tiwari's flight to fantasy connects Ajay, a local star of Lucknow, to one of the worst chapters of history. The film has Dhawan playing Ajay or Ajju, a middle school history teacher, who is more concerned about his image in the city of Lucknow than his students and the subject he teaches. Ajju has created an image of himself as an extraordinary person with multiple talents across the city. His stories are narrated in Lucknow almost like folklore. But Ajju in reality is a deeply insecure, frustrated man- unhappy with his job, his life, and his marriage to Nisha (Kapoor). Ajju's lack of enthusiasm and knowledge of history lands him in trouble at school and he is suspended temporarily. The man is more perturbed about the dent the suspension would bring to the image that he has so carefully created for himself all these years. In order to keep his image intact, he decides to take a trip to Europe- specifically to cities that have historical importance to the world war. His genius idea involves him and Nisha travelling to European cities like Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam and Auschwitz and from there sending his students, lessons of World War II- a chapter that he could not cover due to his suspension. While his admirers hail the decision his own family is sceptical about his intentions. As the two land in Paris- their first stop in the Europe trip- self-discovery happens first for Nisha and eventually for Ajju as they both rediscover life, the struggles that humanity faced during the World War, and the futility of conflict and way in general. Bollywood has over the years made several coming-of-age films. In that sense, Bawaal doesn't serve us anything new. However, it is how the writer connects World War to a man's self-realization that makes this film unique. And while on paper it may have appeared to be a great idea (and somewhat far-fetched in my opinion), it somehow doesn't reflect that smartly on screen. Nitesh Tiwari, in the past, has given us two terrific films like Dangal and Chhichhore and so the expectation from Bawaal is high. However, the film ends up being a middling affair. It neither provokes any emotions in scenes where the director ably depicts some horrific episodes of World War II, nor does it create an impact on Ajju's progression in the story. The backdrop of the war as a tool of self-discovery seems rather misplaced, especially when the two plots are literally from different eras. The makers try to take up too many issues in one film, thereby making it a convoluted storyline. There is Ajju and Nisha's love story, and how they rediscover their feelings for each other during the trip, there is also a portion about the futility of war, then Ajju's journey of becoming content with his life, the importance of appreciating what one has in life instead of what one yearns for- all this is placed in the same story - and the result is not the best. The narrative ever so often switches to black and white to depict the war and then changes back to colour to give a perspective of the leads. It's almost like watching Ranbir Kapoor's journey of coming of age in any of his blockbuster films but with World War II forcibly thrust down our necks and being persistently told that a man-child's journey to becoming an adult is connected to a war that took place over eight decades back. The actors are credible in their parts. Manoj Pahwa, Janhvi Kapoor, and Varun Dhawan do justice to their part but are often led down by poorly written screenplay. The only portions that were well-written involved Dhawan and a bunch of Gujarati tourists on the same flight to Paris. Their bags get exchanged and the faux pas that ensues is hilarious. Of course, it does generalize the Gujarati community, but still provides the laughs. Bawaal demands you to indulge the writer and director with their story which seems like a stretch in every aspect. Over the years, there have been several films made on World War II that have not only highlighted the mammoth tragedy that the human race had to face at that time but also beautifully highlighted the lessons that we all need to learn from history. Bawaal, unfortunately, is not that film. It provides a convoluted love story wrapped in lessons of history- that can be bunked. Bawaal is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Bawaal review: Varun Dhawan, Janhvi Kapoor's film is a misplaced lesson in history

Bawaal

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Shomini Sen

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