Good news, Bad Newz isn’t that bad
Nonika Singh
It’s a strange, tangled love triangle and at one level, progressive too. A woman expecting twins by not one but two men is certainly a novel idea and out of the box, indeed. A sequel to the highly entertaining ‘Good Newwz’, which dwelt upon an interesting premise of a sperm mix-up during an IVF procedure, this one too talks about a rather complicated state of pregnancy.
Heteropaternal superfecundation, quite a mouthful of a term, we are told, is a reproductive process in which twin children are born to the same mother, but from different biological fathers. Complicated status, but like its spiritual predecessor, it takes the easy, breezy route to drive home a complex subject.
An ambitious and beautiful chef, Saloni (Triptii Dimri), is literally swept off her feet by sab ton vadda Akhil Chadda (Vicky Kaushal). A whirlwind romance, interfering mother and equally nosey Akhil the husband — confusing his bombastic tokens with acts of love, sweetness of honeymoon and the palpable chemistry between the lead players — soon turns into the dreaded D word. There’s also the other D word, Devdas, associated with heartbroken lovers. But, don’t you know, modern lovers seek solace in rebound, which explains how our heroine ends up with the children of two men? One, of course, is none other than the ex-husband and there is a new entrant in her life, hotelier Gunbir Pannu (Ammy Virk).
If you remember singer-superstar Diljit Dosanjh playing an over-the-top Punjabi in ‘Good Newwz’, much to our delight, here yet another Punjabi superstar, Ammy Virk, plays just the opposite of Diljit’s character and an antithesis to Vicky’s braggart and bluster too.
The flavour, like many KJo movies, is unmistakably Punjabi and like many of his recent movies, a mixed bag of fun and gravitas, silly and sombre. Of course, reconciling opposing forces at work isn’t always easy. Director Anand Tiwari of ‘Bandish Bandits’ fame and writers Ishita Moitra and Tarun Dudeja deserve a pat for trying to normalise pregnancy out of wedlock, one-night stand and more. But then, the movie climaxes on a predictable ‘happily ever after’ note. In a feel-good comedy, you can’t expect a ground-breaking shift even if the germ of the idea is revolutionary. Passé also are far too many references to other films, which is fast becoming de rigueur in every other movie, and every now and then a yesteryear song crops up. The one that plays when the two leading men come face to face does bring a smile to your face. Their bromance has a playful undercurrent.
Where the film loses steam is when it follows the formulaic pattern of two men trying to woo the girl by stumping the competitor. The one-upmanship between the two male actors, stirred up to heighten the mirth quotient, does not quite bring the house down. Of course, in the race of ‘may the cleverest man win’, one scene where Vicky as Akhil, who suffers from nomophobia, lands up at the mobile shop to buy a new one, steals the thunder (his take on the famous Govinda ‘Mobile Number’ song is super). Even otherwise, he is quite a scene stealer. Vicky, the intense actor of ‘Masaan’ and ‘Sardar Udham’, proves he can shake a leg, romance for sure, crack a joke, play the fool and still make our eyes moist. In short, he is a complete package, an actor who can make us laugh and cry.
Triptii, ‘the national crush’, emotes well and does not carry the heavy weight of her previous artistic films like ‘Bulbul’ and ‘Qala’. She is light on her feet, free and easy. Now, she is a bona fide star, and acts and shines like one. Ammy, as the reticent Gunbir Pannu, is in fine form. It’s always refreshing to see a turbaned hero not reduced to a caricature. Only the restraint inbuilt in his character does restrain the actor in him. Still, his fans like us do end up rooting for him. Neha Dhupia (Ma Corona) and even the talented Sheeba Chadha don’t count for much.
As for the film’s rocking music, the song ‘Tauba Tauba’ not only showcases Vicky’s dancing skills to the hilt, but also our good-looking singer Karan Aujla, who has sung it with full gusto. The film’s spirits are not always on even keel and if you are expecting a laugh riot, stay away. The good news, however, is that ‘Bad Newz’ is amusing enough to make for a decent watch.
