Aryabhatt Ka Zero review: Ravi Kishan, Himansh Kohli's slice of life film is a two-hour-long trip to nowhere
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We have had films that motivate you to study harder, work harder, or simply be a better person. And then there are films like Aryabhatt Ka Zero, which are as aimless as their lead character. On my personal list of ‘Films That Have No Reason To Exist’, this one surely ranks somewhere.
Adding to this, Aryabhatt Ka Zero review: Himansh Kohli and Ravi Kishan lead the slice of life movie. The plot Directed by Kamal Chandra, the movie revolves around Baggu (Himansh Kohli), a good-for-nothing guy who has been bad at studies. His girlfriend, Rinku (Sonnalli Seygall), is married off to an SDM (Gopal Dutt). Baggu, in a fit of rage, decides to take the UPSC exam to become a DM. At this point, as a viewer, you are probably thinking the rest of the movie is about how he pulls it off. No.
Meanwhile, What begins as a movie about fulfilling one’s duty towards one’s parents and finding motivation soon derails. In a bid to help his struggling family after a personal crisis, Baggu takes up the first job that comes his way, finally beginning to take life seriously. But by the time the climax arrives, the story suddenly starts preaching that success in life has little to do with hard work. It happens so abruptly that the viewer barely gets time to process what just happened. Talk about an anti-climactic twist.
Notably, What the two-hour-long movie gets right is its setting. Shot entirely across Delhi and the hills, cinematographer Yogesh Jani does a good job of capturing both. The screenplay, however, leaves plenty of room for improvement. There are stretches where the story moves forward, but the viewer feels nothing. It is progression for the sake of progression.
As per the latest buzz, What also doesn’t help is Himansh Kohli, who is literally present in almost every frame, delivering a rather hit-and-miss performance. The character needed more spunk, but Kohli often ends up bringing down the movie’s energy quotient instead. A movie of this nature ought to have been far more lively. While he is effective in the emotional scenes, there is little spark in his act otherwise.
In further updates, Sonnalli Seygall pitches in with a decent performance, and her chemistry with Himansh also works. Ravi Kishan as Chhanu bhaiya could have done with more scenes featuring him. Shilpa Shinde as Simmi, Baggu's sister, plays her role well. Neeraj Sood as Aryabhatt, Baggu's father, stands out, playing his part very well, and actually lending the movie some of its more watchable scenes. The music by Manan Bhardwaj is not too impressive.
On top of that, Overall, Aryabhatt Ka Zero is undone by its confused writing. There is nothing wrong with making a movie about an ordinary, directionless young man trying to turn his life around. In fact, Baggu’s journey could have made for an affecting watch if the movie had invested more in his transformation and given his choices some weight. Instead, the narrative keeps taking detours, only to arrive at a conclusion that feels less like a culmination and more like a different movie suddenly taking over. There are a few performances and moments that keep you engaged, but they are not enough to rescue a screenplay that seems unsure. By the end, Aryabhatt Ka Zero leaves you with neither inspiration nor entertainment, which is quite a feat for a movie that tries to offer both.
Rishabh Suri writes for the daily Entertainment & Lifestyle supplement HT City. From Bollywood to Hollywood, from Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam films, to OTT and television- he covers it all.
Source: Hindustan Times