BHAI TERA STAR HAI is an unfunny comedy that fails to make the most of its premise Movie Review: BHAI TERA STAR HAI is a chaotic and unfunny comedy

Star Cast: Raghav Juyal, Sanjay Kapoor, Niharika NM

Director: Vivek B Agrawal

Bhai Tera Star Hai Movie Review Synopsis: BHAI TERA STAR HAI is the story of a man in trouble. Ajay Singh (Raghav Juyal) is a struggling actor living in London. He owes £10,000 to Fatty (Sanjay Kapoor), a dreaded don and pub owner. Fed up with the repeated delays, Fatty gives Ajay 90 minutes to repay the money. Ajay leaves the pub and meets his girlfriend, Roshni (Niharika NM), asking her for financial help. He lies that his sister, Natasha (Parvathy Omanakuttan), is pregnant and urgently needs money. At the same time, he tells Natasha that Roshni is expecting a child and, therefore, requires money urgently. Meanwhile, Roshni asks her brother, Sid (Vivan Bhatena), to arrange the cash. Sid has lent money to several women and goes around the city trying to recover it from them. One of these women is his former girlfriend, Natasha, who also happens to be Ajay’s sister. Soon, several other characters become embroiled in the madness that unfolds over the course of one night. What happens next forms the rest of the film.

Bhai Tera Star Hai Movie Story Review: Sudipto Sarkar and Vivek B Agrawal's story may have sounded very exciting and novel on paper. Sudipto Sarkar and Vivek B Agrawal's screenplay is witty in the sense that it has multiple one take shots. However, the goings-on are bizarre and not funny at all. Sudipto Sarkar and Vivek B Agrawal's dialogues (additional dialogues by Vanika Sangtani, Puneet Sheth, Kamya Mehra) are just okay. Only a few one-liners are funny.

Vivek B Agrawal’s direction is poor. To give credit where it is due, the film features several five- to ten-minute-long takes. It is commendable how the makers manage to pack so much action into scenes filmed in a single take. Moreover, these sequences are not restricted to one location or a static frame; some even unfold on the streets, adding to the chaos. The idea of the protagonist separately lying to his sister and girlfriend about the other being pregnant in order to raise money is clever and could have generated considerable entertainment. The character of Fatty is also amusing – a dreaded don in front of the world who is, ironically, terrified of his wife, Mandy (Niki Walia).

Yet, the film simply fails to impress, as there is hardly anything genuinely funny in it. Despite being just 105 minutes long, it becomes a chore to sit through. The lengthy single-take sequences cease to impress after the first few minutes, while the proceedings become increasingly bizarre as the film progresses. A crucial plot point involves a character being shot in the neck or shoulder. At times, he appears to be in immense pain, but in other scenes, he behaves as though he has suffered only a minor scratch. He does not receive any treatment for his serious injury until the very end and simply goes home! The finale is highly convenient. While most of the tracks are neatly wrapped up, one major subplot is left unresolved.

Bhai Tera Star Hai Movie Review Performances: Raghav Juyal is amusing in a few scenes, but overall, his performance is too loud, possibly due to the requirement of the script. Niharika NM has an arresting screen presence and delivers a subtle and effective performance. Sanjay Kapoor is aptly cast and tries his best to enhance the impact. Tina Desai (Chandani) is lovely in what could be called her comeback role. Barkha Singh (Laila), Parvathy Omanakuttan and Vivan Bhatena are sincere. Vikalp Mehta (JD) is fine but is let down by his character. Niki Walia and Dev Agarwal (Jackie; younger brother) are just okay. Chandan Roy Sanyal (Officer Hamid) tries his best, but his character just doesn’t entice. Naser Al Azzeh (Harry) and Vineeth Kumar (Sandy) are forced into the narrative.

Bhai Tera Star Hai movie music and other technical aspects: Amit Trivedi’s music is not up to the mark. The title track plays during the opening credits. Meanwhile, believe it or not, but as many as three songs – ‘Aankhon Se Tune 2.0’, ‘Nach De Lalariya’ and ‘Rang Barse’ – are played back-to-back during the end credits. ‘Aankhon Se Tune 2.0’ stands out due to its picturization, though it is rather forcefully incorporated into the narrative. Shivam-Anuj’s background score is also excessively loud, while the intermittent use of ‘Reel’-style sound effects is a put-off.

Tribhuvan Babu Sadineni’s cinematography is commendable, particularly in the way the lengthy single-take sequences have been executed. The production design is decent. Rick Roy's costumes are rich. Avantika Hari's editing is smart.

Bhai Tera Star Hai Movie Review Conclusion: On the whole, BHAI TERA STAR HAI is a chaotic and unfunny comedy that fails to make the most of its interesting premise and single-take sequences. With limited buzz and the film clashing with the monstrous SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY, it is likely to struggle to attract audiences at the box office.