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Your age and perspective may determine whether or not you have positive recollections of the three Rambo movies. While the initial film cautiously addressed America’s involvement in Vietnam, the subsequent sequels embraced a strong nationalism that blended high-octane thrills, muscular protagonists, and unrealistic scenes with unsettling political themes. The new Hindi action film Yodha follows a similar pattern.
We are introduced to our protagonist, Arun (Sidharth Malhotra), as a young boy who idolizes his father, a soldier. Unfortunately, his father is killed and Arun is left with the daunting task of living up to his father’s legacy. He makes a promise to either become worthy of his father’s elite special ops team, known as the “Yodha,” or die trying with his body draped in the national flag. The movie then proceeds to showcase numerous displays of patriotism, with Arun’s incredible fighting skills and almost supernatural ability to appear where he is least expected by the enemies.
Directors Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha are fully dedicated to the comedic aspect: they incorporate camera zooms and dramatic music that one would typically associate with an action-comedy like Hot Fuzz. The main storyline is reminiscent of sitcoms where characters like Alan Partridge or Michael Scott attempt to sell their ideas for an action film, with the premise essentially boiling down to a group of villains on a plane facing off against the protagonist. Malhotra delivers a convincing and suave performance in the lead role, portraying a character who can bear a bullet wound without showing weakness and delivering lines like, “My country will endure forever.”
In the second half, Malhotra faces competition from various fun villains, highlighting the lackluster supporting characters in the first half. Similar to the Rambo movies, the focus is on the main character and his impressive fighting abilities, as well as his potentially controversial patriotism.
Source: theguardian.com
