Bhediya (film)

Bhediya is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language supernatural comedy horror film directed by Amar Kaushik. Produced by Dinesh Vijan from a story and screenplay by Niren Bhatt, it stars Varun Dhawan alongside Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Banerjee, Deepak Dobriyal and Paalin Kabak. The plot of the film is inspired by Arunachal Pradesh's legend of a shape-shifting werewolf (Yapum), who wants to protect the jungle, even if he or she has to kill somebody. It is the second installment in the Maddock Supernatural Universe.

It was released on 25 November 2022 to mixed-to-positive reviews and received praise for its visual effects, screenplay, direction, humour and performances. It received 13 nominations at the 68th Filmfare Awards, including Best Film (Critics), Best Actor (Critics) and Best Special Effects. A sequel is in development.

Plot
Bhaskar Sharma and his cousin Janardhan "Jana" visit a small town in Arunachal Pradesh for a road-building project. Two natives, Jomin and Panda, show them around. One night in the forest, Bhaskar is bitten by a wolf on his rear end. Dr. Anika, the local veterinarian, saves him.

The next day, Bhaskar begins to see changes in himself, like heightened senses of smell and hearing, and communicating with animals. Meanwhile, the locals and tribals are opposed to the idea of cutting down trees to build roads. Two people involved in the project were discovered dead. Bitemarks on the bodies indicate that they were killed by an animal. Panda claims the killings are the work of a werewolf (Yapum).

It is revealed that Bhaskar is the perpetrator of the crimes; he has been transforming into a werewolf every night since being bitten and has no control over it. The duo decides to confine Bhaskar to a remote location so he does not succumb. However, a local cop learns the truth, threatening to divulge Bhaskar's name to the town. The wolf that had bitten Bhaskar appears and kills the cop. The group goes to an elderly doctor for treatment; he informs them that the only way for Bhaskar to be cured is for him to be bitten by the same wolf on a new moon night in the same location.

Bhaskar goes to the forest with Jana and Jomin to be bitten again. The werewolf is revealed to be Dr. Anika. She explains that she was bitten by a wolf a century ago and has been the forest's protector since, murdering anybody who attempted to destroy it. She had bitten Bhaskar intending to kill him but spared him because she sensed his kindness within. She advises him to avoid deforestation.

Anika is shot down and captured by the local police. Bhaskar transforms and rescues her, killing her captors in the process, but she succumbs to her injuries and falls off a cliff, leaving him heartbroken, but not before Bhaskar becomes the new protector. He decides to construct roads around the borders of the forest, leaving the trees and greenery unharmed. Meanwhile, many who are still planning the deforestation project are "mysteriously" killed by animals, and thus their project is canceled.

In a mid-credits scene, Vicky and Bittu come to meet their long-lost friend, Jana, who had previously been possessed by Stree, and has since been staying away from them, cutting off contact to study for the UPSC exam for IAS. They ask for Jana's help in finding Stree. Bhaskar transforms into a werewolf and appears, terrifying them.

Cast

 * Varun Dhawan as Bhaskar Sharma / Bhediya (a Yapum), Janardhan's cousin, Anika's love interest
 * Kriti Sanon as Dr. Anika / Lady Bhediya (a Yapum), Bhaskar's love interest
 * Deepak Dobriyal as Panda
 * Abhishek Banerjee as Janardhan "Jana"/ "JD" Sharma, Bhaskar's cousin, Vicky and Bittu's friend, Banerjee reprises his role from Stree (2018)
 * Paalin Kabak as Jomin/Jo
 * Saurabh Shukla as Babanjeet Bagga
 * Baharul Islam as Engineer Neri
 * Dosam Beyong as Prakash Paja
 * Mudang Pai as Ojha Myran
 * Tai Tugung as Police inspector
 * K4Kekho as one of the youths
 * Ngilyang Aka as one of the youths
 * Ligang Sallu as Range Forest Officer
 * Nani Haniya as Head Gaon Burah

Special appearances

 * Shraddha Kapoor in the song "Thumkeshwari"; Kapoor reprises her role from Stree
 * Rajkummar Rao as Vikrant "Vicky" Parashar: Jana and Bittu's friend, Rao reprises his role from Stree
 * Aparshakti Khurana as Bittu: Jana and Vicky's friend, Khurana reprises his role from Stree
 * Sharad Kelkar as Anika's father

Production
The producer of the film, Dinesh Vijan, confirmed that Bhediya is part of his horror comedy universe consisting of films like Stree and Munjya. Munjya will be the prequel to the 2018 film Stree. The shooting for Bhediya is done in the regions of Arunachal Pradesh's Ziro (Lower Subansiri), Sagalee (Papum Pare) and parts of Pakke-Kessang district- over a span of two months, from March to April 2021. Over 70 percent of the artists in Bhediya are from Arunachal Pradesh, including a lead character, named Jomin. Besides that, Arunachal rapper K4 Kheko will also feature in the film. He has also sung and written the lyrics for the theme song of the film.

During the shooting schedule, Varun Dhawan and his wife, designer Natasha Dalal donated inr 100000 to the victims of a massive fire in Arunachal Pradesh's Tirap and Longding districts in April 2021. Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu also visited the set in Ziro. The shooting schedule in Arunachal Pradesh completed on 19 April 2021. The film was wrapped up on 10 July 2021.

Soundtrack
The music of the film is composed by Sachin-Jigar while the lyrics are written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. The first single titled "Thumkeshwari" was released on 28 October 2022. The second single audio titled "Apna Bana Le was released on 5 November 2022 while its video was released on 7 November 2022.

Theatrical
The film was released theatrically on 25 November 2022 along with the dubbed versions in Telugu (titled Thodelu) and Tamil (titled Onai).

Home media
Six months after the theatrical release, it released on Jio Cinema for streaming, for free, on 26 May 2023 in Hindi and the dubbed versions of Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam languages.

Reception
Bhediya received positive reviews from critics. Amandeep Naang of ABP News rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "Bhediya is a mad ride of a horror-comedy which feels different in the current climate of remakes, thrillers and period dramas". Siby Jeyya of India Herald rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "The impact of the film's visuals is by far its most noteworthy aspect. The vfx are incredible, and cinematographer Jishnu Bhattacharjee has masterfully captured the dark and fascinating realm of werewolves with the backdrop of the full moon in the midnight sky, ziro jungles, and mountains". Bollywood Hungama rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Bhediya works due to its novel idea, memorable performances, captivating climax, and VFX". Dhaval Roy of The Times of India rated the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote " Director Amar Kaushik handles both genres skillfully in his latest outing and strikes a fine balance to deliver a movie that’s spine chilling in some instances, rib-tickling in almost all, and leaves you with something to think about." Tushar Joshi of India Today rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Performances feel genuine and Kaushik’s USP of infusing humour and wit at the right moments helps in keeping the narrative engaging and entertaining". Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Bhediya is both enjoyable and thought-provoking, is helped along by lively performances. Varun Dhawan gives the unconventional role his best shot. Abhishek Banerjee and Paalin Kabak are terrific as much with their comic timing as with their dramatic flourishes". Devesh Sharma of Filmfare rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "The film’s creature effects and computer generated imagery is excellent. Cinematography and the background score are good as well". Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Varun Dhawan does a good job of aligning with the tone of the film-- the horror is pretty much ‘naam-ke-vaaste’, comedy is what it is interested in and does it well". Rohit Bhatnagar of The Free Press Journal rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Bhediya is a good one-time popcorn entertainment and a decent distraction from the monotony". Sonil Dedhia of News 18 rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Bhediya has a message that resonates with current times. The film has its heart in the right place but it falters in its execution and writing". Sukanya Verma of Rediff rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Varun Dhawan ups his entertainer game exponentially in Bhediya".

In a less positive review, Anna M. M. Vetticad of Firstpost rated it 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, “Bhediya is not the first film in this world to sideline characters from social groups sidelined in reality, even while purportedly being about those communities... All the noble intentions in the world and even Abhishek Banerjee’s comedic genius cannot compensate for such mindlessness.” Himesh Mankad of Pinkvilla rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Bhediya rides primarily on the strength of gags, visual effects, and performances, but warranted a bigger conflict with regard to a hero and villain in the second half". Umesh Punwani of Koimoi rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "You'll come in for Varun Dhawan, but will stay back for Abhishek Banerjee"

Rahul Desai from Film Companion wrote: "Bhediya is silly, stylish – and surprisingly poignant".