John Abraham’s dialogue ‘Mai to sirf sarathi hoon’ (I am just the charioteer) holds true of his role in Vedaa and forms the crux of the Nikkhil Advani-directed film that seeks to raise a voice against caste system in the country.
Just like Krishna in the epic Mahabharata who guides Arjuna in the battle against the Kauravas, Abraham is the charioteer of Vedaa Berwa, played by Sharvari, a Dalit girl studying law in a village called Barmer in Rajasthan. In an impressive streak, over 150 minutes, the king of action films keeps guiding, almost hand-holding Vedaa in standing up against a social system that differentiates between individuals, maintains the status quo, and practices its own law and order with impunity with kangaroo courts that have been termed illegal by the top courts.
John plays Major Abhimanyu Kanwar, an ex-army man of the Gorkha regiment who has been court-martialed for not following orders and beheading a leader of a terrorist outfit in Kashmir. While the first extreme violent action was a personal revenge, coming to Rajasthan, his wife’s (played by Tamannah Bhatia) hometown, and helping Vedaa becomes his dharma.
A perfect Independence Day release, Vedaa tries to uphold the tenets of the Constitution and calls on the system to provide the right to life and dignity to the marginalised through its shero who is just an ordinary Dalit woman, illusioned by the words of the Constitution’s preamble — equality, liberty, justice — taught to her in class. Inspired by true incidents that reached the altar of the highest law of the land with pleas for justice, Sharvari shines in the film, showing her versatility and acumen in acting, which remained restricted in the last two films that she was seen in earlier this year — Munjya and Maharaj.
Maintaining her girl-next-door demeanour, the actor showed she is capable of some action and is open to more challenging roles.
In the antagonist’s club, the film has three major characters who make the odds, and the run-and-chase that starts from the second half of the film, gripping. Abhishek Banerjee, who has already established himself as a fine actor with a solid hold in both dark and comedy roles, plays Jitendar Pratap Singh, Pradhan of 150 villages in Barmer. His cold stares and heavy silence, spiteful mind and entitlement add to the plot.
Young actor Kshitij Chauhan, who plays Chhote Pradhan, a spoilt brat, gets his big break after being seen in Guilty Minds and Chutzpah. It’s a delight to see Ashish Vidyarthi out of our small screens and doing what he is best at — playing negative characters. A moral support and guiding angel to the Pradhan, we love that he was back-firing some shots and making the bad boys club worth it.
Mellowing down the tension is definitely the music and Vedaa has four songs of which Holiyan scores for whipping up a folk number and giving it a modern twist. Sung by Nikhita Gandhi and Asha Sapera and music by Yuva, it’s MC Square’s upbeat rapping that gives the song that freshness.
It is definitely going to be the song trending on Holi this year. Mouni Roy does her magic in the item number Mummy ji. There’s also a soft number, Zaroorat se zyada, that tugs at the strings of our hearts. It is created by the talented trio — sung by Arijit Singh, composed by Amaal Mallik and written by Kunaal Vermaa.
Being a team effort of Advani and Abraham, Emmay Entertainment and JA Entertainment, the film maintains the technique and visuals that have been consistent in the Advani-Abraham partnership in the past.
