Based against the backdrop of World War II, with an extremely novel story and an equally nice execution, this movie is a very light-hearted drama that also ends up teaching a lot about the simple pleasures of love & life!

Bawaal starring Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor is a romantic-comedy drama revolving around the life of a couple whose failing marriage is saved by the Europe trip that they end up taking. What makes the plot novel is the fact that the reason for their Europe trip is that Ajay aka Ajju Bhaiya played by Varun ventures on this trip to save his image of a teacher being tarnished. He plans to teach History to his students from actual World War II’s specific spots. A bad teacher and good for nothing Ajay has also kept away from his wife embarrassed by her condition of Epilepsy. Nisha played by Janhvi is a believer of  sticking together and figuring difficulties out. Their Europe trip not only brings them together but also end up teaching us a lot about History and…life!

It is created by the husband-wife duo of Nitesh & Ashwiny Tiwary. Ashwini writes a very unique story which gives you the “not seen before” element and Nitesh with his exceptional direction skills, translates the same to the screen with a very clean execution.

While everything is perfect, the screenplay gets a little too long and feels stretched at points. The dialogues are well written making the necessary impact. A lot of scenes are unconvincing, especially where Varun’s character is transitioning from the brat to a matured man. A lot of scenes are there just for the sake of it. Apart from this nit-picking, the dialogues are humorous and the makers balance multiple genres very well. From making you laugh, to showing a love story to also making you emotional – they do it all. While the impact isn’t that great, it does feel!

In terms of the cinematography, editing and visuals, the technicians do an average job. Given the location is Europe, it doesn’t feel as appealing as one expects it to be when you are showing Europe on screen. Coming to the performances, Varun does a decent job playing a spoilt, careless and roadside guy next door. It is just that the effort he is putting into pulling off his shots is visible. Jahnvi on the other hand is flawless in her character. It is by far her finest performance till date.

On the whole, Bawaal is a refreshing take on love and life. It is an easy watch and will make you feel good. Originally supposed to be released on the big-screen, it eventually released directly on OTT on Amazon Prime Video. If you like Bollywood movies and aren’t worried about both Oppenheimer and Barbie, I think you should watch Bawaal. For those planning to watch Oppenheimer, Bawaal might also be the History class that you should take beforehand.  

You can watch the trailer here: