There is something invigorating about watching two women coolly pow-wow and pummel their way through a horde of frothing-at-the-mouth men in scene after scene of expertly crafted choreography. Not only is the vibe visceral, it also gives the feel that these women are punching down patriarchal barriers — both literal and metaphorical — to finally get their moment on screen.
Unfortunately, it is only in this aspect that Alpha leaves an impact. The first female-led film in the Yash Raj Films Spy Universe — till now populated with the Tigers, Pathans and Kabirs of the world — gives women a toe-in in its latest addition to the franchise, with Alia Bhatt and Sharvari doing all they can to step up to the challenge. But Alpha, which starts off semi-strong and throws in some interesting bits (more action than emotion) along the way, eventually fizzles out to deliver a largely ineffective watch which is neither surprisingly good nor shockingly bad. It is simply dull.
Directed by Shiv Rawail — who, three years ago, gave us the impressive Netflix series The Railway Men, an emotionally powerful reimagining of the fateful night of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy — Alpha, as is the DNA of this universe, attempts a balance between realism and entertainment, but its central premise is weak and its players are not rooted emotionally enough. It is ultimately a pastiche of all that has sporadically worked for this spy universe in the past, but one which now needs a complete overhaul.
Despite the limited buzz, I, however, did walk into Alpha with quite a bit of enthusiasm. The opening scene featuring veterans Anil Kapoor and Bobby Deol — both playing decorated army personnel — lamenting the human cost of war and revealing the intention to kick off a programme to create the next generation of Indian soldiers “who will rewrite the rules of warfare”, made me believe that this could hold out hope. What follows is a quick disclosure of what is essentially supposed to be a top-secret mission. Bobby’s Fateh Singh Lakhawat — whose distorted idea of patriotism results in a “protege” gone rogue — reveals a serum (of course named Alpha) which grants ordinary soldiers seemingly extraordinary abilities. That includes all the skills that pepper Tom Cruise’s bio even on a bad day. And he doesn’t even need Alpha for that.
A glitch in the programme, however, results in Fateh and Vikrant Kaul (Anil Kapoor) finding themselves on opposite sides of the moral repercussions of the Alpha divide. Fateh — and the trailer will tell you that — goes solo, creates a female assassin (Sita, played by Alia Bhatt) and manipulates her physically and mentally into thinking she is a patriot who has been designed to kill. What follows is a ladle of Lucy, a sprinkle of Salt, a dose of Limitless and generous helpings of every other sci-fi and superhero film that has made its way into the universe (and subsequently into the YRF Spy Universe).
Elsewhere, Kaul is now the R&AW chief — whose intel and resources are astonishingly limited — while a PYT (pretty young thing, not some spy jargon, sillies) Durga (Sharvari) parachutes right down from a song in sunny Spain to the verdant climes of Srinagar.
When it isn’t making the two women in the centre bike through forests, indulge in fisticuffs or find themselves sporting eye-catching athleisure in the middle of nowhere, Alpha functions as a spy thriller for dummies. Everything in the film — no matter how basic it is — is spelt out, underlined and doubly reinforced. That is borderline humiliation for a large part of the film’s target audience that is now far more evolved and exposed to much superior content than Alpha.
A cameo in Half Two — no surprise this, eyes wide shut — is the predictable crossover that the Spy Universe always comes in with. It was the only moment in Alpha’s 140-minute run at the Friday morning show I was in when the audience somewhat came alive. The superbly choreographed action set-piece — along with one between the two women in the pre-interval moments — gives a peek into the kind of film Alpha could have been. The climax, save for a whistle-worthy moment from Sharvari, is, however, predictable and protracted.
Much like he had almost rescued War 2 with that one scene in its penultimate moments, Anil Kapoor comes to the aid of Alpha, but is seriously impeded by a role that does him no favours. Sharvari has great screen presence and is a natural fit for her part, but Alia — otherwise a revelation in almost every character she plays — is miscast. Not only does the actor not physically look right for the part, her emotionless assassin demeanour becomes tediously one-note after a point. Bobby, given a chunky role which requires him to seethe and snarl, has done far better in his recent outings, on screens both big and small.
In one of the earlier moments of Alpha, Bobby’s Fateh disdainfully proclaims: “No gurda (in this case, courage), no glory”. This Spy Universe needs to take that lesson to heart (and kidney).
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