Set in the same universe as Stree, Bhediya follows the story of a man bitten by a wolf only to turn himself into one and hunt down people. What is his motive and will this “curse” ever end? The story here is captivating balancing both the genres of horror and comedy perfectly. But moreover, the messaging here is relevant and brilliantly weaved in its narration. The screenplay standing at almost 155 minutes might seem daunting but it is one of the brilliantly written screenplays of the year. This section will contain mild spoilers!

There is so much to like here in the drama. Firstly, the setup is absolutely brilliant. The world building featuring the mountains and forests of Arunachal Pradesh add a fresh and new dimension to the drama. It is an overwhelming setup with the right mix of flavours from the region where it is set in. It also does give a glimpse into the culture of the land which made me all the more curious.

The opening scene involves a man telling a story to a little girl featuring a wolf. Notice the ambience of the scene that is filled with darkness and very little light. Soon a murmur in turn results in the man being attacked by a wolf, only for the wolf to jump onscreen that made for a shivering impact especially in 3D. There is an immediate match edit to a completely different setting, wherein the wolf is the previous scene is cut to a little dog in the next. This transition was a work of a genius that sets the ball rolling for the rest of the drama.

The messaging here is relevant and brilliant. Forests are the lungs for us and if you keep eliminating them, then it would spell doom for all of us. You do get a sense of this issue right from the beginning wherein the protagonist is sent to acquire the forest land in the name of development. But at no point did the messaging of the film get too preachy, it was so well integrated in the screenplay that its impact was ten fold by the end of it. Another strong point of the screenplay is its characterization and character dynamics, something that does fuel the comedy in the film. There is a method to all the madness that unfolds in the jungle and it does make for a compelling viewing.

The buildup in the first hour is terrific with only bouts of comedy and occasional horror integrated in the screenplay. This did remind me of the world building of a few of the Malayalam films that take their time to unfold. And I was so happy to see this in a Hindi film, honestly it did feel refreshing. There was a danger lurking at every given point, much like an undercurrent, but there were streaks of comedy to balance things out. The fun begins when the protagonist os bitten by the wolf and in turn leading to a chain of events that cause a state of confusion and chaos.

As the drama progresses, the writing too begins to mature with its jokes and the horror element. Speaking about the latter, there are plenty of jumpscares that are so well integrated in the screenplay with the right use of silence(something that I will mention in detail in my next section). The drama does remain predictable with even the one twist at the end being fairly predictable. But credit to the writers for playing with the atmospherics and keeping the audiences invested right throughout. There is a beautiful emotional track amidst the chaos, a byproduct of the romantic subplot, that will touch your heart and leave you in tears. It was just so well executed that you can only sit and admire its brilliance.

The second half does have a subtext featuring animals and their relationship with humans. In a beautiful climax scene, we see humans folding hands to animals, a metaphor for being sorry for capturing and destroying their home, only for the animals to calm down in a beautifully woven scene. That said, the small downside was the integration of the Stree-verse in the Bhediya-verse right at the end that did seem a little half-hearted. The screenplay overall is layered and one of the best pieces of writing that I have seen this year for a Hindi film!