Varun Dhawan-starrer Bhediya's portrayal of man-vs-nature conflict is nuanced but not as brilliant as Kantara

Human-versus-nature conflict lies at the heart of Amar Kaushik-directorial Bhediya. The film builds a strong case for environmental conservation and the protection of forest cover but never quite matches Kantara’s nuance. In Bhediya, the ‘humans’ in ‘human-versus-conflict’ are men who are greedy, selfish and corrupt. We see Bhaskar (Varun Dhawan), the film’s titular character, say “youth ko nature nahi Netflix chahiye” (the youth needs Netflix, not nature). Barring Deepak Dobriyal’s Panda, the men and contractors involved in the construction project are all evil. Not once do we see these men argue in favour of building roads or build a case for constructing the road with logical reasons – the economic boost, employment opportunities, better connectivity and thus better movement and mobility. Several legitimate reasons that one can possibly use while arguing in favour of the ‘human’ in ‘human-versus-nature’ conflict are not brought up in the film even once. Instead, all men in the meeting – from contractors to police officers and Bhaskar himself are shown as greedy devils. The good cops and bad cops are clearly demarcated and there is no room for nuance or shades of gray. The film writers might as well give the contractors devil horns to make it even more obvious.

Compare this to a Kantara where the ‘human’ is played by tribals and village folks who depend on the forest resources for their sustenance. Kantara, instead of simply glorifying nature, shows that the people who rely on nature for sustenance are also stakeholders whose opinions must be taken into consideration before displacing them. Bhediya’s biggest flaw is that it looks at ‘human-versus-nature’ conflict through an outsider’s lens (outsiders being Bhaskar and his contractors) as opposed to offering the native’s or tribal perspective. It is somewhat tone deaf when a filmmaker tries to make a point about conservation of biodiversity in an area without taking into account the perspective of locals beyond sword wielding and downright refusal. Kantara’s treatment of the subject is also superior because it argues both in favour of human and nature on merit and forces the audience to think and reflect on the predicament as opposed to the ‘nature = good, human = bad’ approach in Bhediya.

Bhediya does get one thing right though. It manages to show a native man Jomin (Paalin Kabak) who is in favour of clearing the forest and an outsider Janna (Bhaskar’s brother, played by Abhishek Banerjee) who identifies more with the needs of the locals. But it doesn’t really get into the whys and hows of these characters thinking the way they do. Much of this time which could have been invested in fleshing out the conflict is wasted in gags which don’t quite land.

Another factor which goes in Kantara’s favour is that the ‘human vs nature’ conflict itself is rooted in folklore and local culture of the Mangaloreans. The folklore and the legend of the King who took away Daiva’s land is what made the film intriguing from the very start. In Bhediya, while there are elements of folklore (we see the film open with a father narrating a young girl the story of Bhediya) the backstory is quickly abandoned and never explored again till the climax where it was absolutely necessary to bring it up. Compare this to Kantara, where the folklore comes full circle in the climax when Shiva is possessed by Daiva. Of course, it won’t be fair for us to expect Bhediya or any film for that matter to recreate the magic of Kantara’s climax but one can at least hope for a better ending and at the very least, a backstory that is convincing.

More than anything, the use of VFX to show a cliff where Bhediyas meet is rather disappointing for a film which is advocating for biodiversity in the North East. Was there no place in Arunachal Pradesh where the scene could have been shot? Is there no scenic cliff in the North East where the Bhediya and Lady Bhediya can romance? Why was the use of VFX in those scenes necessary? One cannot help but question the intentions of the film which tries to make a case for environmental conservation but creates trees and flowers through VFX.

All in all, Bhediya does have its heart in the right place. The aim is to build a strong case for nature and therefore culture and tradition but all of that is lost in the execution which falters quite a bit. Sometimes, having the heart at the right place is not enough. Bhediya is proof.

Bhediya is playing now in theaters.

Deepansh Duggal is an entertainment, pop-culture and trends writer based in New Delhi. He specializes in op-eds based on the socio-political and gender issues in the world of entertainment and showbiz. He also writes explainers and occasionally reviews shows in the OTT space. He tweets at @Deepansh75. 

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