'Bad Newz' is a sequel you get when a bunch of business analysts decode the merits of 'Good Newwz' on a surface level.
Published Jul 22, 2024 | 12:17 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 22, 2024 | 5:50 PM
From 'Good Newwz' to 'Bad Newz': A needless franchise in a hit-starved Bollywood. (X)
What drives a team’s necessity to churn out a sequel? Of course, a film’s success, its recall value, its potential to be made into a franchise (with the same theme or similar bunch of characters), or a case where you have a story that could extend across various parts. However, most sequels get one aspect wrong—its ability to work as a standalone film without the baggage of the original.
Good Newwz (2019) was a wacky comedy born out of a killer premise—two couples with similar surnames opt for IVF treatment and land in a soup when their sperms get mixed. By then, audiences were fairly acclimatised to stories around alternative pregnancies, sperm donation, and surrogacy across films like Filhaal (2002), Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2001), and Vicky Donor (2012).
It was a massive statement that Good Newwz brought together four big names—Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor, Diljit Dosanjh, and Kiara Advani. It also wove a comedy-of-errors tale around the IVF procedure. Even with its slapstick treatment, the film’s heart was in the right place, had a dreamy lineup with a great knack for comedy.
The light-hearted exterior and the irreverent setup presented Raj Mehta with a timely opportunity to address several concerns and apprehensions of modern-day couples, of the societal pressure to have a baby by a certain age, the desperation to continue one’s race and subtly discussing the “why not adoption” question. It was a comedy film, yes, but it was made with taste and a clear purpose.
However, when the commercial success of Good Newwz is used as an excuse to develop a franchise, it needs a mind that looks at the film beyond its comic caper label.
Was Good Newwz a successful film? Yes. Was it celebrated enough to enjoy a decent shelf life and grow in audiences these five years? “Not really” would be an honest answer.
The sequel makes a mockery of special pregnancy. (X)
Bad Newz is a sequel you get when a bunch of business analysts decodes the merits of Good Newwz on a surface level, driven by metrics (unusual pregnancy involving Punjabis?). The possible ‘Eureka‘ moment for the film would have been when a writer spotted ‘heteropaternal superfecundation’ in the headlines—a rare scenario when a woman is pregnant with twins that have two different biological fathers.
The sequel makes a mockery of the concept, where a budding chef is to mother two children with as many fathers—an ex-husband and a current boss. Bad Newz sacrifices character development for the concept. It neither cares about Saloni Bagga, Akhil Chaddha, or Gurbir’s arcs nor builds a convincing backstory around the pregnancy.
In the film, Saloni (an ambitious chef) and Akhil (an entitled youngster) fall for one another, get married, and part ways within a few months.
The Ankit Tiwari directorial keeps looking for trivial excuses to create a rift between the couple. Here, it’s an over-enthusiastic mother-in-law and the man’s inability to understand that his partner has a life and a career beyond marriage.
The girl eventually moves on to a newer romantic interest—Gurbir, a restaurateur and all hell breaks loose when Saloni gets pregnant. Saloni is a classic case of a trophy wife for the men involved; she is the prize they want to win.
A poster of the hit film ‘Good Newwz’. (X)
The writing is rather lazy, focusing on male entitlement and the women eventually teaching them a lesson.
The conflict in Good Newwz (the sperm exchange) was born out of a medical blunder committed within a fertility clinic. The issue in Bad Newz is centred on the drama surrounding a woman’s special pregnancy and the two men she had a fling with. Much like its predecessor, both the men in the sequel are Punjabis; one wears a turban and one doesn’t.
Saloni has little clarity about the men she wants in her life. And Akhil and Gurbir are hardly the men you want to root for. Saloni’s love tracks with the male duo have absolutely no spunk at all and are written with no honesty.
It is quite apparent the director was looking to fill up the screen time using tried and tested romantic tropes with a superficial subplot around Saloni’s career. It’s difficult to empathise with the woman, even as you’re aware of her uneasy situation.
Amidst its make-believe setup, Bad Newz deserves praise for breaking the taboos around the portrayal of a sexually liberated woman. Akhil and Gurbir, as a pleasant surprise, don’t judge Saloni for her choices and the comedy is largely around their one-upmanship.
Compensating for Bad Newz’s creative bankruptcy is the barrage of references to Karan Johar-backed projects—from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) to Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016)—that add no real nostalgic value to the proceedings either.
The film operates in autopilot mode to reach its conflict point and has little else to offer. Several comedy sequences are staged like Instagram reels, offering a throwback to songs “Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam“, “Saajanji” and “Channa Mereya“.
Bad Newz ends up looking like a collage of leftovers from successful films assembled hastily to please a target audience.
‘Bad Newz’ is a sequel to ‘Good Newwz’. (X)
Good Newwz at least had three actors—Akshay, Kareena, and Diljit—with proven experience at madcap comedies, who had the gift of creating something magical out of seemingly ordinary, eccentric scenes on paper.
Vicky Kaushal is the only actor in Bad Newz who’s committed to bringing that method to the madness. He carries himself lightly and, most importantly enjoys himself when he’s on the screen.
While the much-in-demand Triptii Dimri’s easy-on-the-eye presence in gorgeous costumes offers an occasional excuse to get distracted, she is no Kareena or Kiara who have the aura of a star and can deliver as performers too.
One can’t blame Triptii completely either, given how her role has the soul of a fashion parade. Ammy Virk, a specialist at light-hearted fares, could’ve been an asset too, but no one bothers to give him a single meaty scene or a funny one-liner.
If there’s a common aspect binding Good Newwz and Bad Newz, it’s their mediocre music albums. Good Newwz had the luxury of relying on its stars to bring crowds to theatres and the remixed versions of Sauda Khara Khara and Laal Ghagra are the only reasons that could make you revisit the album.
With Bad Newz, “Tauba Tauba” and Vicky Kaushal’s effortless moves became the crowd-puller in a film you’re unlikely to remember for its music.
It’s ironic how the same director Ankit Tiwari made the only Hindi musical web series to date—the delectably mounted Bandish Bandits back in 2020 that had a banger of an album by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
It remains a mystery why the industry is quickly losing touch with the art of coming up with good song situations and is including music in a film like a school kid who’s forced to submit their homework.
Given the smart packaging, right budgeting, and marketing, Bad Newz may find its way at the box office but also reflects Bollywood’s desperation to churn hits rather than caring for storytelling.
Many more sequels are coming our way in Hindi this year—Singham Again, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Stree 2, Raid 2, Dhadak 2, and Metro…In Dino. While there’s no question of the star power and their potential to generate interest in a viewer, it remains to be seen if the films translate into compelling viewing experiences and are not just ‘mechanical, manufactured’ money spinners.
(Edited by Y Krishna Jyothi)
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