The teaser of Alpha, Yash Raj Films’ long-awaited spy thriller, begins in a manner evocative of Luc Besson thrillers. The film has a older mentor, young female mentee dynamic that were signature of Besson’s Leon and La Femme Nikita. The staging of Alpha’s scene, featuring Bobby Deol and Alia Bhatt, is similar to one in Nikita (featuring Anne Parillaud and Jeanne Moreau). If it was an homage, it is a good choice; if it’s a copy, then it gets at least one thing right: the focus on the actors’ eyes.
Alpha teaser has its moments of action and violent deaths. But amid all this, director Shiv Rawail never loses focus on what is important – the emotion. The framing of the scenes – even the action set-pieces – keeps Alia’s face and emotions dead at the centre of it all. That alone is enough to help Alpha stand out from the YRF Spy Universe stable. It may follow a formula, but at least it does it smartly enough.
Alpha teaser – the essentials
The tease opens with the protagonist having a quiet dinner with her ‘baba’ (Bobby) at a restaurant. It’s her 18th birthday and his gift to her is her first kill. In rustic Haryanvi, Bobby says this is the greatest gift – starting out on the journey you have been trained for all your life. We then see a montage of a young Alia being inducted into a secret program called Alpha. They are training soldiers of the future. Bobby says he is the wolf, and Alia replies that a wolf’s daughter is wolf herself. Some smartly cut action scenes follow, where Alia looks comfortable kicking butt. The action is slick and even brutal. And it all comes together with a magnificently filmed final shot where Alia delivers her first kill, covered in blood as the Happy Birthday song plays in the background.
Shiv Rawail’s signature touch
As the director of The Railway Men, one of the best shows on Indian streaming, Shiv Rawail has a different pedigree than the other directors to have helmed YRF Spy Universe films. And that distinction shows in the short teaser. Everything, from the sly smile on a bloodsoaked Alia’s face to her vulnerability in the opening exchange, is a departure from the YRF norm of ‘cooler is better’. Here, the coolness comes from the raw emotion, not merely the slickness of the execution. Don’t get me wrong. Alpha still follows the same beats as a War of a Pathaan in terms of its slickness, but the world-building and emotional connect is very raw, akin to how Shiv Rawail did in his acclaimed series. That newness was necessary for the franchise after the blow it suffered with War 2. And it would be impossible to deny the fact that post-Dhurandhar, the ‘usual’ YRF spy thriller is not exactly on the audience’s wishlist. At least Alpha has tried to raise intrigue with the teaser. Rubais’ cinematography, particularly how he has framed Alia, also deserves praise.
Alia Bhatt looks the part
Alia plays an 18 year old in at least a small part of the film. And surprisingly, the 32-year-old does not look out of place there. Her babyface appeal, combined with the diminutive stature is perfect to create the underdog assassin – someone who does not look like a threat. That makes the job more challenging for the actor after that. After all, she has to convince the audience that this babyface can kill 20 men as she would be seen in the film. But Alia has the acting chops to carry that off. She has shown, with films like Udtaa Punjab and Gangubai Kathiawadi, that when she exits her comfort zone, she can deliver surprising performances.
What is truly good to watch is how she transforms into a female action hero who does not shy away from gore and blood. In fact, as a couple of fleeting scenes indicate, she even takes pleasure in it. It is certainly not the first time Hindi cinema has done it (remember Kangana in Dhaakad?) But the earlier failed experiments mean the stakes here are higher.
Lord Bobby’s juggernaut rolls on
The highlight of the teaser for me was Bobby Deol, though. His excusable Haryanvi dialect aside, the man is having some renaissance. Ever since Aashram streamed a few years ago, he has hardly put a step wrong. If Animal signalled his grand revival, The Ba***ds of Bollywood accelerated him to the upper echelons of Bollywood again. In Alpha, he comes across as more confident and more assertive. If Alpha works – there is a lot stacked against it – he can add another feather in his hat.
Alpha’s other star – Sharvari – was absent from this teaser. Her photo is very much present on the thumbnail on social media and YouTube. But she did not get even a fleeting glimpse in what felt more of a character introduction than a teaser. It is, perhaps, more of a marketing call than a creative one. Till the trailer, I wait with bated breath. Alpha releases in theatres on July 3.