Ammy
and
Triptii
have
the
chemistry
of
a
door-to-door
salesman
and
disinterested
customer.
On
the
other
hand,
she
and
Vicky
burn
down
the
house
with
their
scorching
sensuality,
observes
Sukanya
Verma.
In
the
second
comedy
from
the
fertilization
franchise
since
Good
Newwz,
a
woman’s
back-to-back
boom-boom
results
in
a
twin
pregnancy
and
dual
paternity.
Except
this
‘whoops’
moment
is
mostly
a
ploy
to
revert
back
to
the
days
of
two
dummies
fighting
over
a
dame
in
the
classic
tradition
of
a
leave-your-brains-aside
entertainer.
Bad
Newz
is
as
much
about
heteropaternal
superfecundation
as
Chhoti
Si
Baat
was
about
Chicken
Ala
Poos.
If
anything,
chicken
plays
a
bigger
role
than
any
gynaecological
rarity
in
providing
the
tale
its
twists.
What
Director
Anand
Tiwari
(Love
Per
Square
Feet,
Maja
Ma,
Bandish
Bandits)
is
really
out
to
achieve
is
make
a
strong
case
for
Vicky
Kaushal’s
dazzling
dancer
and
beach
body,
Triptii
Dimri’s
leading
lady
prowess
and
Ammy
Kirk’s
poker-faced
presence
over
the
course
of
Ishita
Moitra’s
loony
plot
and
Tarun
Dudeja’s
comic
punches.
Add
to
the
mix
some
’90s
music
like
Duplicate‘s
Mere
Mehboob
Mere
Sanam
for
nostalgia
and
echoes
of
Govinda
and
Anil
Kapoor’s
outwitting
game
in
pursuit
of
Juhi
Chawla’s
heart
in
Deewana
Mastana
and
you
have
a
fitfully
funny
farce
that’s
bungled
its
proportions
of
romance
and
comedy.
Straight
off,
Bad
Newz
smacks
a
pinch
of
salt
in
our
direction
when
a
familiar
face
from
the
Dharma
stable
(take
a
guess:
A
star
kid
who
made
her
debut
in
the
second
film
of
yet
another
Karan
Johar
franchise)
arrives
on
the
scene
and
announces
her
intention
to
play
India’s
national
crush
aka
Bhabhi
No
2
aka
Saloni
Bagga
(Dimri)
in
a
biopic.
Animal
references
are
randomly
doled
out
to
reinforce
its
heroine’s
buzzing
status
as
if
not
lines
from
a
movie
but
captions
read
out
from
social
media
posts
of
a
paparazzi
doubling
up
as
PR.
Saloni
is
a
Delhi-based
chef
hailing
from
a
Punjabi
family,
happier
to
stay
glued
to
the
idiot
box
trolling
KJo’s
judging
skills
in
reality
TV
shows
or
see
herself
settled
than
fulfil
her
Meraki
star
(think
Michelin)
dreams
while
she
whips
up
bowl
after
bowl
of
deconstructed
Mexican
burrito
demonstrating
her
versatility.
Goodness
of
gourmet
is
lost
on
desi
tongues
that
wag
more
than
wow
and
it’s
not
long
before
the
focus
shifts
on
chaap
pe
charcha
once
Chaddha
Chaap
Corner’s
head
honcho
Akhil
(Vicky
Kaushal)
bumps
into
Saloni
at
a
wedding.
Drawn
to
the
fellow
Punjabi’s
goofy
charms
and
groovy
moves,
she
agrees
to
get
hitched
in
haste
despite
his
acute
case
of
mamma’s
boy
(Bollywood’s
go-to
mum
Sheeba
Chaddha
doing
her
best
in
a
flimsy
bit)
plagued
by
nomophobia
(can’t
live
without
mobile
phone)
spurred
by
the
guilt
over
his
dead
dad
(Gajraj
Rao
in
a
photograph-sized
cameo).
Too
selfish
to
see
beyond
his
own
goal
of
one
hot
wife
and
two
kids,
Akhil
turns
into
that
episode
of
Friends
where
Ross
distracts
Rachel
at
work
by
constantly
demanding
her
attention
or
demeaning
her
dreams.
It
didn’t
end
well
for
Ross.
It
certainly
is
no
better
for
Akhil.
Cut
to
Mussoorie
where
Saloni
finds
a
job
and
a
friend
in
hotelier
Gurbir
Pannu
(Ammy
Virk)
and
his
posh
property.
Bad
Newz
has
getting
on
and
not
getting
over
on
its
mind,
transpiring
into
a
night
full
of
rebound
and
reunion
sex.
Saloni
learns
she’s
pregnant
with
twins
and
each
one
of
them
has
a
different
dad:
Akhil
and
Gurbir.
Abortion,
of
course,
continues
to
be
a
taboo
option
despite
a
fiery
advocate
for
it
in
Saloni’s
funky
aunt
with
a
penchant
for
dressing
up
in
African
boubous
(not
enough
Neha
Dhupia
in
a
feisty
avatar).
Gurbir’s
gracious,
gentlemanly
ways
are
in
perfect
contrast
to
Akhil’s
juvenile
antics,
a
difference
Bad
Newz
puts
forth
and
pits
against
as
part
of
Saloni’s
spoilt
for
choice
imagery
only
to
put
the
lady
at
the
centre
of
it
all
on
the
back
burner.
Whatever
little
amusement
the
premise
promised
fizzles
out
as
soon
as
the
twain
engage
in
a
dreary
battle
of
wits
based
on
their
food
and
phobias.
Ammy
Virk’s
vanilla
appeal
feels
pale
next
to
Vicky
Kaushal’s
vibrant
persona.
His
full
throttle
energy
and
Triptii’s
superiority
in
a
slight
role
elevate
the
rom-com’s
favour,
which
loses
all
steam
when
it
becomes
a
one-way
contest
between
its
two
heroes
and
forgets
about
the
heroine
and
her
wants.
It’s
not
an
equal
contest
by
any
measure.
Vicky
has
all
the
advantages
—
the
songs,
the
swagger,
the
script
and
the
enthusiasm
designed
to
play
to
the
gallery.
And
he
works
every
inch
of
it.
What
doesn’t
help
is
Ammy
and
Triptii
have
the
chemistry
of
a
door-to-door
salesman
and
disinterested
customer.
On
the
other
hand,
she
and
Vicky
burn
down
the
house
with
their
scorching
sensuality.
Bad
Newz
is
abundantly
clear
on
who
it
sees
as
the
prize
and
who
is
the
consolation.
Yet
another
special
appearance
at
the
end
only
confirms
this
stance.
Pretty
frames,
gorgeously
styled
actors,
easily
resolved
complex
issues,
Bad
Newz
has
no
wish
to
rise
above
its
fluff
objectives.
It
casually
reinforces
traditional
mindsets
within
an
unconventional
setup
wherein
a
woman
must
feel
apologetic
about
her
dreams
and
a
man’s
puppy-faced
remorse
will
get
him
exactly
what
he
dreamed
of:
One
hot
wife
and
two
kids.
Bad
Newz
Review
Rediff
Rating:
