In the garb of creativity, YRF seems to have reduced our spies, intel agencies, Armed Forces, government, even their own stars, directors to mere guinea pigs. With Alpha, the YRF Spy Universe has perhaps reached a point of no return.
Rating: 
(1/ 5)
By Mayur Lookhar
Last Friday, Akshay Kumar’s Welcome to the Jungle was lauded for daring to tell a story within a story – how bad films are a criminal waste of money and, perhaps, sometimes, deliberate plots to hide dirty money and balance books. A week later, YRF’s Alpha (2026) comes across as one such film.
Hyped as India’s first female-led spy action film, YRF and its marketing team seem to have forgotten Taapsee Pannu’s Naam Shabana (2017). As for the genre, Ramanand Sagar’s Ankhen (1968) is believed to be India’s first spy film, where Mala Sinha’s character turned out to be a spy. We’re not here, though, to discuss history, but simply to review Alpha. Interestingly, we’re not sure Alpha can be categorized within the spy genre.
Helmed by Shiv Rawail, the teaser and trailer of Alpha drew comparisons with the French film La Femme Nikita (1990) and its American remake, Point of No Return (1993). Maybe one odd scene is similar, but Alpha has a story and a world of its own.
Story
Separated from her parents at birth, Sita is secretly raised by Fateh Singh Lakhavat, an Indian soldier. Lakhavat (Bobby Deol) is the architect of the Alpha program, designed to create super commandos. After early experiments fail, Lakhavat pins his hopes on this child becoming India’s first Alpha soldier. On her 18th birthday, he assigns her first mission, in which Sita neutralizes her targets. Just when Lakhavat thinks this long-awaited Alpha dream may finally become a reality, Sita (Alia Bhatt) unearths the truth, setting the stage for a mentor-versus-disciple clash. This journey, though, is filled with history, hidden truths, complex relationships, borrowed science (formulae), and few more twists. It’s best that viewers discover it all themselves.
Screenplay & Direction
After initial promise, a few decent films – Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and War (2019) – the YRF Spy Universe is increasingly slipping into monotony. With Dhurandhar completely redefining the genre, Alpha needed to raise its game. What came as a surprise to many was that the Alpha story is conceived by forlorn actor Uday Chopra. The screenplay is penned by Soumil Shukla and YRF Spy Universe resident writer Sridhar Raghavan, with Ishita Moitra writing the dialogues.
The trailer left us joking whether this story was sourced from Mumbai’s famous Alfa (grey) market. After all, even without bills, the latter offers better quality and far more value for money than Alpha.
There’s a scene where Durga (Sharvari) tells Sita, “Kabhi dil rakhne ke liye, kuch kar lena chahiye” (“Sometimes, you should do something just to keep someone happy”). Maybe, just to please his younger brother, Aditya Chopra decided to back Uday’s silly femme-action masala plot. And his trio of cringe writers – Shukla, Raghavan, and Moitra – along with director Shiv Rawail and the stellar cast, simply obeyed their producer. Honestly, after the average War (2019), this YRF Spy Universe has been a cringe fest, and that includes the so-called blockbuster Pathaan (2023). Maybe that’s a little harsh, but in the garb of creativity, YRF seems to have reduced our spies, intelligence agencies, Armed Forces, government, and even their own stars and directors to mere guinea pigs. Solely attributing the blame to Aditya Chopra, though, isn’t fair. Soumil Shukla, Sridhar Raghavan, and Ishita Moitra are equally culpable in doling out repeated cringe stories and screenplays. Shiv Rawail, never known to be a filmmaker of repute, does little to change that image with Alpha. From its very first minute, Alpha proves to be an unbearable 160-minute experience. It wouldn’t be wrong to call Alpha the Adipurush of the YRF Spy Universe.
Acting
Barely three or four years ago, Alia Bhatt was the toast of Bollywood. Things, though, have been different in the last few years. Marriage and motherhood naturally come with their own challenges, and poor Alia seems to have been off-colour since Brahmastra – Part One (2022). While this reviewer liked Jigra (2024), Alia Bhatt was largely panned by critics and audiences alike. With Alpha being delayed and the poor response to the teaser and trailer, the signs were ominous. An extremely poor film and a poor performance have naturally fuelled the criticism that “Alpha Bhatt,” sorry, Alia Bhatt, is a total misfit for the character of Sita.
For a girl who was raised as an assassin, Alia appears flat in her opening action scene. It feels like classic desi cinema, with slow-motion action designed to hype the protagonist. Bhatt does improve slightly in the later action scenes, but as an actor, she cuts a sorry figure throughout the film. Given her tough childhood, one can accept Sita being a cold assassin with no emotions, but that is no excuse for a robo-like performance. Her husband will be seen as Lord Ram later this year, meanwhile, Alia disappoints in this unique Alpha Sita avatar. She has never looked so lost, so listless, since her debut film Student of the Year (2012).
From Alpha Bhatt, we are made to endure an Alpha Jat in Bobby Deol. Here, it’s the Haryanvi Jaat, and clearly the accent weighs heavily on Deol. The seasoned actor has been a revelation in this innings of his career – Aashram, Animal (2023), Bandar (2023) – but Alpha is reminiscent of his early struggle phase.
Over the years, the YRF Spy Universe has copped criticism for its monotonous villains, mostly internal enemies -aggrieved rogue soldiers. Maybe this serves YRF’s global box office appeal, but the Middle East hasn’t hesitated to ban some of these YRF Spy Universe films. So, there’s nothing really to lose. Dhurandhar, with its open “ghar mein ghuske maarunga” narrative, has completely changed the game for desi spy-action thrillers.
For the better part of Alpha, Deol’s Lakhavat appears to be along the same lines (aggrieved Indian soldier), until he reveals his true colours. This might buck the YRF villain stereotype, but the insipid screenplay and below-par Deol barely engage.
Maybe Sharvari holds an edge over Alia in certain action, but is found wanting again in acting. Being a YRF talent now, her casting feels obligatory.
Veteran Anil Kapoor is the only actor who perhaps justifies his casting, but he is let down by weak character design and a poor screenplay. Kapoor seems as helpless as his RAW chief character, Vikrant Kaul.
Hrithik Roshan’s cameo in the middle fails to ignite any spark. Let’s not forget, though, that War 2 showed how Kabir (Roshan), too, is no longer the same.
Music & Technical Aspect
YRF’s legacy lies in romance and family dramas, as well as quality music. Though we didn’t like the film per se, YRF did rediscover its flair for good music with the musical Saiyaara (2025). The same, however, cannot be said about YRF Spy Universe films. Alpha’s soundtrack is as dull as its story.
Made at a rumoured budget of Rs 200 crore, YRF Spy Universe films don’t lack visual appeal. They are often shot in exotic locales, and YRF does not shy away from hiring international professionals, especially for action. Well, you can get the best action directors, but if your actors aren’t up to the daunting task, they won’t deliver the desired result. There isn’t much to complain about in terms of cinematography and production design, but if the story doesn’t connect and the cast is below par, all this fine technical work feels wasted.
Final thoughts
Alpha cares to explain its title – the first letter of the Greek alphabet. Well, we learned that the word for zero in Greek is μηδέν (pronounced mi-then). YRF’s Alpha feels like a mithen. We fear that with Alpha, the YRF Spy Universe has reached a point of no return.
Video review below.
By
