Plot:
Alpha follows Sita, who is kidnapped as a child by Colonel Lakhawat and trained under a secret programme to become a deadly assassin. Years later, she begins hunting the people responsible for turning her into a weapon. Her revenge mission soon becomes complicated by unexpected revelations, family trauma and larger national-security stakes. Alongside Durga, Sita faces dangerous enemies while confronting the painful truth about her past.
Overview:
Alpha enters the YRF Spy Universe with the promise of a powerful women-led action spectacle. The film has impressive action sequences and a commanding lead performance from Alia Bhatt, but it frequently loses momentum because of excessive family drama and too many twists. The movie works best when it focuses on Sita’s missions and physical confrontations, while emotional detours weaken the pace and dilute the espionage elements.
Performances:
Alia Bhatt is the film’s biggest strength. She delivers a convincing action performance and handles the physical demands of the role with confidence. Her screen presence keeps the film engaging even when the screenplay becomes uneven.
Sharvari brings energy to the role of Durga and performs strongly in action scenes, although the film’s glamour-focused presentation of her character often feels unnecessary.
Anil Kapoor has limited impact as the RAW chief because the character relies heavily on dramatic dialogues rather than depth. Bobby Deol looks physically intimidating but is not given enough material to create a memorable villain. Hrithik Roshan’s appearance as Kabir is designed as a franchise moment but contributes little to the main story.
Technical Aspects:
Director Shiv Rawail delivers several well-mounted action sequences and maintains visual scale throughout the film. The stunt choreography is one of Alpha’s major highlights, particularly during Alia Bhatt’s combat scenes. The production design and action presentation match the scale expected from the YRF Spy Universe.
However, the film struggles to balance its spy-thriller elements with emotional family drama. The screenplay frequently shifts tone, affecting the overall tension and narrative consistency.
Music:
The music supports the film’s emotional and action-oriented atmosphere but does not emerge as its strongest element. The background score adds energy to major action scenes, though the heavy emotional portions sometimes feel overemphasised.
Editing:
The editing is uneven. Alpha could have benefited from a tighter runtime and the removal of several extended emotional sequences. The constant flow of twists becomes exhausting rather than exciting. A sharper edit focusing more on espionage, missions and action would have created a more gripping thriller.
Positives:
- Alia Bhatt’s powerful performance
- Strong action choreography
- Women characters leading major action sequences
- No unnecessary romantic subplot
- Good production scale
- Several engaging action moments
Negatives:
- Excessive family melodrama
- Overloaded screenplay with too many twists
- Weakly developed villain
- Underused supporting cast
- Unnecessary franchise cameo
- Uneven pacing
- Over-glamorisation of Sharvari’s character
Analysis:
Alpha succeeds primarily because of Alia Bhatt, who proves that she can convincingly lead a large-scale action film. Her action sequences, physical performance and screen presence give the movie much of its energy.
The problem lies in the screenplay. Instead of maintaining the urgency of a spy thriller, the narrative repeatedly moves into emotionally heavy family conflicts. The film tries to combine revenge, patriotism, sisterhood, childhood trauma and espionage, but these elements do not always come together smoothly.
The female-led approach is refreshing, especially because Sita and Durga are presented as fighters who make their own decisions and face danger directly. However, the film sometimes undermines its own progressive positioning through unnecessary glamour-driven presentation.
Despite its flaws, Alpha contains enough ambition and action to remain watchable. It does not completely revive the YRF Spy Universe, but it also avoids becoming its weakest entry. Ultimately, the film belongs to Alia Bhatt, whose performance carries an otherwise inconsistent action drama.
Bottomline: Alia Dominates
Rating: 2.5/5