Well, well, well. Sonu Sood, the man who rose to fame as Bollywood’s unofficial "messiah" during the pandemic, has finally stepped behind the camera as a director. And what does he bring us? Fateh, a slow-motion, action-filled mess that could quite possibly go down in history as the most misguided directorial debut ever. The trailer just dropped, and if this is a sneak peek into what's to come, I think Bollywood’s in deeper trouble than we thought.
Let’s talk about the plot first. Fateh is supposedly a cyber-crime thriller. You know, something that explores hacking, the dark web, the kind of intelligent, suspense-filled stuff that you would expect from a genre like this. But no. What we get is a tale of a “man with a shadowy past” (because of course, every Bollywood hero needs one) who is apparently on a mission to fight cybercrime using… guns, slo-mo punches, and a desperate need for bloodshed. Wait, what? Cybercrime? With a fistfight? Was there a script mix-up, or did someone just throw in the word “cyber” for the sake of it?
And then there’s Sonu Sood, the man who thinks that flexing his muscles in every frame can somehow cover up his lack of directorial depth. You know how he’s the hero in most of his films? Well, apparently, now he’s also the director—a one-man army in front of the camera and behind it. But let's be honest, folks. He should stick to the rescue operations and leave the directing to people who know what to do with a plot. The trailer shows him going full throttle in slow motion, flexing like he’s auditioning for an action hero role that even Dwayne Johnson would politely reject.
If you thought that was the low point, brace yourself: Enter Jacqueline Fernandez. Now, I’m not here to roast her personal life (though let’s be honest, it could provide enough drama for a Netflix series), but her performance here could only be described as a tragic comedy. Let’s start with the accent. What is she even trying to do? It’s like a confused mix of a wannabe desi girl and a *Bollywood diva trying too hard to sound "authentic." Add a couple of close-up shots and some comical-looking glasses (that scream “I’m here to add the quirky factor”), and boom—you have Jacqueline in her most uninspiring role to date. There’s clearly no depth to her character, and the awkward attempt at playing an ethical hacker (because of course, she’s the hacker) feels like a last-minute addition to spice up the film. Let’s not even get started on the traditional attire with regional songs shoved in for no apparent reason.
But, to be fair, the trailer isn’t all bad. The saving grace here comes from two legends—Naseeruddin Shah and Vijay Raaz. These two veterans bring an element of gravitas that is sorely missing in the rest of the mess. They manage to hold the attention of the viewer, offering a chilling presence that even slow-mo gunfights can’t overshadow. It’s clear that they’re the only ones who bothered to put some actual effort into their performances, making the rest of the cast look like amateurs on an over-caffeinated set.
The film’s premise, though potentially thrilling, is bogged down by over-the-top action, lazy writing, and absolutely zero understanding of the digital age or hacking (or anything to do with actual cybercrime). Sure, we’ve seen Bollywood attempt to "go global" with tech-centric narratives before, but Fateh proves that just throwing in a few tech buzzwords, some slo-mo explosions, and Jacqueline doing the most for regional flair isn’t going to cut it. If anything, it looks like Bollywood’s answer to Bee Keeper And The Equalizer —but with more unnecessary melodrama, unnecessary bloodshed, and zero logic.
So, if the trailer is anything to go by, Fateh is shaping up to be nothing more than a glorified slow-motion spectacle. And you know what? At this point, the only thing Fateh is likely to break is its viewers' patience. Mark your calendars for January 10, 2025, because Bollywood may have just outdone itself in the “how not to make a thriller” category.
Sonu Sood should’ve stayed in his rescue lane, Jacqueline Fernandez should have opted for some acting lessons instead of trying to “slay” with her glasses, and Bollywood should seriously rethink its direction if this is what we’re calling an action-thriller. Here's hoping that Fateh doesn’t become the tragic tale of an overhyped mess that no one asked for.