Alpha — Review & Ratings

Alpha (2026) arrives with immense historical weight as the seventh installment in the YRF Spy Universe and Indian cinema's first-ever female-led spy blockbuster. Directed by Shiv Rawail (The Railway Men) and starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari, the film successfully smashes the gender barrier of massive, big-budget action films in Bollywood. However, according to major national publications like The Times of India, The Hindu, and The Indian Express, it struggles significantly with an identity crisis, choosing over-the-top family melodrama over sharp, authentic espionage.

The Narrative Setup: A Super-Soldier Origin Story

The plot of Alpha takes an unconventional route for the YRF Spy Universe by diving into a comic-book-style super-soldier premise. The story kicks off in the immediate aftermath of the 1999 Kargil War. Colonel Fateh Singh Lakhawat (Bobby Deol), a fierce, decorated patriot, pitches an elite, top-secret initiative called the "Alpha Project" to create genetically modified super-soldiers using an experimental strength-enhancing serum.

When the government pulls support and shuts down the operation due to its extreme risks, a rogue Fateh takes the project underground into a remote facility. He raises a kidnapped young girl, Sita (Alia Bhatt), transforming her into a heavily trained, lethal asset. Years later, Sita goes on a brutal vendetta, hunting down the officials who greenlit and then abandoned the project. Her mission takes a massive turn when she crosses paths with R&AW Chief Vikrant Kaul (Anil Kapoor) and his daughter, Durga (Sharvari), blowing open a web of family secrets, stolen childhoods, and military betrayal.

What Soars: The High Points  

Fierce, Committed Leads: Alia Bhatt delivers a highly focused, stoic, and incredibly physical performance. Despite her slight frame, she handles heavy artillery and intense combat with absolute confidence. Sharvari serves as the perfect athletic counter-balance, bringing remarkable screen presence, agility, and fierce energy to the joint fight sequences.

Visually Spectacular and Atmospheric: Director Shiv Rawail and director of photography Rubais steer the movie away from the overly bright, warm tones of previous Spy Universe entries. Instead, they present a moody, atmospheric, and highly premium cinematic landscape. The camera work during global scenic changes and high-speed action frames is world-class.

Grounded Hand-to-Hand Combat: In a refreshing change for the franchise, the action leans heavily into brutal, well-choreographed hand-to-hand combat and close-quarters choreography rather than relying on endless, unrealistic wire-work.

Layered Villany and Grounded Drama: Bobby Deol brings massive physical menace, screen presence, and layered complexity to Colonel Fateh. Concurrently, Anil Kapoor brings emotional dignity and weight to his role, grounding the wild sci-fi premise with human gravity

What Stumbles: The Low Points

Drowned in Melodrama: The biggest critique across the board is that the film frequently ditches its high-stakes spy thriller roots to indulge in exhausting, loud family drama. With plot points involving a dead mother, a stolen childhood, and heavy father-daughter guilt, the narrative suffers from an over-reliance on forced emotional stakes.

A Highly Predictable Script: Written by Soumil Shukla and Shridhar Raghavan, with a story by Uday Chopra, the screenplay relies heavily on convenient writing and massive logical loopholes. Rather than building true intellectual intrigue, the screenplay jumps hastily from one massive explosion or twist to the next.

Intrusive Music and Audio: While the sound mixing is technically robust, the background score by Sanchit and Ankit Balhara is heavily criticized for being overly loud and overbearing. Action sequences are frequently broken up by intrusive commercial-style background tracks (like the constant blaring of "Tu hi toh Agni hai"), reducing intense cinematic spy crafts to the feel of an athleisure commercial.

The Cameo Conundrum: While Hrithik Roshan’s much-publicized cameo as Kabir is a massive crowd-pleaser that provides high-energy action, critics note that it creates a structural narrative problem. By forcing a male character into the mix to direct the plot, it slightly undercuts the hard-earned independent agency and autonomy of the female leads