VIBE Review: Kunal Kemmu’s Madcap Spy Comedy Loses Its Way When The Vibe Changes

Kunal Kemmu returns to the director’s chair with VIBE, a goofy spy comedy built around two unlikely heroes and one very strange mission. The film gets plenty right when it trusts its irreverent humor, but a crowded second half pulls it away from what made the first half so enjoyable.

VIBE Review

Director: Kunal Kemmu
Cast: Kunal Kemmu, Sparsh Shrivastava, Preity Zinta, Vanshika Dhir, Yashpal Sharma, Dinesh Lal Yadav
Where to Watch: In Theatres
Runtime: 145 minutes
Rating: ★★½/5 Stars

Hardik (Kunal Kemmu) is trying to rebuild his life after returning from drug rehab. His college junior and best friend Bhagirath, better known as Bugs (Sparsh Shrivastava), gets him a job at his software company.

Things take a turn when Hardik falls for Kareena (Vanshika Dhir), an intern at the company. What begins like a silly workplace romance soon pulls Hardik and Bugs into a much bigger mess.

At the center of it is Madam H (Preity Zinta), a government operative hunting a dangerous gangster. Before long, the two clueless friends find themselves caught up in a secret mission they are hardly equipped to handle.

That setup gives VIBE its best comic possibility. Two ordinary men stumbling into a high-stakes spy operation is inherently funny. The film knows this, at least initially.

Kunal Kemmu's screenplay is at its sharpest when it keeps things simple. The opening credits immediately establish the film's playful tone, with a cheeky voiceover turning even routine credits into part of the joke.

The first half moves briskly. The banter works, the one-liners keep coming and Hardik and Bugs make an amusingly inept pair. The film also throws in playful references to popular Hindi films and stars without letting them completely take over the story.

Then the script starts reaching for bigger ideas. The identity of the gangster becomes a major plot point. Soon, the story adds terrorism, AI concerns, software attacks, geopolitical conspiracies and even a super-strength serum. Instead of making the spy comedy more exciting, these additions make it increasingly scattered.

The shift is most noticeable when the story moves to Thailand. The film suddenly wants to operate on a much larger scale, but those new stakes never feel as convincing as the smaller, sillier setup.

There is a good satire of spy movies buried somewhere in VIBE. The problem is that the screenplay keeps adding plot instead of fully exploring that idea.

Kunal Kemmu remains the film's biggest asset. Hardik is lazy, reckless and completely out of his depth, yet Kemmu makes him easy to watch. His comic timing keeps several weaker stretches afloat.

There is also a familiar quality to the performance. Kemmu has played lovable fools in films such as Go Goa Gone, Lootcase and Kanjoos Makhichoos, and some of Hardik's mannerisms feel like variations on that territory.

Sparsh Shrivastava is the standout. Bugs gets plenty of laughs through his reactions, expressions and nervous energy. His chemistry with Kemmu gives the film much of its warmth.

Preity Zinta has fun as Madam H, particularly when the character gets to show her tougher side. Her action sequence is among the more enjoyable moments in the film. However, her dialogue delivery occasionally feels stiff and overly rehearsed.

Vanshika Dhir makes a pleasant debut as Kareena, but the role gives her limited room to make an impression beyond her screen presence.

Yashpal Sharma and Dinesh Lal Yadav fit comfortably into the supporting cast. Sharmila Tagore also makes a brief appearance that is enjoyable, even if the film could have done more with it.

What Works

The first half is where VIBE finds its identity. Hardik and Bugs are an entertaining odd couple. Their friendship gives the comedy a natural rhythm, while the spy setup keeps the story moving.

The film also benefits from its willingness to be silly. It does not need every joke to be clever. Some of its funniest moments come from simply allowing Hardik to be the ridiculous person he is. Sparsh's reactions add more to the comedy. Even when a joke falls flat, his expressions can give the scene a lift.

The opening credits deserve credit too. They immediately tell you what kind of film VIBE wants to be.

What Doesn't Work

The biggest problem is the loss of focus in the second half. The film has a workable comic premise, but keeps piling on new ideas until the original charm gets buried.

The larger spy plot never develops enough credibility to replace the lighter comedy. Instead, the film begins to feel like several different movies competing for attention.

That tonal shift also affects the characters. Hardik and Bugs are most enjoyable as two bumbling friends caught in something far beyond their understanding. Once the story turns toward global threats and action spectacle, their chemistry gets less room to drive the narrative.

By the climax, the comedy becomes increasingly uneven. The film still has occasional bursts of energy, but the effortless fun of the opening stretch is difficult to recover.

he music fits the film's playful mood and supports the different situations without becoming a distraction.

The production also gives the story enough scale once the plot moves beyond its initial setting. However, the bigger canvas does not necessarily make the film more engaging.

The real technical strength lies in the film's pacing during the first half. It keeps the jokes and plot moving together. That balance becomes harder to maintain once the story starts introducing multiple new threads.

VIBE works best when it remembers what makes its premise funny.

Kunal Kemmu and Sparsh Shrivastava make a likable pair, and the first half delivers enough laughs to establish a strong comic rhythm. Unfortunately, the film becomes increasingly distracted by its own ambitions.

The bigger twists, international setting and high-stakes conspiracy do not add the same spark. They instead push the film away from its strongest idea: two ordinary idiots trying to survive a spy mission.

Kemmu clearly has a comic instinct as both an actor and filmmaker. VIBE is most enjoyable when he trusts that instinct instead of chasing bigger stakes.

Watch it if you enjoy goofy Bollywood comedies and can overlook an uneven second half.

VIBE has enough laughs, energy and chemistry to make its first half enjoyable. However, the increasingly complicated plot takes away much of that easy charm.

It is a three-star comedy that comes alive when it is simply being silly, but loses its way when it tries too hard to become a full-blown spy spectacle.