Mumbai, India – Raghav Juyal, known for his scene-stealing energy, takes center stage in Bhai Tera Star Hai, a film that, despite its promising title, delivers a chaotic and forgettable experience. The film, which unfolds in London, follows struggling actor Ajay Singh (Juyal) as he scrambles to repay a £10,000 debt to a pub owner and betting crook, Fatty (Sanjay Kapoor), within two hours. What follows is a convoluted web of lies, involving fake pregnancies, loan sharks, ex-girlfriends, and a cast of characters so large it swallows the protagonist whole.
The plot, if it can be called that, is a series of interconnected and increasingly absurd subplots. Ajay lies about his sister’s pregnancy to get money from his girlfriend, who in turn pretends to be pregnant to get her brother to collect loans. Fatty owes money to loan sharks, and his employee enlists his girlfriend’s brother to extort Ajay. A cop gets pulled into the mess, and the film attempts to mask its mediocre writing with long takes, bizarre visual transitions, cartoon-style thought bubbles, emojis, and an endless score. The treatment seems designed for infants, with juvenile subtitles and sound effects that make it almost embarrassing to watch.
Juyal, who is wasted in this production, is reduced to a hammy mess. His character’s over-the-top actor persona adds nothing to the narrative, serving only as a showreel for his miming, dancing, and Bollywood references. The film ends with Ajay arbitrarily performing in two songs without explanation, driven by vibes rather than any ounce of coherence. Most films contain a few gimmicks, but Bhai Tera Star Hai is a gimmick that contains no film. It’s a 105-minute gag that does not land, leaving the audience as struggling viewers, hoping for a chuckle while the camera rolls and every scene becomes a sum total of actors waiting for someone to call “Cut.”
