The Alpha teaser sets the tone for its intended direction right away. This isn’t another film that will just add to the ever-growing list of movies in the YRF Spyscape; instead it’s a film that wants to create its individual personality. From the performance of Alia Bhatt, along with the dark, intimidating presence of Bobby Deol, the first look at Alpha provides an insight into a much darker, more personal story told through the beauty, extravagance and excitement of a big-screen action movie.
The chemistry between the two leading characters (Bobby Deol as well as Alia Bhatt) is one of the notable qualities of the teaser. Bobby Deol may appear to represent a more typical villainised character, however, in this instance he is a mentor to Alia Bhatt’s character where the two characters develop relations based on trust. It seems that their relationship will take on a new level of complexity through the intensity of their verbal exchanges in the teaser and the resulting emotional stakes created by their interactions will take form in a way that would not typically be experienced during an action movie (i.e., beyond the explosions, fight scenes, etc.). The Wolf vs Sheep concept (as an example) is represented throughout the teaser and it allows for an overall unique quality to the teaser, creating a theme that revolves around survival, power and self-identity.
Alia Bhatt appears to be at ease in the action role. Whether it’s through her external physical transformation and confidence portrayed through her body movements or through the intensity displayed within her aggressiveness on screen, she seems to be dedicated towards demonstrating that she can carry a major action franchise on her demonstrated assets as evidenced throughout the teaser in terms of who she is as a character.
Alpha not only looks like a YRF spy film, with its stylish look and international scale, slick production values but has a teaser whose key quality is that it doesn’t rely solely on the spectacle; it focuses on character, a key point of the film that could turn out to be one of its biggest strengths (as seems to be the case with director Shiv Rawail, balancing emotional conflict against franchise-friendly action).
However, there have been some hits and misses. One part of the internet has asked why Sharvari wasn’t included in the teaser when she is one of the film’s principal faces, generating interest in her part in the story to come when the full trailer is released.
Overall, as a first impression, Alpha generates excitement by positioning Alia Bhatt as the star of a new chapter in the spy universe and, through Bobby Deol’s very menacing screen presence, leads us to believe that it could be an intense gritty rivalry between two heavyweights of the franchise. If this teaser’s promise is fulfilled in the final product, then Alpha may not just be yet another 007 wannabe, but could actually become a watershed movie for female-driven action movies in mainstream Bollywood.
