Bhediya (transl. Wolf) is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language supernatural comedy horror film directed by Amar Kaushik. Produced by Dinesh Vijan from a story and screenplay by Niren Bhatt, it stars Varun Dhawan alongside Kriti Sanon, Abhishek Banerjee, Deepak Dobriyal and Paalin Kabak.^[3][4] The plot of the film is inspired by Arunachal Pradesh's legend of a shape-shifting werewolf (Yapum), who wants to protect the jungle, even if he or she has to kill somebody.^[5] It is the third installment in the Maddock Supernatural Universe.

It was released on 25 November 2022 to mixed-to-positive reviews and received praise for its visual effects, screenplay, direction, humour and performances.^[6] It received 13 nominations at the 68th Filmfare Awards, including Best Film (Critics), Best Actor (Critics) and Best Special Effects. A sequel is in development.^[7]

Plot[edit]

Bhaskar Sharma and his cousin Janardhan "Jana" visit a small town in Arunachal Pradesh for a road-building project. Two natives, Jomin and Panda, show them around. One night in the forest, Bhaskar is bitten by a wolf on his rear end. Dr. Anika, the local veterinarian, saves him.

The next day, Bhaskar begins to see changes in himself, like heightened senses of smell and hearing, and communicating with animals. Meanwhile, the locals and tribals are opposed to the idea of cutting down trees to build roads. Two people involved in the project were discovered dead. Bitemarks on the bodies indicate that they were killed by an animal. Panda claims the killings are the work of a werewolf (Yapum).

It is revealed that Bhaskar is the perpetrator of the crimes; he has been transforming into a werewolf every night since being bitten and has no control over it. The duo decides to confine Bhaskar to a remote location so he does not succumb. However, a local cop learns the truth, threatening to divulge Bhaskar's name to the town. The wolf that had bitten Bhaskar appears and kills the cop. The group goes to an elderly doctor for treatment; he informs them that the only way for Bhaskar to be cured is for him to be bitten by the same wolf on a new moon night in the same location.

Bhaskar goes to the forest with Jana and Jomin to be bitten again. The werewolf is revealed to be Dr. Anika. She explains that she was bitten by a wolf a century ago and has been the forest's protector since, murdering anybody who attempted to destroy it. She had bitten Bhaskar intending to kill him but spared him because she sensed his kindness within. She advises him to avoid deforestation.

Anika is shot down and captured by the local police. Bhaskar transforms and rescues her, killing her captors in the process, but she succumbs to her injuries and falls off a cliff, leaving him heartbroken, but not before Bhaskar becomes the new protector. He decides to construct roads around the borders of the forest, leaving the trees and greenery unharmed. Meanwhile, many who are still planning the deforestation project are "mysteriously" killed by animals, and thus their project is canceled.

In a mid-credits scene, Vicky and Bittu come to meet their long-lost friend, Jana, who had previously been possessed by Stree, and has since been staying away from them, cutting off contact to study for the UPSC exam for IAS. They ask for Jana's help in finding Stree. Bhaskar transforms into a werewolf and appears, terrifying them.

Cast[edit]

• Varun Dhawan as Bhaskar Sharma / Bhediya (a Yapum), Janardhan's cousin, Anika's love interest
• Kriti Sanon as Dr. Anika / Lady Bhediya (a Yapum), Bhaskar's love interest
• Deepak Dobriyal as Panda
• Abhishek Banerjee as Janardhan "Jana"/ "JD" Sharma, Bhaskar's cousin, Vicky and Bittu's friend, Banerjee reprises his role from Stree (2018)
• Paalin Kabak as Jomin/Jo
• Saurabh Shukla as Bagga
• Baharul Islam as Engineer Neri
• Dosam Beyong as Prakash Paja
• Mudang Pai as Ojha Myran
• Tai Tugung as Police inspector
• K4Kekho as one of the youths
• Ngilyang Aka as one of the youths
• Ligang Sallu as Range Forest Officer
• Nani Haniya as Head Gaon Burah

Special appearances[edit]

• Shraddha Kapoor^[8] in the song "Thumkeshwari"; Kapoor reprises her role from Stree
• Rajkummar Rao as Vikrant "Vicky" Parashar: Jana and Bittu's friend, Rao reprises his role from Stree
• Aparshakti Khurana as Bittu: Jana and Vicky's friend, Khurana reprises his role from Stree
• Sharad Kelkar as Anika's father

Production[edit]

The producer of the film, Dinesh Vijan, confirmed that Bhediya is part of his horror comedy universe consisting of films like Stree, Roohi and Munjya.^[9][10] Munjya will be the prequel to the 2018 film Stree. The shooting for Bhediya is done in the regions of Arunachal Pradesh's Ziro (Lower Subansiri), Sagalee (Papum Pare) and parts of Pakke-Kessang district- over a span of two months, from March to April 2021.^[11] Over 70 percent of the artists in Bhediya are from Arunachal Pradesh, including a lead character, named Jomin. Besides that, Arunachal rapper K4 Kheko will also feature in the film.^[12] He has also sung and written the lyrics for the theme song of the film.^[13]

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During the shooting schedule, Varun Dhawan and his wife, designer Natasha Dalal donated ₹1 lakh (US$1,200) to the victims of a massive fire in Arunachal Pradesh's Tirap and Longding districts in April 2021.^[14] Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu also visited the set in Ziro.^[15][16] The shooting schedule in Arunachal Pradesh completed on 19 April 2021.^[17] The film was wrapped up on 10 July 2021.^[18][19][20]