Aryabhatt Ka Zero Director: Kamal Chandra Cast: Gopal Dutt, Himansh Kohli, Sonnalli Seygall, Ravi Kishan, Shilpa Shinde, Neeraj Sood, Alka Amin Rating: ★★
We have had films that motivate you to study harder, work harder, or simply be a better person. And then there are films like Aryabhatt Ka Zero, which are as aimless as their lead character. On my personal list of ‘Films That Have No Reason To Exist’, this one surely ranks somewhere.
Aryabhatt Ka Zero review: Himansh Kohli and Ravi Kishan lead the slice of life film.
The plot
Directed by Kamal Chandra, the film revolves around Baggu (Himansh Kohli), a good-for-nothing guy who has been bad at studies. His girlfriend, Rinku (Sonnalli Seygall), is married off to an SDM (Gopal Dutt). Baggu, in a fit of rage, decides to take the UPSC exam to become a DM. At this point, as a viewer, you are probably thinking the rest of the film is about how he pulls it off. No.
What begins as a film about fulfilling one’s duty towards one’s parents and finding motivation soon derails. In a bid to help his struggling family after a personal crisis, Baggu takes up the first job that comes his way, finally beginning to take life seriously. But by the time the climax arrives, the story suddenly starts preaching that success in life has little to do with hard work. It happens so abruptly that the viewer barely gets time to process what just happened. Talk about an anti-climactic twist.
What the two-hour-long film gets right is its setting. Shot entirely across Delhi and the hills, cinematographer Yogesh Jani does a good job of capturing both. The screenplay, however, leaves plenty of room for improvement. There are stretches where the story moves forward, but the viewer feels nothing. It is progression for the sake of progression.
What also doesn’t help is Himansh Kohli, who is literally present in almost every frame, delivering a rather hit-and-miss performance. The character needed more spunk, but Kohli often ends up bringing down the film’s energy quotient instead. A film of this nature ought to have been far more lively. While he is effective in the emotional scenes, there is little spark in his act otherwise.
Movie Review
Aryabhatt Ka Zero
2/5
2026-08-06T18:30:00+0000
The film follows Baggu (Himansh Kohli), a directionless young man who decides to crack the UPSC exam and become a DM after his girlfriend marries an SDM.
Aryabhatt Ka Zero is a confused film undone by weak writing and an aimless narrative. Himansh Kohli and the supporting cast deliver a few decent moments, but the film lacks energy. Its promising premise ultimately fails to deliver either meaningful inspiration or entertainment.
Sonnalli Seygall pitches in with a decent performance, and her chemistry with Himansh also works. Ravi Kishan as Chhanu bhaiya could have done with more scenes featuring him. Shilpa Shinde as Simmi, Baggu's sister, plays her role well. Neeraj Sood as Aryabhatt, Baggu's father, stands out, playing his part very well, and actually lending the film some of its more watchable scenes. The music by Manan Bhardwaj is not too impressive.
Verdict
Overall, Aryabhatt Ka Zero is undone by its confused writing. There is nothing wrong with making a film about an ordinary, directionless young man trying to turn his life around. In fact, Baggu’s journey could have made for an affecting watch if the film had invested more in his transformation and given his choices some weight. Instead, the narrative keeps taking detours, only to arrive at a conclusion that feels less like a culmination and more like a different film suddenly taking over. There are a few performances and moments that keep you engaged, but they are not enough to rescue a screenplay that seems unsure. By the end, Aryabhatt Ka Zero leaves you with neither inspiration nor entertainment, which is quite a feat for a film that tries to offer both.
Rishabh Suri writes for the daily Entertainment & Lifestyle supplement HT City. From Bollywood to Hollywood, from Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam films, to OTT and television- he covers it all.
E-Paper
