The trailer for VIBE had me thinking, “I’ve seen something like this before.” Two ordinary guys, picked by a government agency to carry out a dangerous mission. Sounds familiar? Of course, there was The Interview (2014), starring James Franco and Seth Rogen. Remember the huge controversy around the film, given the political figure at the centre of its story? Anyway, I digress.
VIBE review: Preity Zinta, Kunal Kemmu and Vanshika Dhir star in the comedy film.
Kunal Kemmu, who writes and directs VIBE, is a unique talent. The man is a good actor, and with Madgaon Express (2024), he showed that he can do a pretty good job behind the camera too. So, does VIBE work as well? Let’s find out.
The plot
The story revolves around Hardik (Kunal), who has just returned from drug rehab. His friend Bugs (Sparsh Shrivastava) insists that he join his tech company and get his life back on track. Hardik soon spots a company intern, Kareena (Vanshika Dhir), and falls head over heels for her. Despite Bugs warning him against it, Hardik asks Kareena out on a date, and all hell breaks loose. Also in the picture is Madam H (Preity Zinta Goodenough), who works for a government agency trying to capture a dreaded gangster. How these two guys end up becoming a part of Madam H’s plan forms the rest of the plot.
VIBE, right from its opening credits, seems like a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Kunal does a voiceover, explaining what ‘partners’ and ‘special thanks’ really mean in the context of film credits. It’s a neat touch, and sets you up nicely for what follows. And the first half is a laugh riot, happy to report. The dialogues, also written by Kunal, are terrific, with the one-liners landing consistently. The pace is spot on, and watching these two simpletons get caught up in a spy mission is great fun. Until the second half begins, that is.
After the interval, the film suddenly changes gears and the laughs begin to dry up. VIBE almost feels like a different film for the rest of the runtime. In an attempt to move the story forward, the plot gets unnecessarily convoluted. The whole track about the identity of the underworld gangster, followed by a super strength serum, takes the film into a different zone. And in the process, it takes away from the uber-cool vibe that worked so well in the first half.
The performances
Keeping the entire film together, of course, is Kunal Kemmu, as an actor too. He is effortlessly funny and manages to keep you invested even when the film begins to lose steam. Vanshika Dhir, as Kareena, looks beautiful on screen and makes a decent debut. Sparsh Shrivastava nails the part of Bugs and complements Kunal’s zany brand of comedy. Yashpal Sharma and Nirahua, as the two officers in Madam H’s team, pass the test.
Preity Zinta Goodenough, as Madam H, has something peculiar about her performance. At times, it feels as though she is reading her lines off a teleprompter, or perhaps from a placard being held up just behind the camera. There is a certain mechanical quality to her delivery, which makes some of her scenes feel less natural than they should.
The music, with multiple guest composers and Amit Trivedi also in the mix, goes well with the film and does what it needs to. It fits the mood and fulfils the requirements.
Movie Review
VIBE
3/5
2026-09-17T18:30:00+0000
spy comedy
Hardik, a man fresh out of drug rehab, joins his friend Bugs at a tech company to rebuild his life. He falls for intern Kareena, but their date sets off a chain of unexpected events. Soon, Hardik and Bugs are recruited by government agent Madam H for a dangerous mission. What follows is a chaotic spy adventure involving a gangster, secret identities and a super-strength serum.
VIBE gets off to a hilarious start, with Kunal Kemmu and Sparsh Shrivastava making a fun comic duo.The sharp dialogues, brisk pace and absurd situations make the first half genuinely entertaining. However, the second half becomes unnecessarily complicated, losing much of the easy-going charm.
The Verdict
Overall, VIBE starts off with exactly the kind of madness you want from a film like this. It is funny and doesn’t seem too bothered about following the usual rules initially. Kunal Kemmu and Sparsh Shrivastava make for an entertaining pair, and the first half has enough laughs. It is in the second half that the film loses some of that easy charm, as the story starts adding layers and twists nobody really asked for. The result is a film that is at its best when it is simply VIBE-ing. Kunal has a knack for comedy, both in front of and behind the camera. He just needs to trust that instinct a little more. There is enough wit and energy here to make you wish the film had stayed with its two bumbling heroes rather than getting lost in its own spy game.
Rishabh Suri is an Assistant Editor, film critic, and professional overthinker of plot points. He writes for HT City, keeping pace with an industry where news cycles expire long before the popcorn gets cold.
He completed his graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature-effectively training his brain to over-analyse classic texts before applying those exact same skills to 3-hour Bollywood blockbusters. He got into the profession when he had barely graduated from college and has been at HT ever since.
At HT, Rishabh reviews films with a simple rule: skip the dense academic jargon and get straight to the point. Beyond reviews, as Assistant Editor, he helps navigate the broader circus of showbiz, tracking everything from OTT shifts to sudden box office panics.
In a beat driven by loud PR machinery and carefully scripted answers, Rishabh prefers cutting through the noise to focus on how stories get made and why trends shift.
When he isn’t writing against a deadline, he is usually sitting in a dark theater, compulsively memorising dialogues. For Rishabh, analysing movies isn't just a day job- it’s a habit he couldn't turn off even if he tried.Read More
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