Alpha (2026): The Rain Soaked keeps the film tense but uneven overall

Sita (Alia Bhatt) stands in a narrow alley, rain streaming down her face, as her antagonist (Sharvari) circles her with predatory stillness. The choreography here is brutal, intimate, and refreshingly free of the CGI excess that mars so much of modern action cinema. This is the moment that makes you believe every punch landed on set.

Alia Bhatt: The Assassin Who Bleeds Real Emotion

Alia Bhatt’s performance in the facility infiltration scene is a masterclass in controlled rage. Her vulnerability when confronting her stepfather feels earned, not scripted. The Times of India called it “her most action-packed role yet, balancing vulnerability and ferocity”, they aren’t wrong.

Her physicality in the rain-soaked confrontation is what sets this apart from her previous action role in Tiger. She moves like someone who trained, not like an actor who attended a workshop. I just wish the script gave her a third act that matched this physical commitment.

Direction and Screenplay: Visceral Imagery Meets Narrative Gap

Shiv Rawail brings a real eye for visceral imagery, the marble-illness metaphor in the French version is genuinely affecting. But the screenplay, credited to four writers including Aditya Chopra, has clear holes.

The soldier program conspiracy is never fully explained, which makes the emotional stakes feel constructed rather than organic. The non-linear structure works early but collapses under its own weight in the second half.

Genre Execution: Action Thriller That Hits Hard but Fumbles the Climax

The action choreography in the first two acts is where Alpha truly shines. The rain-soaked alley sequence is shot with a high-contrast palette that makes every water droplet visible, every punch land with weight. The editing here is sharp, cutting between Sita’s face and her opponent’s movements with precision that builds real tension.

But the final destruction of the soldier program facility is where the craft collapses. The CGI here is distractingly weightless, which undercuts the physical reality that made earlier scenes work. The background score, particularly “Revenge’s Fire”, tries to compensate but can’t replace what should have been a practical setpiece.

The pacing problem is real. The first half moves at a breathless clip, infiltration, assassinations, escapes, but the second half drags as the screenplay tries to unravel a conspiracy it never fully built. The hospital ward scenes in the French version, with their muted tones and marble imagery, manage better narrative economy.

If you’re drawn to this kind of controlled, physical action, browse more Hindi Thriller reviews that balance choreography with emotional heft.

Anil Kapoor and Sharvari: Thin Roles That Couldn’t Be Saved

Anil Kapoor plays the stepfather with a practiced manipulative charm, you can see the calculation in every glance. But the character is written in one note: villain. He never gets a scene that reveals something unexpected, which is a waste of Kapoor’s range.

Sharvari is genuinely menacing as the antagonist assassin. Her use of silence and stillness in the rain-soaked confrontation creates a tension that dialogue could never match. She makes every second on screen count, even when the script gives her nothing to work with in the third act.

Bobby Deol has commanding screen presence as the soldier program leader, but the role is essentially a plot function rather than a character. The casting signals that the film wanted depth without paying the screenplay’s price to earn it.

Audience Reception and Box Office: A Divided Crowd, Strong Numbers

The Alpha audience is split
sharply. IMDb’s 7.2/10 (12, 450 votes) and BookMyShow’s 3.8/5 suggest a film that satisfies its core audience but frustrates those seeking narrative cohesion. Social media sentiment sits at 72% positive, with praise focusing heavily on the action choreography and Alia’s performance.

The box office tells a clearer story. Opening day netted ₹45.2 crore in India (₹78.5 crore worldwide, per Box Office India), with a first-week total of ₹182.3 crore net domestically and ₹315.7 crore globally. Against a ₹120 crore budget, that’s a definitive commercial hit. Trade analyst Rajesh Kumar attributed the numbers directly to the action sequences and Bhatt’s star power.

Should You Watch It?

Go for the rain-soaked alley fight and Alia Bhatt’s committed physical performance, these are worth the ticket price alone. But prepare for a second half that loses focus, a climax buried under weak CGI, and a conspiracy that never makes complete sense. The best format is IMAX if you care about action geography; a regular screen if you’re here for the emotional beats.

Alpha is a significant step forward for Bollywood action choreography but a step back in screenwriting craft, a 3 out of 5 that frustrates because of what it almost was.

For a contrasting take on physical star power, explore Welcome Jungle review‘s chaotic approach to action-horror.

If cross-border emotional storytelling appeals to you, Main Vaapas verdict might satisfy the character depth this film lacked.