# Bhavesh Joshi Superhero

Bhavesh Joshi Superhero is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language vigilante superhero action film directed by Vikramaditya Motwane under Phantom Films banner and co-written by Motwane along with Anurag Kashyap and Abhay Koranne. It stars Harshvardhan Kapoor in the lead role along with Priyanshu Painyuli, Ashish Verma and Nishikant Kamat in the supporting roles. This was Kamat's last appearance before his death on 17 August 2020.
Bhavesh Joshi Superhero released theatrically on 1 June 2018, and was also screened at Neuchatel Film Festival. The film received generally mixed reviews from critics and became a box-office bomb grossing ₹4.35 crore on a budget of ₹21 crore. However, the film has garnered a cult following based on the societal relevance and themes of the story.

## Plot

Bhavesh Joshi, Sikandar "Siku" Khanna, and Rajat are three young men who meet at an anti-corruption rally and become friends. They later create a YouTube channel called Insaaf TV, an online show focused on justice, exposing common wrongdoings, and highlighting the rampant corruption in their city. Initially, their show is successful. They wear paper-bag masks and help to address small-scale corruptions in and around their neighborhood. However, as time passes, Siku and Rajat get jobs in the corporate sector after graduating, and their interest in Insaaf TV gradually fades. Bhavesh, however, becomes obsessed with eradicating corruption from society and continues his vigilante acts, despite the decline in their channel's viewership.
Bhavesh receives an email from an elderly citizen about water problems in his locality and begins investigating. He discovers that water pipes meant to deliver water to households have been fitted with additional pipes to siphon water to tankers, which are then sold back to the residents who were supposed to receive it for free from the municipality. Bhavesh leaks this information on his channel, which leads to Patil, the leader of the water crime syndicate responsible for the act, ordering a manhunt to uncover the true identity of the masked man behind Insaaf TV.
Meanwhile, despite providing all the proper documents and following up multiple times with the local police, Siku's police clearance for his U.S. visa is delayed until he pays a bribe. When Bhavesh learns of this, he becomes furious, and the two get into a heated argument. An enraged Bhavesh declares that all government officials and politicians are corrupt and should be eradicated to cleanse society, with Siku recording the exchange on his phone. Bhavesh later punches Siku, breaking his nose. In retaliation, Siku uploads the video to the Insaaf TV channel.
Soon, Bhavesh is labeled a national fugitive by the media. He is beaten by an angry mob, arrested by the police, and his identity is exposed to Patil, who threatens him. Desperate to prove his innocence and reveal the truth to the public, Bhavesh gathers evidence despite his injuries. However, he is caught, and Patil beats him to death. The police hand over Bhavesh's body to Siku for last rites, claiming it was a road accident, and warn him not to get involved. Blaming himself for Bhavesh's death, Siku tricks the police into believing he has left for the U.S. and takes refuge in an abandoned hotel that previously served as a safe house for their gang. He starts wearing a mask and, in a moment of desperation, blows up Patil's pump house, where the siphoned water was stored.
It is then revealed that Patil is backed by the local minister, Rana. Siku adopts a new vigilante costume, buys a motorcycle, customizes it with nitro cylinders, and interrogates government officer Subhash Mhatre, who reveals that Bhavesh was killed by Patil as he was about to uncover his illegal water supply activities. During the interrogation, Siku is nearly defeated by Mhatre's men but is saved by Bhavesh's martial arts trainer. Siku posts the interrogation video on Justice TV, revealing himself as the supposedly still-alive Bhavesh Joshi. He then begins learning martial arts and other combat skills from the trainer.
As the video goes viral, Patil is arrested, but Mhatre is found dead, with the police claiming it was a suicide, and Patil is released due to a lack of evidence. Siku, disguised, visits the dance bar Patil frequents and plants a bug in Patil's VIP room, discovering that Patil plans to blow up water pipes across the city to create an acute drinking water shortage. However, Inspector Sunil Jadhav discovers Siku at the bar one night. After a long motorcycle chase, Siku escapes, enraging Patil, who kills a constable and forces the police to frame Bhavesh for the murder.
Suspicious about the person behind Justice TV after Bhavesh's death, Rajat spies on Siku's girlfriend Sneha and discovers that Siku is still in India and has assumed Bhavesh's identity. Siku arrives at the location targeted by Patil's men and fights them, but he is defeated and unmasked in the process. Despite Siku's efforts, Patil's men succeed in blowing up the water pipes, leaving a wounded Siku helpless. Patil and Rana instruct Inspector Jadhav to kill Siku and dump his body in the water, thus framing Bhavesh for the attack on Mumbai.
Jadhav reluctantly shoots and injures Siku. Rajat follows Siku and captures the entire incident on camera. After Siku is thrown into the water, Rajat rescues him and takes him to a hospital under a fake name. As Siku recovers, Mumbai suffers from the severe drinking water crisis. Rana meets the Chief Minister (CM) and offers to provide free water on the condition that he receives all future water-related contracts. Both the CM and Rana become heroes in the eyes of the public as drinking water is provided free of charge.
Rajat delivers the video of that night to Jadhav through a child, compelling him to reopen the investigation into the blast. As the truth spreads across the city, Bhavesh's cause gains widespread support, leading to protests. One night, Siku infiltrates Rana's house. Rana, noticing his knocked-out bodyguards, encounters "Insaaf-Man" (based on Rajat's graphic novel) on his balcony.

## Cast

* Harshvardhan Kapoor as Sikander "Siku" Khanna / Bhavesh Joshi / Insaaf-Man
* Priyanshu Painyuli as Bhavesh Joshi
* Ashish Verma as Rajat
* Shreiyah Sabharwal as Sneha
* Pratap Phad as Patil
* Pabitra Rabha as Thapa
* Chinmay Mandlekar as Sunil Jadhav (credited as Chinmayee Mandlekar)
* Nishikant Kamat as Rana
* Hrishikesh Joshi as Subhash Mhatre
* Byel as Jonh
* Dipesh K. Shrestha as Taja Bhau
Additionally, Arjun Kapoor, Sharib Hashmi, Shibani Dandekar, and Anusha Dandekar made special appearance in the song "Chavanprash."

## Production
### Development

The film was officially announced sometime in April 2014. The title of the film was said to be Bhavesh Joshi.

### Casting

The makers of the film initially decided on Imran Khan for the lead. The role then went to Sidharth Malhotra, but he was eventually replaced by Harshvardhan Kapoor due to frequent delays in the film's pre-production schedule.

### Filming

The principal photography of the film commenced in July 2016. The film shooting ended on 30 May 2017.

## Music

The music of the film was composed by Amit Trivedi while the lyrics were written by Amitabh Bhattacharya, Anurag Kashyap, Babu Haabi and Naezy. The first song of the film to be released was Hum Hain Insaaf which is sung by Babu Haabi and Naezy and was released on 12 May 2018. The second song of the film titled as Chavanprash featuring Arjun Kapoor, sung by Divya Kumar, Pragati Joshi and Arohi Mhatre, was re-released on 16 May 2018. The soundtrack of the film was released on 23 May 2018 by Eros Music.

## Release

The film was released theatrically on 1 June 2018. It was also officially selected for the 2018 Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.

### Home Media

The film premiered on Netflix on 16 August 2018.

## Reception
### Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10.
Neil Soans of The Times of India gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Vikramaditya Motwane’s take on the superhero genre with gritty, realistic action and a masked vigilante’s story that hits close to home, is worth a look". Rohit Vats of Hindustan Times gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Harshvardhan Kapoor’s film is darker than any other Hindi superhero film you have seen. It’s earnest and deals with the idea of vigilante justice in its raw form". Raja Sen of NDTV gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "The vigilante film is well meaning and has good actors, but it is ultimately a boring effort". Rajeev Masand of News18 gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Bhavesh Joshi Superhero is an impressive, admirable attempt at creating a vulnerable middle-class superhero in the real world, committed to tackling everyday challenges faced by the ordinary citizen. But it’s also bloated and indulgent, and that comes in the way of Motwane realizing the full extent of his vision". Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 2/5 stars and wrote "The film clearly intends to be dark, edgy and cool. Trouble is, it spends too much of its time underlining its purpose, even getting a character to say these three adjectives".