Vibe gets one thing right even before it begins. The entertainment starts before the film itself, and that is perhaps the most unusual thing about the experience. It is best left for the audience to discover, so there is only one genuine request before discussing the film: take your seats well in time and pay attention to the screen.
At the centre of Vibe are Hardik (Kunal Kemmu) and Bugs (Sparsh Shrivastava), two thick friends who could not be more different. Hardik is a clueless slacker, while Bugs is disciplined and very much by the book. When Bugs helps Hardik get a job at his organisation, Hardik meets Kareena (Vanshika Dhir) and romance soon enters the picture. Just when things appear to be settling into a familiar romantic comedy space, the two friends cross paths with Madam H (Preity Zinta), who is on a mission to protect India from a major terrorist threat. The catch is that Hardik and Bugs are hardly qualified for any of it.
That basic setup gives Vibe its strongest comic hook. The Hardik and Bugs friendship feels organic enough, and there is novelty in watching these two unlikely characters get dragged into circumstances far beyond their capabilities. The comedy is driven more by character and situations than by a constant stream of punchlines, and this works particularly well in the first half. The humour often comes naturally from who these characters are and how they react to what is unfolding around them.
Kunal Kemmu, returning to direction after Madgaon Express, gets this portion of the film largely right. Vibe opens on a high with Hardik’s entry, his interactions with Kareena and the situations that gradually pull him and Bugs into the larger story. There is a smart understanding of situational comedy here, with the film allowing moments to play out rather than constantly explaining where the joke lies.
Kunal is particularly good as Hardik. He has a natural command over this brand of comedy, especially the absurd and occasionally blackly comic space that suits him so well. There is also an interesting sense of control in the way he communicates the character visually. As writer, director and lead actor, Kunal is carrying the film from several fronts, and at least in the pre interval stretch, that comes through with considerable ease. Hardik remains deliberately clueless without ever becoming tiresome.
Sparsh Shrivastava as Bugs matches Kunal’s energy and tone rather well. There is an easy rhythm between the two, which becomes important because their friendship is one of the film’s more convincing elements. Vanshika Dhir too fits comfortably into the comic world the film creates.
Preity Zinta’s Madam H is a different proposition. Her comeback naturally gives the character an added curiosity, though Madam H herself does little to elevate the experience. She initially serves as the device that moves Hardik and Bugs into the spy track before being pushed into the action zone. Preity looks visibly less comfortable once the film gets there. The effort is evident, though the part itself does not offer enough to make a substantial impression.
The romance between Hardik and Kareena functions largely as another genre ingredient. It gives the narrative another layer and provides a change of rhythm, though it never becomes emotionally significant enough to leave much of an impact.
The real shift comes after the interval. Vibe moves from situational comedy into situational action comedy, and along the way some of the wit and control of the first half begin to disappear. The spy premise introduces a larger scale to the comedy and gives the film more room to play with action. The idea works only in parts. Once the novelty of watching two complete idiots become accidental spies begins to fade, the film grows noisier and less inventive.
That tonal change also exposes a weakness in the narrative control. The first half has a definite comic rhythm. The second relies increasingly on action, noise and escalation. The laughs become less sharp, the situations less fresh and the storytelling begins to loosen. What initially feels like a clever comic premise starts feeling stretched as the film moves towards its conclusion.
Eventually, Vibe reaches a point where the audience is no longer wondering what these two characters might get themselves into next. They are simply waiting to see how it all ends.
Overall, for those who enjoy black comedy and have little else drawing them to a theatre, Vibe is worth considering for its first half, where the humour, characters and situations work well. The second half loses much of that spark, making it a watch for the fun of the ride rather than the destination.
Movie: Vibe
Directed by: Kunal Khemu
Written by: Kunal Khemu
Featuring: Kunal Khemu, Sparsh Shrivastava, Preity Zinta, Vanshika Dhir, Yashpal Sharma, Dinesh Lal Yadav, Rajesh A Krishnan, Sharmila Tagore
Theatrical Release Date: 18 September 2026
Run Time: 2hrs 25mins
Vibe
2.5
