Alpha Opens to Mixed Reviews as YRF Bets on Female Spies

Alpha arrived in theatres on July 3 carrying an unusual amount of freight: the weight of Yash Raj Films' sprawling spy franchise, Alia Bhatt's return to the big screen after a two-year gap, and the novelty of building a spy universe entry around two women in a space long dominated by male action stars. The combination made it one of the most searched Bollywood topics of the day.

Critics are not convinced

The early verdict is divided at best. Indian Express's review called the film dull and argued that even Alia Bhatt, Sharvari and a Hrithik Roshan cameo could not rescue the material. Moneycontrol reached a similar conclusion — scale, stars and polished action, but a story that never matches the assets. India Today was more generous in framing, treating the film as a new chapter for the franchise built around two female spies attempting to blend spectacle with an emotional core.

The numbers to watch

Pre-release trade expectations pegged opening day in the Rs 5-8 crore range, and Indian Express reported advance bookings crossing Rs 2 crore gross with blocked seats included. For a franchise tentpole, those are workable rather than spectacular figures — viable only if the weekend shows growth and post-release chatter pulls undecided viewers into multiplexes. The next 48 hours will reveal whether audiences treat Alpha as a weak franchise entry or a big-screen spectacle worth sampling despite the reviews.

For Alia Bhatt, the film is a deliberate action pivot away from the performance-led dramas where she has been strongest, while Sharvari gains the profile boost of a tentpole property and a central place in the conversation about women-led action cinema in Hindi film.

The NE Times View

Alpha deserves credit for the bet it represents: putting two women at the centre of India's biggest action franchise is a genuine structural shift, not a token gesture. But the mixed reviews underline an uncomfortable truth about franchise filmmaking — representation cannot carry a film that the script does not. If Alpha stumbles, the risk is that studios draw the wrong lesson and retreat from female-led action rather than investing in better writing for it. Audiences did not reject women in action; critics rejected a thin story. The distinction matters, and Hindi cinema's next generation of tentpoles depends on studios understanding it.

This article is original commentary and analysis by The NE Times. Background facts were referenced from Indian Express, Moneycontrol and India Today.