“Bad Newz” (2024) is a quirky and unconventional Hindi-language comedy that dives headfirst into one of the rarest biological phenomena—heteropaternal superfecundation. Directed by Anand Tiwari and backed by a powerhouse collaboration between Amazon Prime, Dharma Productions, and Leo Media Collective, the film blends humor, chaos, and emotion in equal measure.
Starring Vicky Kaushal, Triptii Dimri, and Ammy Virk, this spiritual successor to Good Newwz (2019) explores the comedic turmoil that unfolds when modern love, science, and fate collide in the most unexpected way. With its fresh concept inspired by true events, Bad Newz promises a rollercoaster of laughs, surprises, and heartwarming moments.
The main shooting was done from March 2022–July 2023. On July 19, 2024, the Bad Newz movie was released in theaters. Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, it became the ninth highest-grossing Hindi film of 2024, earning over ₹115.74 crore worldwide on a budget of ₹80 crore (US$9.5 million).
Cast and crew
- Director: Anand Tiwari
- Writer: Ishita Moitra, Tarun Dudeja
- Producer: Apoorva Mehta, Karan Johar, Anand Tiwari
- Star Cast: Triptii Dimri, Ammy Virk, Vicky Kaushal
- Cinematography: Debojeet Ray
- Editor: Shan Mohammed
- Production company: Amazon Prime, Leo Media Collective, Dharma Productions
- Genres: Comedy, Romance
- Distributer: AA Films
- Release date: 19 July 2024
- Running time: 140 minutes
- Country: India
- Language: Hindi
Bad News movie 2024 Trailer
Film Star Cast
- Vicky Kaushal as Akhil Chadha
- Triptii Dimri as Saloni Bagga
- Ammy Virk as Gurbir Singh Pannu
- Neha Dhupia as Ma Corona, Saloni’s aunt
- Sheeba Chaddha as Vishni Chadha, Akhil’s mother
- Faisal Rashid as Doctor Baweja
- Khayali Ram as Sukhi Mama
- Guneet Singh Sodhi as Harman Sathija
- Kamlesh Sharma as Teji
- Navin Kaushik as Panama Cafe Manager
- Harnek Singh Aulakh as Amardeep Bagga
- Vijaylaxmi Singh as Sunita Bagga
- Mahabir Singh Bhullar as Darzi
- Shayank Shukla as Golu
- Deepak Anand as Rifleman
- Ananya Panday as Herself
- Neha Sharma as Sejal, Gurbir’s ex-girlfriend
- Gajraj Rao as Akhil’s dead father
Story of the film
Chef Saloni Bagga aspires to obtain the Meraki Star for her restaurant. She meets Akhil Chadha, and the two marry after falling in love right away. Their marriage soon faces difficulties, though, as Saloni loses her job as a result of her restaurant losing its Meraki star. After the divorce is completed, Saloni relocates to Mussoorie to work at a restaurant owned by Gurbir Singh Pannu. Following a series of incidents, an inebriated Saloni and Gurbir had a one-night stand. Akhil also had a one-night stand with her when he showed up at her house that same evening, demanding her return.
These interactions lead to Saloni being pregnant. When a paternity test is performed to determine the baby’s father, she finds out she is expecting twins. Even worse, her physician informs her that because of an extremely uncommon occurrence known as heteropaternal the twins’ dads, Akhil and Gurbir, are proven to be different after superfecundation.
Saloni’s decision to keep both of the kids results in humorous situations where Akhil and Gurbir try to prove who is a better wife and parent. During a furious family argument, Saloni becomes so stressed that she passes out. The doctor informs her upon her arrival at the hospital that, although Akhil’s baby is growing normally, Gurbir’s baby is not, and that Gurbir’s baby will not live if they wait until the due date.
Since it would increase the chances of both infants surviving, Akhil voluntarily chooses to have the twins medically delivered early. Saloni is fortunately healing well and has given birth to two healthy baby daughters. Finding out about Akhil’s selfless decision after birth moves her. A Meraki star is eventually won by Saloni’s restaurant, and Gurbir and his ex-girlfriend reconcile. Akhil accepts Saloni’s proposal of remarriage.
Ananya Panday chooses to portray Saloni in a future film on her love story after hearing her bizarre tale.
Production
Development
Karan Johar first announced the movie in March 2024 with the title Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam, which was subsequently renamed Bad News. The movie’s whole budget, including marketing, was ₹80 crore.
Film shooting
The main shooting started in March 2022. Production was wrapped in July 2023. The song ‘Rabb Warga’ was shot in exotic locations in Croatia.
Songs/Music
Amar Mohile wrote the background soundtrack for the movie, while Rochak Kohli, Vishal Mishra, Lijo George-DJ Chetas, Prem-Hardeep, Karan Aujla, and Abhijeet Srivastava composed the music. On July 2, 2024, “Tauba Tauba”—the first single—was made available. On July 9, 2024, the second single, “Jaanam,” was made available. Released on July 14, 2024, the third single, “Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam,” was a remix of the original song from the 1998 movie Duplicate, which was created by Anu Malik.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer |
| 1 | “Tauba Tauba” | Karan Aujla | Karan Aujla | Karan Aujla |
| 2 | “Jaanam” | Vishal Mishra | Vishal Mishra | Vishal Mishra |
| 3 | “Rabb Warga” | Shayra Apoorva | Shayla Apoorva | Jubin Nautiyal |
| 4 | “Haule Haule” | Gurpreet Saini, Gautam G. Sharma | Rochak Kohli | Jubin Nautiyal |
| 5 | “Mere Mehboob” | Javed Akhtar | Lijo George – DJ Chetas | Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik |
| 6 | “Raula Raula” | Davvy Singh | Prem-Hardeep | Romy |
| 7 | “Haule Sajna” | Gurpreet Saini, Gautam G. Sharma | Rochak Kohli | Ammy Virk, Rochak Kohli |
| 8 | “Rabb Warga” | Shayra Apoorva | Abhijeet Srivastava | Neeti Mohan |
Release
Theatrical
Bad Newz was finally released in theaters on July 19, 2024, following several schedule changes and other delays.
Box office
With a ₹8.3 crore opening day and ₹44.1 crore throughout its first weekend, Bad Newz has made over ₹115.74 crore (US$13 million) globally as of August 15, 2024. The movie’s ultimate worldwide gross was ₹115.74 crore, which included ₹9 crore in its second weekend and ₹3 crore in its third. The Bad Newz movie didn’t do well at the box office.
Review
Critics gave Bad Newz varying reviews. With an average rating of 5.1 stars from 10, 27% of the reviews from 15 critics are positive on the review website Rotten Tomatoes.
Bollywood Hungama wrote that and awarded it a 4/5. Overall, Bad News is an enjoyable performer.
The Times of India’s Dhaval Roy gave the movie a rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 and stated, that This one is a giggle riot with two amusing men and a great idea. The cast’s clever banter and perfect comedic timing guarantee that you’re always delighted, even when the story takes a predictable turn and stretches.
According to Rishil Jogani of Pinkvilla, Bad Newz is an innocent, enjoyable performer with unrealized potential. He scored the show three out of five stars. The film’s idea had a lot more room for a more profound and wide-ranging message, but it ends up being a comedy you watch for a few chuckles and jokes before moving on with your life.
Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com gave it a rating of 2.5 out of 5 stars and said that Gorgeously groomed actors, pretty frames, and simple solutions to complicated problems—Bad Newz doesn’t want to move beyond its flimsy goals.
The Indian Express’s Shubhra Gupta gave the movie a 2.5 out of 5-star rating and stated that it would have been fantastic if Bad Newz had stayed true to its comedy and avoided the heartwarming, cheesy scenes that dominated the second half.
NDTV’s Saibal Chatterjee gave the movie a 2/5 rating, stating that the lack of authentic crackling in the mediocre, one-note confection that Bad Newz is is what makes the movie so bad.
References
- Wikipedia contributors. (2025l, April 27). Bad Newz (film). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Newz_(film)
- Bad Newz (2024) ⭐ 4.7 | Comedy, romance. (2024, July 19). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt24517830/
