Zero (2018) Review: Shah Rukh Khan's Big Swing and Miss

Is Zero worth watching?

Mostly no. Zero is a daring star vehicle with a lively first hour and two committed lead performances, but it collapses into a shapeless, overlong second half that squanders its premise. Shah Rukh Khan clearly relishes playing against his romantic-hero image, and the visual effects that shrink him to his character’s height are seamless. The problem is the story, which keeps reaching for grander emotions and stranger detours until the characters no longer feel real.

What is Zero about?

Zero centres on Bauua Singh (Shah Rukh Khan), a brash, restless bachelor from Meerut whose short stature has never dented his confidence or his fondness for mischief. Well into his thirties and still unmarried, he meets two very different women who change the direction of his life: Aafia (Anushka Sharma), a brilliant scientist who has cerebral palsy, and Babita (Katrina Kaif), a glamorous film star he has adored from afar.

The cast also includes Tigmanshu Dhulia, Sheeba Chaddha, R. Madhavan and Abhay Deol. Aanand L. Rai directs this Indian production in Hindi, which runs 164 minutes.

A first half with real spark

For its opening stretch, Zero has the loose, small-town energy that marked Rai’s earlier comedies. Bauua is loud, cheeky and frequently obnoxious, and Khan plays him with a physical, almost childlike exuberance that is a genuine change of pace for a star so associated with suave romance. The scenes of Bauua sparring with his family and friends have a crackle to them, and Meerut is sketched with enough colour to feel lived in.

The technical achievement is also notable. The effects work that makes Khan appear several feet shorter is so consistent that it quickly stops being a gimmick, which lets the performance take centre stage.

Anushka Sharma gives the film its heart

The best thing in Zero is Anushka Sharma. Playing Aafia, a scientist with cerebral palsy, she brings intelligence, pride and a sharp sense of humour to a role that could easily have become a device. Her scenes with Khan have real tension, because Aafia is nobody’s pity object, and the film is at its most honest when it lets her push back against Bauua’s self-absorption.

Katrina Kaif is well cast as Babita, a star whose public glamour masks loneliness, and she has some effective moments. But the film never gives her storyline the depth it needs, and her character feels like it belongs to a different, more melodramatic film.

Where the film loses its footing

After the interval, Zero seems to abandon the story it was telling. The plot takes increasingly outlandish turns, the tone swings between slapstick, melodrama and something close to fable, and the characters’ motivations become hard to follow. Scenes that should land as emotional climaxes feel inflated, while the relationships that powered the first half are pushed aside for spectacle. At 164 minutes, the sprawl becomes wearing.

There is also a discomfort in how the film uses disability. Both Bauua’s height and Aafia’s condition are handled with more empathy than in many mainstream films, yet the story too often treats them as engines for grand gestures rather than parts of fully realised lives.

Who should watch Zero?

It is really for Shah Rukh Khan completists and viewers curious about one of his most ambitious experiments. Fans of Anushka Sharma will find one of her strongest performances buried in a messy film. The content is mostly family-friendly, with some drinking, innuendo and mild language. Be ready for close to three hours.

For more rewarding romances from Hindi cinema, try:

• Barfi!, which handles a disability-centred love story with far more grace and control.
• Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, for Khan in the romantic role that defined his stardom.

The verdict

Zero deserves credit for taking risks, and its best moments, particularly Anushka Sharma’s performance and Khan’s energetic first-half turn, show what it could have been. But the second half’s excesses and a punishing running time sink it. It is a curiosity, not a recommendation.

Rating: 2.5/5