Vibe Movie Review: Is Kunal Kemmu’s Spy Comedy Worth Watching?

Our Rating: 3/5

Vibe is a funny film for one half and a tiring film for the other half. The first half makes you laugh. The second half makes you check the time. Kunal Kemmu knows comedy. His one-liners work. His chemistry with Sparsh Shrivastava works. Preity Zinta is a pleasant surprise as Madam H. But the film forgets it is a comedy and tries to become a serious action thriller. That is where it loses its magic.

The film released in theatres on 18 September 2026. It is now streaming on Prime Video from 13 November 2026.

Vibe Film Details

Vibe Languages

The film released in Hindi in theatres. It is streaming on Prime Video in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

The Story of Vibe

Hardik Sharma is an impulsive young man. He has no serious plans in life. He returns to India after a stay at a rehabilitation centre in London. His best friend is Bhagirath, called Bugs. Bugs works at a tech company. The two friends are closer than brothers.

One day, the two friends get into trouble. They are detained by an elite intelligence unit. The unit is headed by Madam H, played by Preity Zinta. She forces the two unqualified men to go on a national security mission. Their job is to take down a dreaded terrorist. The mission takes them to Bangkok.

The idea is simple. Two ordinary men. One extraordinary mission. That is the whole film.

What Works in Vibe

The first half is the best part of the film. It is genuinely funny. Kunal Kemmu keeps the jokes coming. His comic timing is strong. His one-liners land well. Some of them are adult in nature. That is why the film got an A certificate.

The friendship between Hardik and Bugs is the heart of the film. Kunal Kemmu and Sparsh Shrivastava have easy chemistry. Their scenes together feel natural. The film does not take itself too seriously in the first half. It makes good use of its central idea. Two completely unqualified men in a situation far beyond their capacity. That is funny.

Preity Zinta is the most pleasant surprise of the film. She plays Madam H with confidence. She looks stunning. Her performance is first-rate. Her action scene is one of the best moments in the film. She brings presence and discipline to the screen.

The film also has fun references. There are jokes about The Matrix and Soldier. Small references to old films and stars keep the mood light. The company recruitment scene is funny. Hardik walks through the office like a tourist in a country he has no visa for. That scene shows what the film does best. Unqualified people in rooms they should not be in.

What Does Not Work in Vibe

The second half is the problem. After the interval, the film changes direction. The comedy slowly disappears. The action takes over. The film starts to feel like a routine action thriller. The writing becomes messy and dull. By the last stretch, most of the fun is gone.

The Bangkok sequence feels stretched. It should have been the action high point of the film. Instead, it drags. Preity Zinta’s action scenes look out of place in a film that was built around comedy. The film had enough material in the friendship and the basic premise. It did not need more action, more espionage and more villains.

The villains are flat. They exist only as a backdrop. Their planning scenes are dull. When the film cuts from Hardik’s chaos to the terrorists’ quiet meetings, the energy drops. The climax is weak. Some developments feel forced. They do not follow the logic of the story. The climax does not give the satisfying payoff the setup promises.

The romantic track drags in places. It does not move the story forward. The songs do not help the film’s pace. The editing is loose in the second half. At 2 hours 26 minutes, the film is too long. A tighter cut would have made it much better.

Vibe Performances

Kunal Kemmu is the soul of this film. He wrote it. He directed it. He stars in it. This is his second film as a director after Madgaon Express (2024). He is a pro when it comes to humour. His dialogues are one of the high points of Vibe. The one-liners land well. Some of them will be quoted by viewers.

Sparsh Shrivastava plays Bugs with warmth. He is the perfect partner for Hardik. His reactions make the jokes work. Without him, the film would lose half its fun.

Preity Zinta returns to the big screen after a long gap. She plays Madam H as a tough agency boss. The character gives her little to work with beyond being tough. But she makes the most of it. Her action beat is staged with confidence. It is the moment the film remembers it is supposed to be fun.

Music and Technical Side

The music is weak. The songs do not add anything to the film. They slow the pace down. The background score is average. It does not lift the big scenes.

The production design is good. The Bangkok streets look real. The neon lights and the wet roads look good on screen. The cinematography works well. The action scenes are shot well. They just do not always fit the story.

The editing is the weak link. The first half is tight. The second half is loose. Several portions could have been tighter. A shorter film would have been a better film.

Vibe Box Office Collection

Vibe opened in theatres on 18 September 2026. The opening was soft. The mixed word of mouth hurt the film. The collections did not grow after the first weekend. The film could not recover its budget of around Rs 35-40 crore. It ended as a flop at the box office.

What Critics Said About Vibe

Most critics gave the film between 2.5 and 3.5 out of 5. That means average reviews. One site that studied many reviews found an average of 2.92 out of 5. The Indian Express said it best. It is not so much a spoof, but a goof-off. The film is fun when it stays simple. It fails when it tries to be big.

Should You Watch Vibe?

Watch Vibe for the first half. Watch it for Kunal Kemmu’s comedy. Watch it for the Hardik and Bugs friendship. Watch it for Preity Zinta. The first half alone is worth your time.

But be ready for a slow second half. The film becomes a routine action thriller after the interval. The climax does not pay off. If you like Madgaon Express style humour, you will enjoy parts of this film. If you want a tight spy thriller, this is not that film.

Vibe is a one-time watch. It is not a bad film. It is a frustrating one. There is a genuinely great 100-minute comedy inside it. The other 45 minutes get in the way.

Vibe is now streaming on Prime Video. If you missed it in theatres, you can watch it at home. Also read: Vibe is now streaming on Prime Video in three languages. And if you like movie reviews, read our Bouma movie review and our Ranabaali movie review. Daayra is also streaming now on Netflix from the same day.

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