Vibe Movie Review: Kunal Kemmu’s Spy Comedy Is Funny, Chaotic and Worth Watching?

Vibe movie review: Kunal Kemmu is back in the director’s chair after Madgaon Express, but this time he has traded Goa, friendship and runaway chaos for spies, terrorists, government agents and a surprisingly ridiculous national-security mission.

And yes, Vibe is exactly as crazy as its trailer promised.

Released in theatres on September 18, 2026, Vibe stars Kunal Kemmu, Sparsh Shrivastava, Preity Zinta, Vanshika Dhir, Yashpal Sharma and Dinesh Lal Yadav. Kemmu has written, directed and acted in the film, making it his second directorial after Madgaon Express. The film is a mix of comedy, action and spy-thriller elements, with a runtime of around 2 hours 26 minutes and an A certificate.

But here’s the thing about Vibe.

If you go expecting a serious Bollywood spy thriller, you may wonder what exactly you are watching.

If you go expecting Kunal Kemmu to put two hopelessly unprepared guys into an absurd situation and let things go completely out of control, the film makes considerably more sense.

And thankfully, there are enough laughs along the way.

Vibe Movie Review: What Is Vibe About?

The story revolves around Hardik, played by Kunal Kemmu, a man who has recently returned from drug rehabilitation and is trying to get his life back together.

His friend Bugs, played by Sparsh Shrivastava, helps him get a job at his tech company.

Hardik isn’t exactly the employee-of-the-year material.

Then he meets Kareena, played by debutante Vanshika Dhir, and decides that asking her out is a perfectly sensible idea.

It isn’t.

What begins as a fairly ordinary attempt at romance eventually drags Hardik and Bugs into a much bigger situation involving a government intelligence operation.

Enter Madam H, played by Preity Zinta.

She’s running an operation involving a dangerous criminal and a terrorist threat, and somehow these two completely unlikely men end up becoming part of the mission.

The basic premise is intentionally ridiculous.

And that’s important.

Vibe isn’t asking you to believe that Hardik and Bugs are super-spies.

It wants you to laugh at the fact that they absolutely aren’t.

Vibe Movie Review: Kunal Kemmu Is Still Very Good at Comedy

Kunal Kemmu knows comedy.

That’s probably the safest statement you can make about this film.

His biggest strength isn’t necessarily the dialogue itself. It’s the way he reacts to situations.

A look.

A pause.

A confused expression.

A completely inappropriate response to a serious situation.

Kemmu has been doing this for years, and Vibe gives him an entire film to lean into that personality.

Hardik is not a polished action hero.

He’s messy, impulsive and often completely out of his depth.

And that’s precisely why the character works.

There are moments when Kemmu is basically playing the kind of guy who accidentally walks into a spy movie and decides to stay there.

The problem is that some of this feels familiar.

If you’ve watched Madgaon Express, you will recognise Kemmu’s comic rhythm.

But there is still something enjoyable about watching him operate in this larger, crazier world.

Sparsh Shrivastava Is One of Vibe’s Biggest Surprises

For me, Sparsh Shrivastava is one of the strongest reasons Vibe works.

As Bugs, he is the more grounded half of the duo.

He isn’t boring.

He’s just considerably more sensible than Hardik—which, to be fair, isn’t a very difficult achievement.

That contrast creates some of the film’s funniest moments.

Kemmu goes completely overboard while Sparsh often reacts with the expression of someone wondering how his life reached this point.

And those reactions matter.

A lot of comedy in Vibe comes not from what happens, but from how Bugs reacts to what happens.

Several reviews have also highlighted the Kemmu-Shrivastava chemistry, with Sparsh’s more restrained performance providing a useful counterbalance to Kemmu’s manic energy.

If you’re searching for Vibe movie cast and performances, Sparsh is definitely a name worth remembering.

Preity Zinta’s Return Adds Another Layer

Then there is Preity Zinta.

Her casting is one of the film’s biggest attractions.

She plays Madam H, the intelligence officer who finds herself dealing with Hardik and Bugs.

The interesting part is that Zinta mostly plays her character seriously while the world around her keeps getting increasingly ridiculous.

That contrast works.

There is also a certain nostalgia attached to seeing Preity Zinta back in a mainstream Hindi theatrical film.

She gets some action moments as well, and when the film gives her space, she makes an impression. Contemporary reviews have generally noted her presence positively, although some criticism has been directed at aspects of her dialogue delivery and action presentation.

For viewers specifically looking up Preity Zinta Vibe movie, her return is easily one of the talking points.

Vanshika Dhir Makes a Promising Debut

Vanshika Dhir plays Kareena, the intern who becomes an important part of Hardik’s story.

Her role is smaller compared with Kemmu, Sparsh and Preity Zinta, but she doesn’t disappear in the ensemble.

She brings a fresh presence to the film and gets enough screen time to make an impression.

The movie doesn’t give her character the same depth that it gives Hardik and Bugs, though.

That’s one area where the film could have done more.

Vibe Is Funniest When It Stops Trying to Be a Spy Movie

This is probably my biggest takeaway from Vibe movie review.

The film works best when it is simply a comedy about two friends.

Hardik and Bugs trying to survive a situation they don’t understand?

Funny.

Their training?

Funny.

Their reactions to intelligence officers and dangerous situations?

Often very funny.

The increasingly complicated terrorist conspiracy?

Less interesting.

The film starts with a wonderfully silly energy and gradually adds more action, twists and spy-movie mechanics.

That isn’t inherently bad.

But the more complicated the story becomes, the less room there is for the natural chemistry between the two leads.

The Times of India similarly praised the first-half banter and comic set pieces while noting that the second half becomes more convoluted as the action and spy plot take over.

And I agree.

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Vibe First Half vs Second Half

The First Half

The first half is where Vibe really finds its rhythm.

The characters are being established.

The comedy feels spontaneous.

The friendship between Hardik and Bugs gets time to develop.

The situations keep becoming more ridiculous without feeling excessively complicated.

There are several sequences where you can simply sit back and enjoy the stupidity.

And yes, I mean that positively.

The Second Half

The second half is where the film starts losing some of that effortless charm.

Suddenly there are more twists.

More action.

More explanations.

More spy business.

More stakes.

The film wants to become a proper action-comedy thriller while still maintaining its madcap personality.

The result is uneven.

Hindustan Times similarly found the first half stronger and argued that the latter portion becomes unnecessarily complicated.

This isn’t enough to completely derail the movie.

But you do find yourself wishing Kemmu had trusted the simpler formula a little more.

Is Vibe Similar to Madgaon Express?

Yes and no.

The comparison is unavoidable because both films are directed by Kunal Kemmu.

But they are not the same movie.

Madgaon Express

The comedy came from three friends getting caught in increasingly disastrous situations.

The characters were central.

Vibe

The same basic comic philosophy is transferred into a spy-action setting.

Two friends.

A ridiculous mission.

A growing disaster.

The difference is that Vibe has much bigger ambitions.

It wants to be a spy comedy, action movie, friendship film, romance, satire and commercial entertainer at the same time.

Sometimes that combination works brilliantly.

Sometimes it feels like five different movies fighting for the same screen.

That criticism has also appeared in reviews that found the film’s genre shifts and increasingly elaborate plot less effective than its simpler comic sections.

Vibe Movie Review: What Works?

1. Kunal Kemmu’s comic timing

This remains the film’s biggest weapon.

2. Kunal Kemmu and Sparsh Shrivastava’s chemistry

The two actors complement each other extremely well.

3. Preity Zinta

Her presence gives the film additional star appeal, and she clearly gets some enjoyable moments.

4. The first half

This is where the film feels most natural and consistently entertaining.

5. The ridiculous premise

Vibe doesn’t try to pretend that its central idea is realistic.

That’s part of its charm.

6. The willingness to experiment

It doesn’t behave like a conventional Bollywood spy thriller.

That makes it more unpredictable.

7. Music and background score

The contemporary music and energetic background score fit the film’s quirky action-comedy world.

What Doesn’t Work in Vibe?

1. The screenplay gets too complicated

The movie doesn’t need quite as many twists as it gives us.

2. Second-half inconsistency

The energy drops once the spy plot becomes more important than the friendship.

3. Some jokes don’t land

The film fires jokes constantly, but not every one hits.

4. Familiar Kunal Kemmu territory

His comic style remains entertaining, but some expressions and mannerisms feel like territory we’ve already seen.

5. The runtime

At around 146 minutes, a tighter edit could have made the film feel sharper.

Vibe Movie Rating

My Vibe movie rating: 3.5/5

Category	Rating
Story	⭐⭐⭐
Comedy	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Performances	⭐⭐⭐½
Direction	⭐⭐⭐½
Screenplay	⭐⭐⭐
Entertainment	⭐⭐⭐½
Overall	⭐⭐⭐½

Different critics have landed between roughly 2.5 and 3.5 stars, reflecting the film’s split personality: the performances and humour have generally found appreciation, while the screenplay and second half have attracted criticism.

Is Vibe Worth Watching?

Yes, if you know what you’re getting into.

Don’t watch Vibe expecting Pathaan, War or a serious espionage thriller.

This isn’t trying to be that.

It’s closer to a buddy comedy that happens to involve spies, terrorists and a national-security mission.

If you enjoy Kunal Kemmu’s style of humour, there is enough here to have a good time.

If you loved Madgaon Express, you will probably recognise the DNA immediately.

But don’t expect Madgaon Express 2.0.

Vibe has a different personality.

Vibe Movie Review: My Final Take

I came out of Vibe thinking that the film is actually more entertaining than its plot deserves to be.

That’s largely because of the actors.

Kunal Kemmu knows how to make Hardik likeable even when the character is behaving like an absolute idiot.

Sparsh Shrivastava gives the film its much-needed grounded energy.

Preity Zinta brings familiarity and star appeal.

And the combination is genuinely enjoyable.

My biggest complaint is that the movie doesn’t trust its strongest idea enough.

Hardik and Bugs are enough.

Put them in trouble and let them make things worse.

That’s when Vibe is at its funniest.

The moment the film starts explaining its elaborate spy conspiracy, the energy drops.

Still, there is enough comedy, chemistry and sheer madness here to make this a reasonably enjoyable theatrical watch.

Vibe isn’t a perfect comedy. It isn’t a great spy thriller either. But as a chaotic Bollywood popcorn entertainer, it mostly delivers what its title promises.

Final Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½/5

Verdict: Watch it if you want a light, silly and energetic Hindi comedy with Kunal Kemmu, Sparsh Shrivastava and Preity Zinta.

Vibe Movie FAQs

What is Vibe movie about?

Vibe is a Hindi spy-action comedy about two unlikely friends, Hardik and Bugs, who become involved in a government operation involving a dangerous criminal and a terrorist threat.

Who is the director of Vibe?

Kunal Kemmu directed Vibe. He also stars in and wrote the film. It is his second directorial after Madgaon Express.

Who is in the Vibe movie cast?

The main Vibe movie cast includes Kunal Kemmu, Sparsh Shrivastava, Preity Zinta, Vanshika Dhir, Yashpal Sharma and Dinesh Lal Yadav.

When was Vibe released?

Vibe was released in Indian theatres on September 18, 2026.

Is Vibe a comedy or spy thriller?

It is primarily a spy comedy/action-comedy, combining humour, friendship, action and espionage.

Is Vibe worth watching?

If you enjoy Kunal Kemmu’s comedy and don’t mind an intentionally silly spy story, Vibe is worth considering. The first half is particularly entertaining, while the second half becomes more complicated.

Is Vibe similar to Madgaon Express?

Both films are directed by Kunal Kemmu and share his style of chaotic comedy, but they have different stories. Vibe combines that comic style with espionage and action.

Is Preity Zinta good in Vibe?

Preity Zinta brings a different energy to the film as Madam H, the intelligence officer. Her presence is one of the film’s attractions, although reviews have differed on aspects of her performance.

Is Sparsh Shrivastava good in Vibe?

Yes. Sparsh is one of the film’s highlights. His more restrained and natural performance works particularly well opposite Kunal Kemmu’s exaggerated comic style.

What is the Vibe movie rating?

My rating for Vibe is 3.5/5 stars.

Is Vibe worth watching in theatres?

For viewers looking for a light Bollywood comedy with action and a goofy spy premise, yes. Those looking for a serious or realistic espionage thriller may find the film too exaggerated and uneven.

Does Vibe have an OTT release date?

The film has released theatrically, but the OTT streaming details are still subject to official confirmation. Reports indicate that streaming details are expected after its theatrical run.

Vibe Movie Review: Final Verdict

Vibe is a funny, messy and unapologetically silly spy comedy that works because Kunal Kemmu and Sparsh Shrivastava make the chaos enjoyable.

It could have been tighter.

It could have simplified its second half.

But when Hardik and Bugs are on screen, the film has exactly the kind of easy-going madness its title promises.

Vibe Movie Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐