Ek Villain Returns Review: When the Stalker Becomes the Story’s Hero

Ek Villain Returns is a Hindi thriller whose suspense depends on shifting ideas of who is a hero and who is a villain. But its story of obsession, rejection and violence toward women leaves a more troubling question: does the film challenge male entitlement, or make it part of the spectacle? The result is a twist-driven film whose gender politics, thin character work and uneven pacing undercut its love-and-loss story.

What is Ek Villain Returns about?

Directed by Mohit Suri, the 2022 film stars John Abraham as Bhairav, Arjun Kapoor as Gautam, Disha Patani as Rasika and Tara Sutaria as Aarvi. Aarvi, a singer, goes missing during a serial-killing spree targeting women. Gautam searches for her, while Bhairav’s inability to accept Rasika’s rejection draws him into the story. As their paths cross, the film shifts its focus between the men and keeps the identities of hero and villain unsettled.

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The film opened theatrically on July 29, 2022. Its listed runtime varies by source: Rotten Tomatoes gives 2 hours 16 minutes, while Common Sense Media lists 129 minutes. Rotten Tomatoes lists Hindi as the original language and credits Suri and Aseem Arrora as screenwriters; the production companies are Balaji Motion Pictures and T-Series Films. Common Sense Media lists DVD or streaming availability beginning September 9, 2022. Rotten Tomatoes currently lists Netflix, but availability can vary by territory.

Do the twists and performances work?

The thriller offers reversals and forward momentum, but its non-linear construction can make the story feel more tangled than intriguing. The Times of India review credits it with several twists and pace, while faulting the editing and the underdeveloped central characters. The Indian Express was harsher, calling the plot disjointed and the performances pedestrian. Hindustan Times also criticized the writing and confusing plot, while singling out Arjun Kapoor’s performance as a relative strength.

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That range of reactions captures the film’s uneven appeal: a viewer drawn to reveal-after-reveal storytelling may find enough to follow, but suspense cannot fully compensate for characters who remain thinly drawn. The Times of India reviewer also found the reprised “Galliyan Returns” track soothing, a welcome counterpoint to the film’s darker material.

Who is the real villain?

The question is less about solving a mystery than examining the story’s moral framing. Bhairav’s inability to accept rejection is a central part of the premise. When a thriller places a man’s fixation at its center, it matters whether the narrative treats that fixation as frightening, romantic, or both. Here, the film’s suspense and its attention to male obsession risk making the stalker’s point of view more compelling than the women’s experience.

That is the force of the critical reading captured by Scroll’s headline, “A misogynistic stalker is this film’s true hero.” It is an interpretation of the film’s framing, not a neutral plot fact or a claim about the filmmakers’ intentions. The available criticism supports the concern: Times of India reviewer Rachana Dubey objected to the “toxicity directed towards women,” saying it detracts from the story’s treatment of love, loss, rejection and heartache. Hindustan Times argued that Patani and Sutaria are made props for the men’s agendas; Common Sense Media likewise describes the film as romanticizing toxic masculinity, revenge and female objectification.

The distinction is important. A story can depict stalking and violence without endorsing them; the criticism is that Ek Villain Returns does not give its women enough agency to make that distinction feel persuasive. When female characters chiefly motivate male action, the film’s supposed exploration of obsession and heartbreak can slide toward spectacle that centers the men instead.

How critics received the film

Reviews were broadly critical, though they differed in emphasis and score. Shubhra Gupta gave the film 1/5 in The Indian Express, criticizing its disjointed plot and pedestrian performances. Rachana Dubey rated it 2.5/5 in The Times of India, acknowledging twists and pace while objecting to the editing, thin characters and treatment of women. Monika Rawal Kukreja’s Hindustan Times review focused on sluggish writing, confusion and limited agency for the female characters.

Rotten Tomatoes displayed a 0% Tomatometer from six critic reviews on its 2026 page snapshot, alongside fewer than 50 audience ratings. That is a small, time-sensitive sample—not a settled measure of audience opinion. The individual reviews offer a more useful account of the disagreement: the film has twists and moments of musical relief, but those strengths do not resolve the problems with its construction or gender politics.

Is Ek Villain Returns suitable for younger viewers?

Common Sense Media describes stalking, choking, murders with hammers, stabbing, chasing and violent beatings, as well as sexualized song-and-dance sequences. It recommends the film for ages 16 and up; that is the publisher’s advisory, not a statutory age classification. Viewers deciding whether to watch with younger teens should take those content notes into account.

Verdict

Ek Villain Returns may hold attention with its twists, pace and “Galliyan Returns” track, but its thin characterization and confusing construction weaken the thriller. More seriously, the women’s limited agency blunts any critique of male obsession: the film’s focus on stalking and violence can feel more invested in the men’s drama than in the women affected by it. This is a thriller for viewers willing to accept that tension—and a frustrating choice for anyone looking for a thoughtful examination of rejection and entitlement.

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