Vibe is a 2026 Indian Hindi-language action thriller comedy film written, produced and directed by Kunal Khemu, who also stars in the film alongside Preity Zinta, Sparsh Shrivastava and Vanshika Dhir in her debut role. It is Khemu's second film as a writer and director after 2024's Madgaon Express and an over three decades long career as an actor, as well as his producing debut.
This film has been developed as a spin-off of Kunal's previous film as a director, where Hardik, played by himself was present in a special appearance. Kaushal Shah served as cinematographer, while editings were handled by Anand Subaya and Sanjay Shrirang, and Mukesh Chhabra served as casting director.
The film was released theatrically in India on 18 September 2026 and received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, with praise for situational comedy but critique for pacing.
Plot The film is an action comedy set around two best friends, Hardik and Bugs, one a clueless slacker, the other a very by-the-book individual, who are unwittingly roped in by the mysterious Madam H on a mission to protect India from a major terrorist threat, despite being completely unqualified for the job.
Cast Preity Zinta as Madam H Kunal Khemu as Hardik Sparsh Shrivastava as Bhagirath aka Bugs Vanshika Dhir as Kareena Salem Kali as Adib Yashpal Sharma as Rawal Dinesh Lal Yadav as Bansi Rajesh A Krishnan as Bugs's boss Sharmila Tagore as Home Minister Uorfi Javed as Dr. Chanchal Hiten Paintal as Abu Al Sayeed Mark Bennington as Badshah Al Sayeed
Production Casting The film has been cited as being part of Preity Zinta's acting comeback, the second of two films starring her in 2026 after Batwara 1947, released a month prior.
Once one of Indian cinema's most bankable lead actresses, she had not acted professionally since an episode of the American TV series Fresh Off the Boat in 2020 and last appeared in an Indian film in 2018's Bhaiaji Superhit. Khemu cast her from being a huge fan of hers, with his initial idea being that she would play a fictionalized version of herself in the film, a spy who is a famous actress as a cover. While this idea was scrapped, he remained keen to cast her, especially after realizing she had never done action scenes before. Zinta eventually agreed, having herself long wanted to portray an action film character. In 2020, she had shared numerous videos of herself training with action film consultant Aaron Cohen in various types of types of situations on Instagram to showcase her willingness and availability for such a role.
The film also marks the acting debut of Vanshika Dhir, while Khemu's mother-in-law, veteran actress Sharmila Tagore, plays a cameo role.
Filming Zinta described the shoot as tough and physically challenging due to the action scenes and long working days which often lasted up to eighteen hours, which she didn't mind as she was eager to complete her work quickly and be able to return to her family in the United States. She also revealed on social media that she had injured her shoulder severely during filming.
Marketing The film was first announced on 19 March 2026, after filming was complete. Amazon MGM Studios released a 1m20s teaser on YouTube on 20 August 2026, a day after unveiling its poster.
A launch event for the main 2m44s trailer was organised on 2 September 2026 in Mumbai with presence of the film's casting and production team, as well as Khemu's wife, actress Soha Ali Khan.
Soundtrack
The music of the film is composed by Amit Trivedi. The first song “Raaton Mein Aana” was released on 27 August 2026 and it was written by Kumaar and sung by Amit Trivedi. The second single, "Aisi Meri Vibe", a rap song written and performed by Shubham Sopan Khillari, Irfana Hameed and Kanishka Pal (aka Kanfuzion), was released a week and a half later on 7 September. The film's music rights are held by Tips Industries.
Release Vibe was theatrically released on 18 September 2026.
Certification The film received an A certificate from the CBFC along with a finalised runtime of 145 minutes. Except muting two words, the film got no visual cut by the censor board.
Distribution PVR Inox Pictures will be releasing in India and Reliance Entertainment for the overseas distribution.
Reception Box office Vibe grossed worldwide. It grossed in India and in overseas market.
On its opening day, the film earned ₹1.65 crore net at the domestic box office.
Critical response
Dhaval Roy of The Times of India gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5, concluding, "If you're looking for a laugh riot driven by good performances and unabashed silliness, this one will match your vibe." Shubhra Gupta for The Indian Express praised the film as a "a full-on goofy spy saga" with "the right degree of silliness" which made it work, and noted the cast performance. Likewise, Shachi Chaturvedi of News18 gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Kunal Kemmu is making the kind of cinema we did not know we needed", preferring it to other films of recent projects from the spy thriller genre: "After watching Vibe, one can easily say that not Pathaan or Tiger, but 'bahumuliya gadhas' (important donkeys) are what Bollywood desperately needs right now. The film doesn't take itself too seriously, and that's exactly where its charm lies."
Bhavna Agarwal of India Today gave the film 3 stars out of 5, calling it "messy, occasionally overstuffed and undeniably indulgent, but it also has a distinct comic voice", but also panned the screenplay "The film's biggest weakness, however, is its screenplay, which created "the sense of a story that is constantly trying to outdo itself". A critic at Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3 stars out of 5 as well and concluded, "On the whole, Vibe works due to Kunal Kemmu’s strong command over humour, several hilarious one-liners and entertaining performances. Though the film loses steam in the second half and the villain track feels routine, it has enough madcap moments to keep viewers amused. At the box office, its urban appeal and youth-friendly humour should help it find its target audience." Arathi Kannan of Deccan Herald awarded 3/5 stars to the film and observed "Vibe keeps its humour ridiculous, but it largely works because of the stellar cast. The plot never quite thickens, but it grooves to the tune already set without veering off course."
Among other less enthusiastic reviews, Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV wrote that while Vibe is not "deliriously funny", it "has just enough steam to keep rolling without letting the missteps get in the way of the vibes that it wants to transmit." He further noted Zinta for "a part earnest, part tongue-in-cheek performance" and concluded: "Vibe is Kemmu's film all the way, but it belongs more to the actor than the director. His performance packs all the madness that the role demands." Shreyas Pande of The Hindu wrote "rudderless, overlong comedy" and found it a disappointment against Khemmu's previous directorial venture. Mayur Sanap of Rediff.com gave the film 2 stars out of 5. He praised Kunal Khemu's acting performance and writing. However, he criticised Khemu's direction, writing, "Sadly, it is Kunal Kemmu the director who struggles to maintain control over all those ideas. The problem begins when the film tries to become something bigger that it really is." BH Harsh of Cinema Express noted, "Vibe is a good showcase of why Kunal is possibly one of the best comic actor we have today, and deserves better scripts, including the ones he is writing."
Rishabh Suri of Hindustan Times also gave the film 3 stars out 5 and summed up in his review, "Vibe gets off to a hilarious start, with Kunal Kemmu and Sparsh Shrivastava making a fun comic duo.The sharp dialogues, brisk pace and absurd situations make the first half genuinely entertaining. However, the second half becomes unnecessarily complicated, losing much of the easy-going charm."
Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in observed, "There's only so much that a series of sharply written gags strung together on a sliver of a thread of a plot can be held in place. Kemmu delivers every now and then, with much of the laughs supplied by Hardik's yappy cluelessness and Bugs's valiant effort to be the bestest friend in the history of friendship." Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India noted "It’s difficult to be too upset. Even when Vibe descends into wish-fulfillment and bucket-list-filmmaking mode, it stays in service of the two silly underdogs who are dragged into a space of soul-killing sobriety." Snigdha Sweta Behera of Wion observed, "The film appears willing to poke fun at the larger-than-life spy genre rather than taking itself too seriously," but wrote in review, "The film has a fairly long running time for a comedy-driven spy caper."
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