‘Bad Newz’ Ending Explained & Movie Recap: Did Saloni Choose Akhil?

Bad Newz is the new Hindi film out at theaters, which is an addition to the series of films that involves pregnancy-related stories exploring relationship dynamics around it. Good Newwz was a huge success as it tackled how women and men feel during the nine months and how it inherently affects the unborn child. Bad Newz takes the same route but focuses more on fatherhood and how it leads to coming to terms with a unique pregnancy condition.

Spoilers Ahead

Who had come to meet Saloni Bagga?

Bad Newz begins with actress Ananya Pandey meeting Saloni Bagga at her restaurant, wanting to know about her life and the unique story of her pregnancy. Saloni was not just a famous chef, but she was in the news for a peculiar type of pregnancy that caught the attention of the media, followed by the achievement she received as a chef. Ananya Pandey was slated to play the role of Saloni Bagga, and she was at the hotel to get to know the whole story from her own perspective to understand the emotions and sentiments. 

How did Saloni and Akhil meet?

Saloni began to talk about her mother’s plans to get her married, but she was keener on becoming a famous chef and earning the Meraki Star Chef, a prestigious label given to chefs. The name of the award was modeled after the Michelin Star, which was given to chefs and restaurants around the world. Saloni unexpectedly met Akhil at a wedding, and they hit it off. But she was not keen on a serious relationship with him, as she had her own dreams and goals to look for. Akhil was persistent, and this made her change her mind about marriage and commitment. The couple got married after a short courtship, and all seems to be well for the two of them. 

Why did Saloni and Akhil get divorced?

Saloni was not happy with Akhil’s mother interrupting their honeymoon constantly. Saloni’s work life began to get affected as Akhil showed up regularly at her place of work without informing her, and it began to mess with her plan to work towards receiving a Meraki Star Chef ranking. A spat with a customer at her restaurant led to a major quarrel between the husband and the wife when Akhil belittled her dream of becoming a Meraki Star chef, which led to their falling out. Saloni could not recover from the realization that she and Akhil were very different, and as a result, she wanted a divorce. Akhil was hurt, but he agreed to it, and both parted ways, albeit heartbroken over their broken marriage. 

How did Saloni and Gurbir meet?

Saloni moved to Mussoorie as head chef at Hotel Savoy, a property owned by Gurbir Pannu. Saloni and Gurbir got along right from the start, and he was attracted to her. They spent a lot of time in each other’s company, as he was the opposite of Akhil. Gurbir was calm and quiet, and his quality of slowing things down appealed the most, and Saloni had begun to fall for him. Gurbir was hoping Saloni’s quest to become a Meraki Star Chef would go hand in hand with making Gurbir’s Gujarati restaurant at Savoy one of the best in the country. Gurbir confessed to having been in love with a Gujarati woman who was a vegetarian. Since his family was hardcore non vegetarian, it was the food choices that led to the breakup. Gurbir had been a vegetarian ever since to keep the memory of his last relationship alive. 

Was Saloni’s pregnancy unique?

Saloni came across pictures of Akhil getting intimate with another woman. The jealousy-filled Saloni decided to sleep with Gurbir, and it happened as she wanted. On the same night, Akhil showed up at her hotel, seeking forgiveness and wanting to give their relationship another try. This led to Saloni sleeping with him again, which caused a pregnancy. Saloni was not sure who the father was, and she had to ask both men to conduct a paternity test to help her find an answer to the confusion she was in. To her shock, she was having twins, and her pregnancy was a case of heteropaternal superfecundation, which in easy terms would mean her twins had two fathers, Akhil and Gurbir.

What was Saloni’s plan for the fathers?

Since the men were happy about being fathers of two unborn children, this was a nightmare for Saloni. She had to come up with a plan for Gurbir and Akhil to be fully involved during and after her pregnancy. She planned to raise the kids together; she had to find a way to know whom she liked more to keep them around and eventually get married to. 

Did Gurbir and Akhil dislike each other?

Gurbir and Akhil were jealous of each other for their connection with Saloni. Since both were fathers of one of the twins, they had to bear the presence of each other, which was a difficult job. Both loved Saloni, but she was not able to decide as she wanted to give more time to her work and pregnancy. Both men planned to be good to each other in her presence, and at the same time, they invested plenty of time to woo her and made sure they did everything in their power to make her fall in love with either of them. Both were keen on being fathers and attracted to her, but most of their plans went awry. Gurbir and Akhil acted like obstacles to each other in their respective plans, but they hardly gave any time for Saloni’s well-being.

What was the pregnancy-related complication Saloni experienced?

Since Saloni was pregnant with twins, the doctor had warned she could face complications, which was why it was essential for her to remain calm and relaxed. Saloni, Akhil, and Gurbir’s families reached Mussoorie, and they were in town with their agenda on how the unborn children would be raised. The stress of the conversation led to a heavily pregnant Saloni going into early labor. The doctor said they must perform an emergency C-section as Gurbir’s baby was the weakest and the infant had to be treated while in the hospital. The doctor also added that the C-section could lead to the death of Akhil’s infant, which is why the procedure was tricky. The fathers had to give their consent for the C-section as Saloni was unconscious. Akhil was not willing to sign the papers, but he was convinced by Saloni’s parents to leave it to the gods, as Saloni would have gone ahead with the procedure without worrying about herself. Akhil signed the papers, made the ultimate sacrifice, and was proud of it. Despite his mother having issues with Akhil choosing Gurbir over himself, he was proud of the fact that the result of the procedure would help him seek ways to be a better person. 

Did Saloni receive the Meraki Star Chef?

Salone gave birth to twin girls, and the fathers were beyond elated, but Akhil chose to keep his distance. He believed the love he and Saloni had was good, but that moment was gone. He chose to step away from her life because he genuinely believed she deserved someone who would understand her dreams, and Gurbir was the guy who could do that. Saloni was, however, informed about the decision Akhil had taken, and she felt grateful for him. It never made sense why Saloni felt guilty as she was carrying the babies, and Akhil was just doing his job as the father of the child. Saloni was emotional, as she had just come out of a difficult pregnancy followed by surgery. 

Months later, Gurbir and Saloni’s restaurant was visited by the Meraki Star Chef panel, and the woman could not help but share the wisdom shared by Akhil about his love for food. It was bizarre to give credit to Akhil for her success while she was the one who made it a point to become a better chef and worked hard towards it. Saloni and the restaurant were granted the Meraki Star Chef. 

Why did Saloni choose to marry Akhil again?

Bad Newz ended with many surprises. Saloni and Gurbir were being felicitated by the Meraki Star Chef team, and the event was happening at the hotel itself. Akhil was back in their lives as a father who was fully involved in taking care of the twins. Akhil was slowly learning about the responsibilities of being a father throughout his time with and without Saloni. He understood the importance of love and the attachment he now has to the infants; nothing could replace that. Akhil probably understood how Saloni had to follow her dream, and he had to step up and be the wing beneath her wings. Gurbir briefly panicked as he ran into Sejal, his ex-girlfriend, who showed up at the hotel, claiming she never stopped loving him and began to eat non-vegetarian food to remember him. The reason Gurbir could face her was because Akhil helped him, as a friend, confront his past. Akhil had experience dealing with Saloni, and he used that to help Gurbir talk to Sejal. Gurbir was indeed a nice man, as he wanted to protect himself from being carried away by all the love he had, and he could not initially face her. Gurbir and Sejal finally met and reconciled, and it was understood they might get married as well. 

The movie ended with Gurbir and Sejal being felicitated and all the family being happy for them. This was followed by Saloni proposing marriage to Akhil for being the most generous and considerate man there was. Saloni realized she was indeed in love with Akhil, and she could not let him go. She was lucky, and Akhil did want to get back with her and raise the children together. Saloni was quick to forget how childish and immature Akhil was and chose him to be her life partner, while Gurbir was the stable one who was willing to see her situation as a pregnant woman pragmatically. However, since this was a Hindi commercial film, the female lead had to choose the hero. Saloni believed she could see herself managing the work and personal life as she witnessed Akhil contributing to being a parent. They decided to get married again, and Gurbir too had agreed to date Sejal again. Bad Newz’s last scene had Ananya Pandey being carried away by all the happiness of knowing she would be playing the role of a real-life star who was not just India’s first Meraki Star Chef but someone who trudged through a difficult pregnancy. It was a typical ending to a predictable Hindi movie.