MUMBAI: The newly released crime drama on Netflix titled 'Kartavya', starring Saif Ali Khan, has largely been well received on social media, but not everyone in the cast has escaped scrutiny. Journalist-turned-actor Saurabh Dwivedi has found himself at the receiving end of harsh criticism online, with viewers on X picking apart his performance in blunt and often brutal terms. 

Several X users wasted no time calling out Saurabh Dwivedi's acting in the Saif Ali Khan starrer 'Kartavya', with many comparing his dialogue delivery to a news broadcast rather than a dramatic performance. One user wrote, "Saurabh Dwivedi was a bad journalist. Now he became actor. He acted so badly that people are saying he was better off as a journalist. His acting was so poor that they cut his climax scene. Even KRK could probably act better than him". 

Another user on X commented that he "acted in such a way that now people are saying, bro, for the love of God, please spare acting from now on". A third user was more measured but still critical, writing, "Saurabh Dwivedi's dialogue delivery in the movie feels very average". A comment read, "I started watching the movie last night I didn't read any reviews or anything and his acting made me cringe so bad. It's as if he was just saying the lines. Arjun Kapoor is 10 times better than this". 

In 'Kartavya', which runs approximately 147 minutes and is currently streaming on Netflix, Saif Ali Khan plays Pawan, an upright police officer posted in the village of Jhamli, tasked with protecting journalist Reema Dutta, who is investigating a controversial godman named Anand Shri. 

The story kicks off when the journalist is murdered, leading Pawan to uncover a larger conspiracy involving honour killings and the exploitation of minors. Suspicion falls on Anand Shri, the character played by Saurabh Dwivedi, while a teenager connected to the case vanishes without a trace. The plot is further layered with a family conflict involving caste tensions after Pawan's brother elopes and he grapples with moral complexities of his duty.