India, June 10 -- The teaser of Alpha, Yash Raj Films' long-awaited spy thriller, begins in a manner evocative of Luc Besson thrillers. The film has a older mentor, young female mentee dynamic that were signature of Besson's Leon and La Femme Nikita. The staging of Alpha's scene, featuring Bobby Deol and Alia Bhatt, is similar to one in Nikita (featuring Anne Parillaud and Jeanne Moreau). If it was an homage, it is a good choice; if it's a copy, then it gets at least one thing right: the focus on the actors' eyes.

Alpha teaser has its moments of action and violent deaths. But amid all this, director Shiv Rawail never loses focus on what is important - the emotion. The framing of the scenes - even the action set-pieces - keeps Alia's face...