Khel Khel Mein review: Infidelity, infertility, inclusivity- when was the last time that a film, err, a comedy film handled all these themes well? It’s always a tricky territory when making a comedy film. The easiest route to evoke laughs has forever been vulgar, double entendre jokes. And body shaming, which certain television shows believe to be the holy grail of appearing to be hilarious. Also read: Khel Khel Mein screening leaves fans roaring with laughter; early reviews call Akshay Kumar-starrer a ‘blockbuster’
So I had my set of apprehensions when I went in for Khel Khel Mein, led by Akshay Kumar, who has done it all in his career. Just earlier this year, he hit it out of the park with an intense acting performance in Sarfira, a biopic which brought out a version of Kumar we haven’t seen before.
I was fully expecting him to belt out his physical comedy routine which we have seen him do in umpteen films before. But Khel Khel Mein isn’t that, and I heaved a big sigh of relief as the end credits rolled.
Events span a single night, with seven friends partying as they attend a wedding. It’s desi adaptation of the 2016 Italian film Perfetti Sconosciut, but you know what? It doesn’t really matter, because the story is a breeze. Remakes have forever held a bad rep for killing originality. Why can’t we just judge a film for what it is?
The plot
Rishabh, played by Akshay Kumar, is a plastic surgeon trying to save his second marriage with Vartika (played by Vaani Kapoor), an author looking for a plot point for her next book. Their friends Samar (Aditya Seal), his wife, the rich Naina (Pragya Jaiswal), Harpreet and Harpreet (Ammy Virk and Taapsee Pannu) and Kabir (Fardeen Khan) all agree to let their phones be public properties for that one night, come what may. It’s a delicious plot, and I was relieved when the film begins with Rishabh throwing the conventional comedy tropes out of the window. He’s smooth, charming, or as Taapsee’s friend puts it on a call ‘George Clooney’.
While we- as always- won’t give away spoilers, here’s a shoutout to director and writer Mudassar Aziz for keeping the proceedings very light, and yet, exploring themes actually quite maturely.
TRIGGER WARNING
A slip up happens when mental health and suicide are reduced to a funny gag in the second half. Only because the film until this point was quite sensible. Otherwise, it’s all believable. What goes on within a marriage is never known to any outsider, no matter how much of a third wheel one may be, and the story proves that.
Some scenes certainly deserve an applause. Akshay, who is in terrific form in this film, is a sensitive father, and has a refreshing conversation with his teenage daughter about taking things to the next level with her boyfriend. You just don’t see this coming from a film marketing itself as a comedy flick.
The verdict
Performances apart from Akshay too are top notch. Taapsee Pannu finally gets to break out of the serious actor image and shines as the social media addict dealing with issues in her marriage due to no children. Ammy Virk, as her husband, gets a lot to do and he manages to deliver. Aditya Seal and Pragya Jaiswal (who is being introduced with this film) are easy on the eyes, and convincing as the couple dealing with a tragedy. And if it were up to me. I would count this film as Fardeen’s actual comeback, not the forgettable role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi. It’s something you haven’t seen him do before on screen.
In the 134-minute film, a group of friends gathers in Jaipur for a wedding. On the flight to Jaipur, plastic surgeon Rishabh Malik (Akshay Kumar) is shown to be a smooth operator and habitual liar. His wife, Vartika (Vaani Kapoor), an author, has a strained relationship with her step-daughter, who has no interest in joining her parents in Jaipur for Vartika’s sister’s wedding.
When Taapsee Pannu calls her husband, his number is shown as ‘Harpreet Male’ on her phone. Harpreet Singh (Ammy Virk) sees his phone flash ‘Harpreet Female’. Harpreet and Harpreet, who appear to have no chemistry, are under pressure to have a child. At the venue, they catch up with their friends, heiress Naina (Pragya Jaiswal) and brand manager Samrat (Aditya Seal), who works for his father-in-law. Together they await the arrival of cricket coach Kabir (Fardeen Khan), who they believe is bringing his new girlfriend as his plus-one.
