A good comedy film can make you laugh even when you are not watching it. As absurd as it sounds, that is exactly the kind of effect that Vir Das’ Happy Patel: Khatarnaak Jasoos had on me. The film is so weird that it’s actually good, hard to describe in words and meant to be enjoyed at the movies. Better, if you have friends along! Happy Patel: Khatarnaak Jasoos is also Vir Das’ directorial debut, co-directed with Kavi Shastri. It’s backed by Aamir Khan Productions. The star cast includes- Mona Singh, Mithila Palkar and Sharib Hashmi in pivotal roles. The spy-comedy is truly one of a kind with bizarre yet interesting elements that keep you hooked till the end credits. Now, I will be diving into the details. Read on!
First The Plot!
Happy Patel (Vir Das) is the adopted son of a British gay couple and also former spy-agents. While Happy aspires to be a successful agent like his fathers, his interests lie more in ballet dancing and cooking. But without any second guesses, he quickly grabs the opportunity of becoming a rookie spy agent for MI7 for a mission to find a missing girl in India. For that, Happy undergoes a “rigorous” training which includes learning Hindi, watching tons of Bollywood films, and adapting to other Indian ways that makes him a perfect undercover agent. In India, Happy meets the local co-ordinator Geet (Sharib Hashmi), a dancer Rupa (Mithila Palkar) and the techie Roxy (Shrusti Tawade).
Mona Singh plays the villain, the Goan don Mama who is developing a fairness cream, and has held the missing woman captive to prepare the formula. Set in Goa, Happy Patel: Khatarnaak Jasoos revolves around a naive yet dedicated spy’s mission, his love story with Rupa, and a journey of self-discovery. But wait, did you just think it was this simple? You’re in for a crazy ride that only gets better.
What’s So Good About It?
I would start with dialogues! Happy Patel’s broken Hindi makes for some hilarious comic moments in the film. And he has also convinced me to identify myself as a “Mamuli insane” from hereon. The broken Hindi has been cleverly used to make some subtle but no so subtle social commentaries.
The film does not spoon-feed its humour, instead trusts its audience to catch the jokes and well, what’s more rewarding than that? And after a long time, we finally have a film that is funny to the core, even when it’s not trying to be! The jokes land effortlessly, have a recall value and deserve a breakdown session with friends. They are silly but witty silly!
This may sound repetitive but the plot makes you wonder what exactly did you watch on the big screen as it blends complex discourses flawlessly into comedy. It has digs on how foreigners often form opinions about Indians based on Bollywood stereotypes or the obsession with white skin that helps sell whitening creams, and of course, what it truly means to be an Indian! Such films that leaves you thinking hard about how cleverly the director and writer have left you a range of topics to ponder upon are so rare! Are we ready for it? I hope so!
And the storytelling heavily depends on the use of BGM which honestly is the cherry on the cake. Happy happily cooking while doing ballet on the song ‘Alpha Male’ is one of my most loved moments in the film, among others!
The cameos featuring Aamir Khan, Imran Khan and even Sumukhi Suresh were wild, although we wanted a little more of Imran Khan’s screen time but not complaining!
A Not So Gentle Love Story!
Having a silly smile on my face while watching Happy and Rupa’s love story was anything but nonchalant of me! Vir Das hit the right chords not just with the comedy but with the romance as well. To fall in love with a girl who slaps because its her default setting is not for the faint-hearted bro! The innocent and at the same time mature love story made so much sense, wins you over instantly!
Performances
Vir Das is such a delight on the screen! The innocence with which he delivers Happy’s broken Hindi is charming. Mona Singh as the intimidating villain who checks all the boxes of a stereotypical don does absolute justice to her role, and so does Mithila Palkar, Sharib Hashmi and Shrusti Tawade. The cast is spot on!
Verdict
I was completely present and genuinely happy while watching Happy Patel: Khatarnaak Jasoos. I laughed, felt, connected, and enjoyed this unique spy drama. The performances are memorable and the humour, well, you really have to watch it for yourself! It’s currently running in theatres.
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