Khel Khel Mein Review: Another Hilarious Akshay Kumar Film with Unfunny Wife Jokes, We’re Obsessing Over Taapsee Pannu
It is directed by Mudassar Aziz. Here's our review.
3 / 5
I had not watched the trailer for Khel Khel Mein before watching the film which indeed worked in my favour. I sat down for the film hoping to watch another comedy drama with a popular ensemble cast. However, it turned out that Akshay Kumar, Vaani Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu and Ammy Virk had much more to it. The film is directed by Mudassar Aziz and backed by T-Series, Wakaoo Films and KKM Film Productions (Kaafi paise daala hai movie mein). Aditya Seal and Pragya Jaiswal also play important roles in Khel Khel Mein. The film revolves around three married couples who get to know about each other’s darkest secrets through a random game! The interesting plot and the great comic timing certainly become the strongest suit of the film, and here’s me also diving a little deep into the other aspects of the film which did not work!
Plot
The basic premise of Khel Khel Mein is set around the grand wedding of Radhika’s (Vaani Kapoor) younger sister. She is accompanied by her husband Rishabh (Akshay Kumar). Rishabh’s friends played by Ammy Virk and Aditya Seal also attend the wedding with their wives, and the parts were played by Taapsee Pannu and Pragya Jaiswal respectively. The three couples take a break from their relatives and sit down to chill together. However, each of their lives takes an unexpected turn when Radhika suggests a game. As per the rules of this game, each person’s phone had to be kept unlocked for an entire night and the calls or texts that they received were read and answered in front of anyone. The film further proceeds to show how this game unveiled some of the darkest secrets in each character’s life, to a point where their marriages were also at risk!
The Engaging Plot
Khel Khel Mein explores the intricacies and complications of a marriage. However, it does not take a preachy path to deliver a beautiful message on marriage. The interesting element of using a fun game to reveal each partner’s deep secrets that they hid in their marriage instantly grabbed my attention. The entire build in the first half where the disturbing truths were being uncovered made me also feel a part of their lives. Through the conversations and characters, the film also explores cheating in relationships, sexuality, parent-child relationships, marriage and all these from both male and female perspectives.
The Comic Timing
Well, the best part about Khel Khel Mein was the right comic timing delivered by almost every actor. The one-liners were delivered with ease. The camaraderie among the actors was so organic, and therefore the jokes that they made on each other got the desired laughs from the audience. The first half of the film was a laughter riot and the jokes were not extraordinary, but they fit right with the film’s tone!
Taapsee Pannu stood out for me in the film. She was the only character with an evident character arc in the film. Her character Harpreet is initially shown as a naive and simple Punjabi woman who tries her best to be noticed by her husband (Ammy Virk). However, she gradually becomes an outspoken woman who no longer cares about safeguarding her one-sided marriage. Taapsee Pannu nails the comic timing, dialogue deliveries, and nuanced emotions to make her character the most adorable one in this film.
The New Perspectives
Khel Khel Mein has some fresh perspectives on the parent-child relationship explored through Akshay Kumar and her on-screen daughter’s character. There is only one conversation between the two that left a very thought-provoking impression on me, and the fact that it was not stretched or dramatised made it more impactful. Even the idea of accepting one’s sexuality, no matter how difficult it is due to societal pressures was touched upon with a lot of sensitivity through one of the characters (not giving spoilers here).
Ammy Virk was also a delight to watch on the big screen. TBH, I enjoyed his character way more than I had in Bad Newz. The actor was funny when he was supposed to be, especially when he delivered those epic one-liners in Punjabi. He also convincingly played his part because I was quite mad at his character for wrongly treating his wife!
However, what did not work in the film were some of the redundant wife jokes. These mostly came through Rishabh’s (Akshay Kumar) character. I did not enjoy the boring and overdone jokes Rishabh casually passed to his wife Radhika. For example, isko bas ghar todna aata hai type jokes! It was just a turn-off for me whenever these jokes happened.
Akshay Kumar was just playing himself. His character of an over-smart guy who is too smooth with his life and well, women found that charming for some reason was not a man not at all appealing to me. It looked like his character was deliberately made to be the nicest guy and husband among all of them, so he could get to give a little speech on the idea of marriage and how to navigate it.
The film’s pace also took a dip in the second half. The bit where the groom runs away from his marriage because he has those last-minute doubts just looks a bit stretched. The ending could’ve been better, given that the film tried its best to take the conventional way of talking about marriages. The storytelling was very gripping in the first half, but by the second half, it got unserious and naive, failing to hold the emotions built in pre-interval. A wife who just got to know that her husband was cheating on her made for an unexpected twist in the film, but the way the story deals with their rift is quite disappointing.
Also, each of the characters got their moments, and the actors also played the role ways. However due to the lack of good writing, only a few shine in their moments of self-reflection and revelations. After Taapsee Pannu’s Harpreet, only Fardeen Khan had that moment for me. Vaani Kapoor and Aditya Seal delivered average performances.
Verdict: Impressive Comic Timing And Engaging Plot!
Khel Khel Mein starring Akshay Kumar, Vaani Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu, Ammy Virk, Aditya Seal, and Pragya Jaiswal starrer is an entertaining watch for the most part. It has some flaws in writing that especially become evident post-interval. The comic timings are excellent and kudos to the cast for delivering it with so much conviction that we couldn’t control our laughter. Also, the film makes an honest attempt to highlight some important conversations, especially around a partnership like marriage. It does not try to be preachy but rather makes it fun through comedy. The emotions of the characters could have been tackled better in the second half, and it’s mostly when the story starts to become funny (but not in a serious way). Khel Khel Mein is a one-time watch that can be enjoyed with the fam!
First Published: August 14, 2024 5:42 PM
