Are all relationships in life exactly as they appear? Is every married couple happy with their marriage? Can marriages work without compromise and adjustment? Is every friendship true? Are there no secrets between best friends? Are love and friendship based on a solid foundation of trust and selflessness? Is the person you think is closest to you actually the masked stranger? ‘Khel Khel Mein’, a desi adaptation of the Italian comedy-drama ‘Perfect Strangers’, brings the perfect answer to all these questions. A group of friends get together to attend a wedding and decide to play a game where for one night their phone is no longer their personal property. It is available to everyone in the room. Beyond light-hearted scenes and laughter, the story takes an emotional turn. Under the guise of humor and satire, this film is highlighting the complexities, nuances and messiness of relationships. Let’s know in detail how strong is the story of the film and the acting of the actors.
Story
In the salt and pepper look, Akshay Kumar is playing the role of a plastic surgeon Rishabh, whose wife Vartika (Vaani Kapoor) has given him an ultimatum that if their marriage does not last three months, she will divorce him and separate. Plastic surgeon Rishabh is also a professional liar and his wife is fed up with this habit of his. The couple reaches Vartika’s sister’s wedding where they meet their friends. There is Harpreet Kaur (Taapsee Pannu), who is being pressured by her mother-in-law to have a child. Amy Virk is Harpreet Singh, who is an entrepreneur and is struggling with the problems of low sperm count. Harpreet Kaur and Harpreet Singh are husband and wife. Aditya Seal is Samar. He works in the company of his wife Naina’s (Pragya Jaiswal) father. Samar is facing sexual extortion and blackmailing at his job, while Naina has gone into depression after a road accident. Every character has a big problem but then they are hiding it and living a fake life behind a mask. There are so many lies in their life like milk is not water in milk, but milk in water. All these lies will be exposed with a game and will create chaos. The showers of laughter will continue without bold scenes and double meaning jokes. The story will get more interesting with every revelation. For now, there will be a happy ending after every mess. Apart from relationships, sexuality has been talked about openly in this story.
Acting
Akshay Kumar, who has established himself as the comedy king, has finally left the biopic and returned to comic roles and his comeback is solid. Akshay is winning hearts completely. He seems to be completely molded into the character. Akshay’s character has the most depth, whose secret is not revealed till the end. Akshay Kumar has a scene with his daughter in the film, which is heart touching and after watching it you will say that Akshay Kumar never fails to raise real issues. This time too, Khiladi Kumar is inspiring parents to talk openly with their children about sex education and the risks of teenage pregnancy.
Ammy Virk, just like in ‘Bad News’, has dominated the ensemble this time too. He looks absolutely natural. His character is the most important in the story after Akshay Kumar. The chemistry between Taapsee and him has managed to make people laugh the most. Taapsee is no less, she has made a mark as a desi Punjabi kudi. There is a freshness in her character. As always, Taapsee has not failed to impress at all. She is so lost in the comic character that you will laugh even when she cries. It is interesting to watch Fardeen, as his character has many layers and he has bravely shown those complex emotions. Pragya Jaiswal and Aditya Seal are also impressive. If there is any shortcoming in any character, it is Vaani Kapoor’s role. The actress’ acting is fine but her character lacks that sparkle. She has neither got strong dialogues nor emotional scenes. In such a situation, her caliber has not come out clearly.
Direction
Talking about Mudassar Aziz’s direction, he has made a masala film. Most parts of the film will make you laugh. You will believe both the things, ‘men lie’ and ‘women doubt’, even if you don’t want to and this proves how accurate the direction is. The screenplay of the film is not stretched at all, which is why the film does not seem boring. The dialogues are full of punch lines, which make the comic timing on point. There are only a few songs in the film, which are apt according to the situation. Mudassar Aziz has raised many social issues well amidst the laughter and jokes. There are minor flaws in the film, which can be ignored.
How is the film
‘Khel Khel Mein’ has touched many deep issues in a playful way. The story of the film is definitely worth watching. If you are planning to watch a good film this week, then do not avoid watching this film. Akshay Kumar’s team will leave no stone unturned to entertain you. We are giving this film 3.5 stars.
