Overshadowed by the success of Stree 2 at the box office, Mudassar Aziz’s Khel Khel Mein has barely managed to profit from the long weekend release. Though the film at times resorts to Bollywood comedy cliches, Khel Khel Mein largely reveals a good balance between perfectly timed jokes, soppy drama and mayhem-driven plot.
The film is a remake of the 2016 Italian drama Perfetti Sconosciuti (Perfect Strangers) which holds the Guinness World Record for the most remade film. The film’s premise continues to be relevant since it focuses on the power and secrets that our mobile phones hold.
Khel Khel Mein exploits the same theme to deliver a Bollywood-style Indian wedding drama that unfolds when seven friends decide to set their unlocked phones on the table as public property till the end of the night. Starring Taapsee Pannu, Vaani Kapoor, Pragya Jaiswal, Akshay Kumar, Fardeen Khan, Aditya Seal and Ammy Virk, the film delivers on its promise of a light-hearted comedy with engaging twists.
The plot and cast of Khel Khel Mein
The story revolves around a group of seven friends reunited for Vartika’s (Vaani Kapoor) sister’s wedding ceremony. Akshay Kumar plays the role of Rishabh Malik, a plastic surgeon married to the writer, Vartika. The comedic pairing of two Harpreet’s as a couple is accomplished by Taapsee Pannu and Ammy Virk. Taapsee Pannu’s character is a social media dance influencer and Virk plays the role of a frustrated automobile businessman. Samar (Aditya Seal) is married to Naina (Pragya Jaiswal), the daughter of the CEO of the company he works for. Fardeen Khan’s character Kabir Deshmukh is a sports coach who is the only one who arrives at the party without his partner.
Deciding to play a fun game the night before the wedding, the group surrendered their phones to the table. The rules of the game ensured that nobody could use their phones and that all texts, messages or calls would be read or put on speaker for the entire group to listen to. What follows is a series of fights, misunderstandings and revelation of secrets that question the transparency and validity of their relationships with each other.
The (mostly) appropriate casting of the film and the actors’ visible dedication to enliven their characters added to the film’s success. It was refreshing to see Akshay Kumar in his salt-and-pepper look, playing a character of his age. Taapsee Pannu’s character stands out amongst all because of her stellar performance in the role of the small-town Punjabi girl forced into an elite urban circle. Fardeen Khan’s comeback to the Bollywood silver screen after his 14-year-long hiatus is also being celebrated by his fans. While Vaani Kapoor’s performance in the film was commendable, it would have been refreshing to see someone closer to Akshay Kumar’s age playing the role of his character’s second wife.
Comedy sequences
The best part about Khel Khel Mein’s comedy sequences is that it does not depend on slapsticks. Even though the dialogue writing cannot perhaps be called witty, the well-timed one-liners and jokes arising from the chaotic unravelling of secrets manage to evoke laughter amongst the audience. Even though the film showcases strong women characters by the standards of a Bollywood comedy-drama, some classic stereotypes continue to be attributed to them. Naina’s character for instance has been stereotyped as the rich spendthrift. The comedy arises from her inability to name the person she is giving an expensive gift when questioned by her husband. When Rishabh’s flight co-passenger asks, “Toh kya karti hai aapki wife?” (What does your wife do [for a living]?), he resorts to the typical and sexist husband-wife joke, “Naak mein dum” ([she] gets up my nose).
Taapsee Pannu’s character misuses English words, and Naina’s adoration for her “cute” Punjabi words and her inability to understand simple Hindi words such as “balti” (bucket) are used as their comic tropes. Since these typecasts of women characters have often found their place in Bollywood romantic comedies, it would have been refreshing if this film had avoided them entirely.
Barring a few instances, the jokes in the film do manage to inspire laughter in the audience. At the very beginning of the film, Akshay Kumar’s character waves his British passport in the air to impress his way out of the line in an Indian airport – which is a jibe at Indian citizens’ colonial mindset. Pannu’s character also gets a phone call from her drunk friend who amusingly reveals her unfiltered opinions about Naina and Vartika at the expense of her embarrassment. When Fardeen Khan and Ammy Virk’s characters swap phones, they keep looking for each other’s approval before replying to each other’s messages. Since the rest of the group is unaware of this swap, it ensues a hilarious encounter between them, enquiring as to why Harpreet and Kabir keep looking at each other.
The film resonates with its audience because it does not simply rely on comedy for a story. Khel Khel Mein explores several relevant issues such as IVF treatments and mental health problems. Akshay Kumar’s character makes a rather moving speech while talking to his daughter, showcasing an example of good parenting. Their frank conversations around sex subtly reveal how beneficial and safe it can be for teenagers to find confidantes in their guardians. Emotional scenes such as that involving the revelation of Harpreet’s (Pannu) secret and Kabir’s final outburst pull the characters out of their typifications and make them more human and relatable.
The music and the resolution
The remake of the old Bollywood song “Parde Mein Rehne Do” features repeatedly throughout the film, heightening the comedic revelations and adding suspense. Even though the film features several other songs such as “Duur Na Karin,” “Do U Know,” “Chal Ve Dilaa” and “Baari Basi,” Guru Randhawa’s “Hauli Hauli” remains the most memorable and catchy song from the film. However, the songs at times appear as interludes that unnecessarily lengthen the film.
Unlike its Italian counterpart, Khel Khel Mein presents the characters’ secrets visually through glimpses into their pasts. The representation of more transparent characters suits the audiences’ expectations from a Bollywood comedy, rather than the stealing air of secrecy that cloaks the characters till the end of Perfetti Sconosciuti. The resolution offered in Khel Khel Mein similarly, is tailored to suit the expectations of the Indian audience. The ‘happy-ending‘ does feel forced because it attempts to explain away different forms of cheating in relationships in the name of ‘love.’ To an extent, it functions like a judgy, ‘well-meaning‘ relative who advises the married couple to continue to stay together despite the existence of unresolvable problems.
Khel Khel Mein overall is an enjoyable one-time watch. It is funny in parts and also endearingly emotional in others. Taapsee Pannu and Akshay Kumar’s performances stand out over the rest of the cast. Though the film had the potential to do well, its ill-timed release alongside Stree 2 has significantly marred its success at the box office.
