‘Khel Khel Mein’ movie review: Akshay Kumar finds his groove with this nuptial nonsense

A still from ‘Khel Khel Mein’ 

As our lives get password protected with smartphones emerging as the third person in the bedroom, relationships are getting knottier than before. In 2016, Italian filmmaker Paolo Genovese tracked the havoc smartphones can create in matrimony to create the comedy-drama Perfetti Sconosciut (Perfect Strangers). The subject’s relatability is such that the film has been remade more than two dozen times across languages and cultures. So how could it have missed the attention of Akshay Kumar who seems to love ready-made recipes to fulfil his three films a year quota? Khel Khel Mein is his third release of 2024 and there is one more on the cards.

However, even as we thought Akshay Kumar had lost touch with his game, the Khiladi regains form as the poor woman’s George Clooney. The subject suits the strong Indian sentiments around fidelity in marriage, and writer-director Muddassar Aziz makes good use of Akshay’s natural flair for lowbrow humour in a high-pitched comedy to generate desi pizazz around the Italian fare.

When seven friends, three couples and an aging bachelor, get together for a wedding, they decide to play a game where they surrender the privacy of their phones. During the course of the night, as their secret sauce gets splashed on the table, their bonds get tested and twisted. The jokes land consistently and even when one knows where it is headed, there is an inherent honest vibe in the storytelling that keeps one interested. The girls look ravishing in designer outfits and the boys bring the bling, but the emotional core of the subject doesn’t get buried under blah. Starting with a cameo by the charming Chitrangada Singh, the conversations and contradictions don’t feel made up.

A flamboyant cosmetic surgeon Rishabh Malik (Akshay) who specialises in mammaries and making up stories is trying to instill life into his second marriage with writer Vartika (Vaani Kapoor retains her poise amidst the pantomime). As Akshay’s wife is also a prominent writer who often reflects on relationships, traces of self-referential humour emanate in the narrative. After ‘Nuptial Nonsense’, Vartika is looking for a subject for her next title when she suggests this crazy game to her friends on the eve of her sister’s wedding. Samar (Aditya Seal) and his wife Naina (Pragya Jaiswal) are trying to come to terms with a freak accident. Harpreet (Taapsee Pannu) and Harpreet (Ammy Virk) are also going through a rough patch and cricket coach Kabir (Fardeen Khan) is finding it difficult to negotiate the swing offered by the pitch of life. All of them sport a fake smile but as the game progresses, their smartphones reveal the reality behind the display picture. 

From infidelity and infertility to lack of inclusivity, the causes are time-tested but the way they are ingrained, addressed, and expressed, keeps us in good humour. Mudassar has a knack for finding comedy in chaos as we discovered in Happy Bhag Jayegi and Pati Patni Aur Woh. Here, he has put together a competent ensemble cast that brings out the spirit of the subject with the right dose of drama and comic timing. Except for a scene where he plays around with suicide and mental health, Mudassar ensures that the froth and substance blend seamlessly within the realm of family entertainment.

Taapsee, who was pretty business-like last week in Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba, is a hoot here as the lively Punjabi girl trying to keep her marriage going despite being slighted by her husband and his family. Ammy is a delight as a spouse with an inflated ego, and a confident Pragya turns up in a Hindi film for a change and plays the role of an entitled brat without caricaturising it. Aditya needs polishing and despite a well-written character arc, Fardeen is the weak link in the gang of effortless performers.

Khel Khel Mein is currently running in theatres