Do interpersonal relationships exactly look like what they do from the surface? Are all marriages happy marriages? Are all friendships based on a solid foundation of trust and selflessness? What happens when you unravel phony lies about your confidants who you realise have been masked strangers all this while? Mudassar Aziz’s Khel Khel Mein explores relationships’ complexities, nuances and messiness under the garb of being a comic caper.
Reportedly, it is based on the 2016 Italian comedy-drama Perfect Strangers, a film that holds the record of being remade 28 times, but Mudassar deserves brownie points for adapting it keeping desi sensibilities in mind where adultery alone isn’t the only reason for relationships to fall apart. Often, it’s families, money and other external factors that lead to trouble in paradise.
Khel Khel Mein begins with Rishabh, a plastic surgeon rushing to catch a flight to Jaipur. At the airport, he meets a beautiful woman named Kadambari. On learning that there are no seats left in the flight that’s about to take him to his destination, he lies to a staff member that his dog is breathing his last and so, it’s his wish to see him one last time.
The staff member, overwhelmed, gives both him and Kadambari the tickets. While on the plane, the duo strikes up a conversation where he reveals that he’s actually going to Jaipur to attend his sister-in-law’s wedding. This sequence featuring Akshay Kumar and Chitrangda Singh not only washes you over with nostalgia (yes, the theme music of Desi Boyz plays in the background) but also establishes the theme of Khel Khel Mein. Rishabh is a borderline pathological liar and seems rather proud of being able to come up with credible lies whenever he has to.
We’re then introduced to his wife Vartika, an author, and two other couples – Samar and Naina and Harpreet and Harpreet. Rishabh and Vartika have a rocky marriage where his daughter from his first marriage doesn’t share a smooth relationship with her stepmother. And this bothers Vartika. To add to that, Rishabh and Vartika are currently in that three-month phase of reconciliation and are trying to give their marriage another shot. Samar is an employee at Naina’s father’s firm while the hoity-toity Naina, who’s battling depression spends most of her time indulging in luxury and splurging on expensive vintage ware.
Harpreet and Harpreet are a Punjabi couple who had an arranged marriage. But all’s not well between them either. The husband doesn’t think twice before belittling his wife in front of other people and is never nice to her. The wife, on the other hand, leaves no stone unturned to impress him but her efforts almost always go in vain. These couples from Delhi drive down to Jaipur for the wedding and thrown into this mix is Kabir, a cricket coach and the seventh member of their group, who comes alone.
One night during the wedding, Vartika decides to play a game where everyone has to place their phones on the table and every incoming message has to be read out loud and every call put on the speaker. The wives agree to the game but the husbands don’t. Eventually, they give in and chaos ensues. Deep, dark secrets come out of the closet that begin to severe their equations.
The first half of the film is riddled with comic moments, some of which land and some that don’t. The scene where female Harpreet gets a call from her friend (Bhumi Pednekar’s voice makes a cameo here), who unaware that the call is on speaker mode, ends up taking potshots at everyone present at the table, will make you burst out into peels of laughter. Yet another sequence that will tickle your funny bones is the one where male Harpreet and Kabir decide to exchange their phones to not get caught. The awkwardness when Harpreet’s extramarital partner calls and his sexuality gets questioned eventually is packed with palpable awkwardness and is brilliantly written, executed, and performed. Both Fardeen Khan and Ammy Virk’s impeccable comic timing is put on display and it’s their restraint that makes the episode even more hilarious.
And while this half of Khel Khel Mein is packed with oodles of jokes, one-liners, and repartees, a crisper, and tighter editing would have definitely helped amp up the overall comical quotient of the plot. But we suggest you sit through it as it’s the second half that does all the magic. No, no loose ends will be tied here and a bigger pandemonium will follow but be assured that you will remain heavily invested in it.
And a big credit for the same goes to Taapsee Pannu. She’s the best thing about the film and simply knocks it out of the park as a demure and innocent wife. Her transition from that to an unhinged and unapologetic woman who finally takes a stand for herself is beautiful. Her Harpreet is tailor-made for her and it’s a welcome change from the resolute and unyielding characters she’s usually associated with. The subplot involving her and Ammy is the strongest. Their story is rich with nuance and touches upon themes such as sexual health. When she makes you laugh, you crack up and when she cries, your heart breaks.
Mudassar who is known for creating strong-willed women, makes sure that the women in Khel Khel Mein do the same kind of heavy lifting as the men. Don’t be mistaken. These women may be empowered but equally vulnerable. However, Vaani Kapoor (Vartika) and Pragya Jaiswal (Naina) don’t get to translate the strength of their characters on screen because despite being strong, they aren’t woven as intricately into the narrative as the others. The same can be said for Samar (Aditya Seal).
Fardeen deserves a special mention here. After making a comeback with an undercooked character in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar, he gets to play around with a meaty part in Khel Khel Mein. Mudassar makes him a cricket coach and defies the norm by not making him a testosterone-pumped man. Spoiler Alert: His Kabir finally comes out of the closet before his friends. The exchange and showdown that follow the post that is as real as it can get. While some of his friends support him and his sexuality, others turn out to be judgemental homophobes.
You can definitely give it a watch as it marks Akshay’s return to comedy five years after Housefull 4. He’s the glue that holds everything in the setting together despite being caught in an unhappy marriage. Look out for the scene where he has a conversation with his daughter who asks if she should break her virginity. He’s daddy cool, for sure! By the end of it, Khel Khel Mein becomes a film about acceptance and subtly makes a statement on how there’s no right and wrong when it comes to relationships. The film celebrates the grey and the messy perfection of marriages and friendships.
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