Pati Patni Aur Woh Do – Review

quick review:

Just because we’ve seen worse doesn’t mean it’s an almost slapstick attempt at romantic comedy entertainment. Yes, despite its crazy and fun premise.

Review

A girl asks a boy to play a fake boyfriend. The reasons are irrelevant, for now. Everything that can go wrong, does go wrong. And more. Now, add the reason: a politician is behind the girl’s life. More things can go wrong. Oh boy, he’s married and happily married, by the way. Do I need to say something? And I haven’t revealed anything you didn’t already know in the first 10 minutes of the movie.

The situation our boy, Prajapati Pandey (Ayushmann Khurana), finds himself in is actually quite funny. But the choice to make it loud and vulgar doesn’t serve the story. And that sums up how it made me feel.

I guess that means I wanted to see a different movie. One with a similar story but that softens the exaggerated reactions and expressions, the nosy aunt, the caricatured police officer, etc. So, I’m practically asking that this potential for a decent comedy film take the Hrishikesh Mukherjee/Basu Chatterjee route. And that’s unlikely to happen, right?

Or maybe I will one day. Until then, I can complain about the misuse of Ayushmann Khurana’s talents, although I appreciate the promise of comic timing shown by Wamiqa Gabbi, Rakul Preet and Sara Ali Khan. Of course, the writing doesn’t have too many situations for them to explore that potential, but the in-between moments they cling to are notable.

If only they spent some time developing the lines and situations instead of wasting the energy to conjure up some random Hindu-Muslim situations. I understand that it is a satire full of social commentary. But it doesn’t land. First of all, because it comes out of nowhere. And secondly, well, it’s just not funny.

In fact, it hurts to see potentially comical situations that make you cringe instead of laugh or even smile. No, that hasn’t happened before. But I still feel bad and sad and everything that comes with it, when I know I could have seen something better, they certainly could have done something better. I guess that also means that hope still lives. So, until next time.

– Meeta, a part of the audience.