Aug 29, 2024 02:17 PM
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The Story:
To add to the numerous adaptions of the Italian classic Perfetti Sconosciuti, Bollywood decided to have its own version of the Perfect Strangers. With a solid cast and a promising premise, Khel Khel Mein looks inviting at first. You have a group of couples, friends, and so-called strangers who decide to play a game. Seated on a round table, everybody gets to read the messages and notifications of other people for one night. What starts as a fun and lighthearted game ends up unraveling deep secrets hidden inside the phones.
My Review:
Khel Khel Mein keeps you hooked from the very beginning. It avoids unnecessary background stories and subplots. Every character manages to stay true to its role. There is Rishabh Malik(played by Akshay Kumar), a surgeon with his wife Vartika(played by Vaani Kapoor) whose marriage is far from perfect. However, their ship is steadier compared to their friends Happy(played by Tapsee Pannu) and Harpreet(played by Ammy Virk) who are struggling to fix cracks in their marriage. Then there is Samar(Aditya Seal), his partner Naina(Pragya Jaiswal), and a cricket coach(Fardeen Khan) who all add spice to the story.
The setting of the film is beautiful, with everyone in their fine attires and plush lifestyles. But it’s only the outer layer that peels off over time. Everybody tries to save themselves but does not hesitate to pull somebody else down. The couples perfectly depict the fear, jealousy, and lighthearted humor in marriages. You are left wondering for the entire film what will happen next. Will an email or a text pop up? Will somebody receive explicit images from their “clients”? The phones become a ticking time bomb.
However, the director fails to find the right balance between comic and serious dialogue. The actors do not get a chance to express themselves honestly and have to resort to cheap humor. Everyone tries to be in the good books and we are left without any antagonist to hate. All characters get their redemption arcs in no time. Also, the soundtrack could have been better. The songs lack any depth and feel like a three-minute Instagram reel.
What Works For The Film:
Khel Khel Mein has both comic and emotional scenes where all actors come together and complement each other very well. However, the stars of the show are Akshay and Tapsee. We see the early 2000s Akshay with his impeccable comic timing, and Tapsee shows why she is one of the finest actresses in the country. They carry the movie when the dialogues get too amateurish. The plot does go off the track at some point, but we are given a decent climax at the end.
All in All:
Khel Khel Mein is a great one-time watch but is not to be watched with family. Akshay Kumar has a great screen presence and knows his task well. Even though the director hasn’t used the actors’ full potential, the screenplay and engaging conversations are fun to watch. You will want to watch till the end for how everyone ends up after the night.
