Khel Khel Mein Review: Akshay Kumar’s Return To Comedy Hits Filled With Laughter And Love

Khel Khel Mein Review: Akshay Kumar’s Return To Comedy Hits Filled With Laughter And Love Poster

Bollywood News Live get the latest news updates, headlines and breaking news stories from the world of entertainment right here. Track all the latest developments in Bollywood, Hollywood and more right here.

About Khel Khel Mein

Khel Khel Mein Movie Review: Imagine a night of fun games with your friends and respective partners turning into a nightmare. Akshay Kumar starrer Khel Khel Mein depicts the horrors of hidden secrets and confessions when they come out in public. The Mudassar Aziz directorial is a comedy-drama that balances humour with the sensitivity of relationships.

Khel Khel Mein Movie Team Image 

Khel Khel Mein Movie Review: Plot

Rishabh (Akshay Kumar) is a plastic surgeon married to Vartika (Vaani Kapoor), an author., after the untimely demise of his wife Rashmi. Vartika’s sister is getting married. This calls for a reunion. Harpreet Kaur (Taapsee Pannu), Harpreet Singh (Ammy Virk), Naina (Pragya Jaiswal), Samar (Aditya Seal) and Kabir (Fardeen Khan) come together to celebrate the big day with Rishabh and Vartika.

A boring sangeet party leads to the friends hosting a private games night in Rishabh and Vartika’s room. As per her suggestion, they play a game wherein every person has to unlock the phone and read messages, answer calls on speaker and disclose e-mails they receive for one night. Will the couples learn about the secrets hidden beneath the layer of ‘perfect marriages’?

Khel Khel Mein Movie Team Image

Khel Khel Mein Movie Review: Direction

Mudassar Aziz has a stronger grip on interpersonal relationships over comedy. In his previous film, Pati Patni Aur Woh, he displayed his sensitive approach towards characters and didn’t make them objects. His forte is in adding a human touch. This works in Khel Khel Mein’s favour. The first half of the film takes too long to build up. The several rounds of confessions and secrets get boring.

 The redemption comes in the second half.

Had the second half been the core of Khel Khel Mein, it would have ended up as a rare masterpiece. The weightage given to Vaani Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu and Pragya Jaiswal is justified. In Khel Khel Mein, Mudassar doesn’t judge his characters. He paints them with shades of grey. They’re flawed but not guilty.

Mudassar promotes the idea of ‘free love’ with the best twist. The minute nuances and setting up of drama elevate Khel Khel Mein. He doesn't forget the humour aspect while weaving a sensitive story on interpersonal relationships. Homophobia among people, especially men, is beautifully depicted.

Khel Khel Mein Movie Team Image

Khel Khel Mein Movie Review: What Works

Khel Khel Mein shines when it dives deep into relationships, flaws, insecurities, infidelity and mental health. Yes, it could have delved deeper but the purpose is to continue to story forward. The final 30 minutes of the film bind together scattered fragments. In a poignant scene, a drunk Taapsee Pannu says, ‘Iss kamre mein kaun gira hua nahi hai.’ The sentiments can be felt deeply. The emotion of heartbreak, disgust and breach of trust boils to the peak.

Khel Khel Mein Movie Akshay Kumar Image

Khel Khel Mein Movie Review: What Doesn’t Work

The start of Khel Khel Mein is shaky. The jokes might not work for all. The transition from comedy to intense drama is sharp and too sudden. The film does get better.

Khel Khel Mein Movie Team Image

Khel Khel Mein Movie Review: Performances

Akshay Kumar’s comic timing is perfect. There’s a reason he’s known for his humour. Looking dapper and sharp as Rishabh, his Casanova appeal is what was missed all this while. Vaani Kapoor’s resilience and silence add to her character’s strengths. She does a brilliant job at playing the quiet Vartika, the most morally correct person in the room. Taapsee Pannu’s Harpreet ‘Female’ shines in the second half. Given the nature of the role, she balances the tonality of loudness and delivers a knockout performance. Pragya Jaiswal has the lamest of dialogues but she comes into her own gradually. Ammy Virk is cunning as Harpreet ‘Male’. The actor projects shades of grey effortlessly. Aditya Seal’s character takes time to come to the forefront but when it does, he manages to make it work fairly. Fardeen Khan is the ace card in Khel Khel Mein. Though brief and underutilised, he tries to own it to the fullest. There could have been more to him.

Khel Khel Mein Movie Poster

Khel Khel Mein Movie Review: Verdict

Khel Khel Mein switches between laughs and drama. As a whole product, it is entertaining. With the possibility of a sequel, this one could be a fun ride if watched with an unbiased lens.

Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Bollywood, Entertainment News and around the world.