Director/ Writer – Mudassar aziz
Cast-Kartik Aryan, Bhumi Pednekar, Ananya Pandey, Aparshakti Khurana, Manu Rishi, Rajesh Sharma, KK Raina, Navni Parihar
In a nutshell:
Pati Patni Aur Woh, a comedy around an adulterous husband, tries to be mostly funny, is hilarious in parts , boasts of some brilliant dialogues but does not soar beyond a certain level.
The Plot:
Chintoo Tyagi (Kartik) of Kanpur is a young man who has lived his life by the book as per his parents’ wishes; good student, govt job, arranged marriage.
He marries Vedika( Bhumi) but three years into marriage, starts suffering from the “ seven year itch” aka monotony of married life.
In comes excitement in the form of Tapasya( Ananya) who he meets in relation to his office work,with whom he has a fling after giving her false stories about his cheating wife.
The rest of story tells us about what hell breaks loose when his adultery is discovered and its aftermath. Fahim Rizvi(Aparshakti) is Chintoo ‘s best friend whose advices and help are pillars of support and often life savers to Chintoo and whose dialogues and presence in the film was a lifesaver for us.
Analysis:
This remake of the 1978 film by the same name tries to present the story in a modified emancipated version.All three central characters try to break the sexist mould. The “ pati” is not a compulsive scheming scoundrel. The “woh” is not docile or gullible. The “ patni” is not meek. Contrary to Vidya Sinha, Bhumi plays an equal. She’s confident, spunky and outspoken. So the treatment to the story is different. And so is her reaction to his adultery which adds a different punch and twist to the fag end of the movie.
What Works :
The fresh treatment that tries to break away from a chauvinist/ sexist setup is a welcome change to the original story .
The dialogues definitely seems like Mudassar’s forte and it’s the strongest aspect of the film that keep the humour flowing. They range from funny to rib tickling. Aparshakti ‘s character is by far the best addition in this film and for everyone’s greater benefit, he gets a lion’s share of the humorous lines . All actors except Kartik deliver well and are a pleasure to watch.
What Lacks :
Screenplay by Mudassar Aziz ( Writer, Director) was lacking somehow except for the saving grace of brilliant humorous dialogues.The films remains tepid and predictable most of the time. None of the characters could create a connect.Chintoo’s character seemed very superficial, silly and weak.He never seemed invested in any emotion whether love or adultery. His break into infidelity was as abrupt as the return of his guilt or reawakening of his conscience.
Performances:
Aparshakti is the star. In his meatiest role till date, he proves that he’s someone to bank upon and deserves chunkier roles. Every dialogue of his is accompanied by numerous brilliant nuances and a trademark delivery style that’s uniquely his.
Bhumi sails through smoothly as the open and sassy woman.
Ananya carries the role well. I feel she’s promising and someone who will shine with further experience.
Kartik, as always ,just bumbles through the light and bubbly portions of his role and fares better only in the few serious scenes. I think he’s very limited as an actor. I wonder how far his charm and overhype will carry him if he keeps playing similar avatars.
Navni Parihar, KK Raina, Rajesh Sharma, Sunny Singh ( cameo) were great contributors in their small roles.
Recommendation:
With its overall humour quotient, the film can be a good one time watch provided you keep your expectations low. There are ample laugh aloud moments and dialogues.
Those looking for a choice between this one and Panipat will have to take their own call as both films are poles apart genre wise and quality wise.
Score 7 on 10