Whether you laugh at his jokes or not, or whether you acknowledge his meteoric rise through the ranks or not, the fact is that TV’s funnyman Kapil Sharma has gone on to become one of the most followed/admired entertainers in the last 2 years or so. Therefore, when the man who gave us the iconic “Babaji Ka Thullu” goes on to make his Bollywood debut, you are both skeptical and excited. Is it prudent of Kapil to keep his kingship of TV aside and try to make it big in the big, bad Bollywood? Does Bollywood of today have space for a comedian-hero or did that craft die as soon as Govinda started to age?
May be it’s difficult to straightaway find answers to the questions raised above, but it is quite safe and sound to declare a fact right at the beginning – Kapil Sharma has chosen a very smart and safe vehicle of launch in Bollywood and believe it or not, he does a pretty neat job of the challenge thrown at him. The 34-year old comedian with conventional, common man looks carries Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon well on his shoulders and displays some obvious signs of possessing real acting chops. The fact that the film is helmed by the seasoned duo of Abbas Mustan is a big plus as the directors manage to build a decent product using an old, dated formula; something which might have proven detrimental if not handled with precision.
Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon’s plot is a throwback to the 90s when Govinda kind of made polygamy cool with the 1996 David Dhawan Super-Hit Saajan Chale Sasural. Kapil Sharma plays Shiv Ram Kishan who ends up marrying thrice (with three different women – Manjari Phadnis, Amrita Puri and Simran Kaur Mundi) due to a series of outlandish and bizarre ‘accidents’. Not just that, he also has a smoldering girlfriend in form a beautiful Elli Avaram who obviously does not know that her boyfriend is already married to three women. Helping him deal with this tetra trouble in life is his friend cum lawyer Varun Sharma. Did you spot the similarities and differences between Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon and Saajan Chale Sasural yet? The ultimate alpha male Govinda romanced two women (Tabu and Karisma Kapoor) while our Kapil goes two steps further and has 4 ladies by his sides, front and back. Wah!
Let’s get it clear that Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon is a low-brow comedy but is not exactly ‘mindless’. The film knows what it is and never really tries to be something that it cannot be. There are no sermons or judgements passed on merits/demerits of polygamy, there are no outright insulting jokes, either on wives/women or on the audiences for that matter. Abbas Mustan do a good job of working within themselves and Kapil Sharma manages to underplay himself beautifully at times.
In fact, apart from his trademark quirky humor, Kapil Sharma surprises us in typical Bollywood emotional scenes and comes out triumphant when the camera goes up, close and personal with his face. Special mention should be made of a ‘drinking scene’ right before the interval, where the two Sharmas, Kapil and Varun, are bonding over a few drinks and former is sharing the woes of his ultra-blessed marital life. Kapil makes full use of the drunken opportunity and shows some definite acting sparks.
Ably supporting and sometimes outclassing Kapil, is Varun ‘Choocha’ Sharma. The Fukrey lad displays impeccable comic timing and you will find yourself laughing out loud on several occasions when the talented actor is in the frame, especially when he dishes out his ‘scientific’ explanations to save his friend’s day. Also in the fray is the dependable Arbaaz Khan as a bhai of one of the Kapil’s wives. He plays a deaf don with utmost ease and looks very comfortable in the comic space, something which we have seen him doing of late. Adding further meat to an impressive support cast are Manoj Joshi, Supriya Pathak and Sharat Saxena, who ensure that the film never really goes down on the overall comic quotient. Some of the scenes in the film are uproarious, especially one in a mall and another one featuring a detailed analysis of Kapil’s underwear!
The four ladies – Manjari Phadnis, Simran Kaur Mundi, Elle Avaram and Amrita Puri put up decent performances and do not ever let the script acquire misogynistic proportions. The film’s script, although predictable, dated and formulaic, does have some novel situational comic scenes and plenty of typical Kapil-style dry, sarcastic humor. The first half is quite breezy and enjoyable, unlike the second half which gets a little stretched towards the end. The film’s climax is somewhat clichéd and unbelievable at the same time, but one cannot really complain much on its merit given the fact that the plot itself is nothing revolutionary.
Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon’s soundtrack is strictly average with a couple of songs too many to deal with. Two songs that register some space in your mind are ‘Bam’, which has the film’s leading man crooning rather impressively, and a romantic track titled ‘Samandar.
Overall, Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon is a better bet than those ‘mindless comedies’ featuring big stars or those lavish launch vehicles that star kids manage to get for themselves in a platter. It is a clean, entertaining film whose plot may be dated but the humor on offering is genuine and harmless.
Go, watch Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon, you might find yourself celebrating the success of a self-made man.
Rating: *** (3 out of 5 – Good)
