The
chemistry
between
the
motley
bunch
of
actors
works
in
fits
and
starts
but
Akshay
Kumar’s
gift
of
the
gab,
Taapsee’s
bumbling
comedienne
and
Fardeen
Khan’s
dry
wit
come
out
tops,
notes
Sukanya
Verma.
Secrets
are
universal.
On
some
level,
everyone
holds
back
information,
which
one
may
not
want
others
to
find
out
owing
to
fear
of
rejection,
ridicule
or
judgement.
Secrecy
allows
pretence
and
peace
of
mind
and
Italian
director
Paolo
Genovese’s
Perfetti
Sconosciuti
aka
Perfect
Strangers
understands
this
only
too
well
as
it
devilishly
explores
what
would
happen
if
everyone’s
personal
phone
was
passed
around
the
room
for
public
scrutiny.
Genovese’s
2016
dramedy
has
the
air
of
a
social
experiment
that
has
found
such
overwhelming
global
resonance,
it
holds
the
Guinness
Book
of
World
Records
for
being
the
most
remade
film.
From
Italy
to
Iceland
to
India,
Perfect
Strangers
boasts
of
over
20
remakes
across
various
languages.
Khel
Khel
Mein,
directed
by
Mudassar
Aziz,
is
its
latest
adaptation.
Over
the
course
of
one
night
in
a
fancy
suite
of
a
five
star
hotel,
seven
friends
—
three
couples
and
a
stag
—
hang
out
against
the
backdrop
of
a
destination
wedding
exchanging
juicy
gossip
and
catty
comments
over
appetisers
and
alcohol.
A
plastic
surgeon
(Akshay
Kumar),
a
novelist
(Vaani
Kapoor),
a
social
media
influencer
(Taapsee
Pannu),
a
car
dealer
(Ammy
Virk),
a
corporate
type
(Aditya
Seal),
a
boutique
owner
(Pragya
Jaiswal)
and
a
cricket
coach
(Fardeen
Khan),
it’s
a
setting
almost
befitting
of
a
murder
mystery.
Except
Khel
Khel
Mein‘s
parodic
take
on
keeping
appearances
has
more
humour
than
hassle
on
its
mind.
A
casual
conversation
on
how
the
phone
brought
about
the
end
to
a
common
friend’s
marriage
compels
its
smug,
self-satisfied
lot
to
test
how
smooth
their
own
lives
are
by
playing
a
peculiar
game
of
phones,
wherein
all
seven
cell
phones
are
fair
game
and
every
single
message
or
call
to
follow
must
be
received
or
read
out
aloud
in
their
combined
company.
No
sooner
the
phone
rings,
the
sneaky
personalities
of
this
assorted
septet
surface
and
both
the
game
as
well
as
the
gang
reveal
its
true
colours.
Relying
on
the
usual
bombshells
like
infidelity,
infertility,
sexuality
and
insecurity,
Khel
Khel
Mein
builds
on
the
nervous
laughs,
comical
disdain,
hilarious
sarcasm,
fleeting
emotions
and
the
ridiculously
true
notion
in
‘is
hamam
mein
sab
nange
hain‘.
Occasionally
though,
melodrama
prevails
over
the
facetious
tone,
which
includes
an
out-of-place
speech-like
sex
advice
to
one’s
teenage
daughter.
Mostly
though,
the
narrative’s
competent
design
and
canny
timing
has
a
ball
pulling
the
rug
from
under
every
character’s
feet.
Each
phone
has
some
dirt
on
the
player
and
Khel
Khel
Mein
hits
peak
when
wickedly
rejoicing
in
its
schadenfreude.
It
even
finds
something
mildly
therapeutic
in
getting
people
their
weight
off
their
chest,
feeling
no
qualms
about
giving
clean
chits
or
sweeping
real
issues
under
the
carpet
to
make
way
for
a
Priyadarshan-style
crowds
‘n’
chases
climax.
Speaking
of
crowd,
the
chemistry
between
the
motley
bunch
works
in
fits
and
starts
but
Akshay
Kumar’s
gift
of
the
gab,
Taapsee’s
bumbling
comedienne
and
Fardeen
Khan’s
dry
wit
come
out
tops
in
this
mix.
Khel
Khel
Mein‘s
appeal
lies
in
its
frivolous
worldview.
It’s
only
when
the
movie
overexplains
its
actions
and
its
‘parda
mein
rehne
do‘
maxim,
it’s
not
fun
and
games
anymore.
Khel
Khel
Mein
Review
Rediff
Rating:
