Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay Movie Review: In recent years, movies set in small villages, particularly in northern India, have been exploring stories that pit modernity against deeply ingrained conservative beliefs and the peculiarities that come with them. Using the tradition and the modern side by side often results in captivating narratives. However, these storylines become unbearable when their pattern is not handled carefully and is instead presented in an antiquated repetitive fashion.
But once in a while comes a film so disarming, you can’t help but look beyond the contrivances and submit yourself to its infectious charm. Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay, which marks the acting debut of singer Guru Randhawa and also features Saiee Manjrekar in the lead, is a crowd-pleaser that checks all the Bollywood boxes — there’s romance, drama, revenge, song-and-dance. Directed by Ashok G, the film also features Anupam Kher, Ila Arun, and Paresh Ganatra among others.
Heer (Randhawa) belongs to a business family who run a chain of sweet shops. His grandfather (Kher) has a dream of getting him married and Iraa (Manjrekar) is in love, to escape familial pressure, they decide to tie the knot with Heer pledging to support Iraa’s IAS aspirations. However, a misunderstanding leads both families to believe that they’re expecting a child.
The director along with the writing team serves up a first hour that’s light and breezy. Much humor is mined from the exchanges and banters among the family members. To be fair, the film is peppered with hilarious one-liners, and the filmmaker delivers an authentic portrait of small-town India, complete with characters that are rooted in the milieu. My favorite among these was Heer’s devoted best friend Pappi, played amazingly well by Paritosh Tripathi who gets some of the best one-liners.
It’s the second-half curse that the film suffers from. Kuch Khattaa Ho Jaay. Although a lot is going on in the film – a melodramatic twist, along with many clichés and a predictable end– admittedly the plot weakens post-intermission. Even the songs are abrupt and obstruct the narrative. The happy climax looks more like a rushed send-off than a true resolution to a relationship that quickly veers into a chaotic web of irrevocable wrongdoings, and many dramatic passages are done in the spirit of desi soap opera. Full marks to the dialogue writer who keeps things light despite all the melodrama. What also works in the favour of the film is the crisp runtime of two hours and six minutes.
What keeps you engaged despite the rather implausible plot riddled with misunderstandings is some really good performances. Guru Randhawa makes a confident debut in front of the camera. There is a lot of room for improvement when it comes to his dialogue delivery, but the actor puts his best foot forward. Saiee Manjrekar exudes charm and simplicity, thus complementing Randhawa perfectly.
All the habitually competent actors including Anupam Kher, Ila Arun, and Atul Shrivastav, along with cameos from Brijendra Kala and Brahmanandam do their bit efficiently and are impressive. It is because of them that the film doesn’t seem dragged in the second half.
The film could have been much better than it eventually turned out to be. But if you don’t mind watching a modest family drama that is peppered with the right ingredients, give this one a shot. Choose what you wish to eat while watching it. Popcorn or something Khatta!
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