(Starring : Kartik Aaryan, Bumi Pednekar, Ananya Panday, Aparshakti Khurana, Sunny Singh, Directed by : Mudassar Aziz )
Based on the film of the same name which was released way back in 1978, directed by B.R.Chopra, in which Sanjeev Kumar plays the central character who begins an affair with his secretary after winning her sympathy when he concocts a story about his wife suffering from terminal cancer. This version is almost a rehearse of the old one except for the fact that the protagonist constructs a different story to win over the beautiful-looking client.
What makes this film different is that the female characters are not shown as ‘weak’ ones who will blindly accept the wrong-doings of the protagonist, rather, they are modern, spirited and far from melodramatic. The director places the story in the Kanpur-Lucknow sub-urban belt of Uttar Pradesh instead of focussing on big metros, so that he can get the opportunity to bring texture and local flavour to the dialogues and humour (which are in aplenty), while hinting at the sexual liberation that is taking place in the small cities.
Bhumi Pednekar, as the much-married wife of the central character, Vedika, gives a spirited performance from the word go. The first scene where she confronts Kirtak’s character for the first time, before they are married, Vedika speaks candidly about her ex-boyfriend, and when asked about her hobbies, she replies “mujhe sex bohat pasand hai” ! Bhumi infuses into the character a women-of-the-world realness and intelligence. When she learns of her husband’s infidelity, she does not scream or create a scene. Without being melodramatic, she quietly leaves her house.
The other character whose winning performance will definitely last in the memories is that of Aparshakti Khurana who plays Chintu’s best friend, Faheem Rizvi. Armed with the best of one-liners in the film, the actor mouths them in spontaneity. Kartik Aryan, sporting a moustache throughout the film, is a pale comparison of the great Sanjeev Kumar, but does his job admirably.
Pati Patni Aur Woh is a light and simplistic film that is made to be enjoyed without being too judgemental about it. It has a lot of gags and moments that you will take home from the theatre. I’m going with three out of five for Pati Patni aur Woh. Don’t give it a miss.