'Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video' movie review: Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri’s 'supposed' comedy crashes even before it takes off

Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Triptii Dimri, Vijay Raaz, Mallika Sherawat, Archana Puran Singh, Mukesh Tiwari, Archana Patel, Rakesh Bedi, Tiku Talsania, Ashwini Kalsekar

Director: Raaj Shaandilyaa

Language: Hindi

Three things happened before Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri’s new film Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video started. There’s a new advertisement about how tobacco consumption causes cancer that has been attached to the film’s prints. There’s no Nandu and no Akshay Kumar to entertain and irritate us before the film begins. The disclaimer says No Animal Were harmed during the making of the film, which is clear that it was written in haste. And that could also be said about the film and its supposed writing. And the third was listening to the song Papa Meri Jaan as a picture of the late Gulshan Kumar appeared. That was the only time the journalists in the auditorium gave a reaction. And for effect, this is yet another film that takes us back to the 90s so it can be rooted, a small-town comedy, and a nod to nostalgia.

To be precise, it’s 1997, and one of the key characters of the film is Archana Puran Singh, a year after her villainous turn in the 1996 blockbuster Raja Hindustani. Written and directed by Raaj Shaandilyaa, _Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video_ takes ages to reach to the point where it can justify its moniker. The jokes are hilarious only for Puran Singh or Navjot Singh Sidhu and only if Kapil Sharma or Krushna Abhishek is cracking them. The writing brims with wit only if you see the trailer. As for the film, most of it is inconsequential and inconsistent. Rao and Dimri get married in 1997 to a Kumar Sanu song that came out in 1999. Or did they marry two years after they met and get wet?

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That also brings me to the central lady of the comedy- Triptii Dimri. She’s a curious case of someone who was once underrated and is now omnipresent. Post Animal, her language of intimacy feels both forced and farce. Rajkummar Rao aggressively fires all his hysterical guns but on the wrong targets. He’s had an iconic and incredible year until he hasn’t. Ashwini Kalsekar, Tiku Talsania and Mukesh Tiwari do bring a sense of joy but these veterans look, feel, and perform better when the men behind the cameras are Priyadarshan and Rohit Shetty. It’s only Vijay Raaz and Mallika Sherawat who own the banal and puerile world Shaandilyaa has created.

But this film has no reason to exist in the 90s. It could be a film about a couple whose video goes viral on social media. But then, the makers felt hunting for a CD would make for a far more entertaining crowd pleaser with an absolute cringe reference to Rao’s own Stree. Also, Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video never earns its nostalgic fragrance. Playing those Kumar Sanu songs in the background or a montage of Vijay Raaz and Mallika Sherawat dancing to a song from Sadak isn’t enough to take us back in time. Oh yes, there’s a tired and disinterested Daler Mehndi dancing on his own song from Mrityudaata which coincidentally released in 1997. By the time this exhausting and daunting film ends, you have absolutely no idea which year the characters are in. The stale cherry on the tasteless cake is the cop out of a climax with deafening sermon on right to privacy, respecting women, and log kya kahenge. You have to (un)see it to believe it. If you miss the 90s and truly want to have a ride, watch Sharat Katariya’s heartfelt Dum Laga Ke Haisha.

Now let’s imagine the possibilities of frenzy if this atrocity actually had to exist in the 90s. Rakesh Bedi, Archana Puran Singh, and Tiku Talsania are younger, fresher, and more spotless with their timing. Govinda is the leading man and Karisma Kapoor is his heroine number one. The director is David Dhawan and Kader Khan makes a special appearance along with Shakti Kapoor roaming around in his torn underwear and speaking with a lisp. A song has become a rage as the leads dance on a Khatiya which has been mauled by the censor board. Massive controversy erupts but there’s no social media to unleash your toxic opinions. Now that’s when you truly feel nostalgic!

Rating: 1.5 (out of 5 stars)

Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Waala Video is now playing in cinemas