Govinda Naam Mera movie review: quirky, wicked, dark and funny

Govinda Naam Mera movie review

Pati, patni aur woh. Kaun tha/thi? With lots of Haa haa, hee hee. Shashank Khaitan this time stirs the David Dhawan, Aneez Bazmee comedy malt with the ice and soda of Cohen bros (Lebowski, Burn after reading type) and American Hustle ke David O. Russell jaisa in a movie jaha nahi dekha hoga Vicky Kaushal aisa.

Written-directed by Shashank Khaitan who wipes out the misfire called Dhadak with this kadak entertainer.

Smartly arranged, the rollercoaster ride of genres – romance, comedy, dark humour, mystery, whodunit, slight de noir, all do the trick.

The situational gags, the wicked shenanigans are blended with emotion, thrills and suspense which are appealing to the core.

The moments between Vicky and Bhumi, Vicky and  Kiara, Vicky and Sunny etc are the centre-point of this entertainer. The humour carroms between delightful funny to screwball and dark.

In addition, the music dance numbers – Bijli, Pappi Jhappi vibrant set pieces help significantly in creating the film’s pop culture vibe.

Performance

Undoubtedly, the warmth oozed by Vicky Kaushal is the film’s winning card; Vicky in his most commercial masala entertainer role is excellent. Great energy, spontaneity, dance moves, that emoting through eyes, effortless dialogue delivery and good use of body language. Govinda Naam Mera will see the actor Vicky Kaushal becoming an entertainer.

Bhumi Pednekar as Gauri Waghmare is sly and funny to the core.

Kiara Advani as Suku is fabulous, looks gorgeous and delivers a splendid performance.

Sayaji Shinde as Ajit Dharkar is wonderful.

Renuka Shahane as Asha Waghmare, Govinda's mother spins a surprise.

Dayanand Shetty as Inspector Javed has his moments.

Amey Wagh as Kaustubh Godbole, Govinda's friend is fantastic.

Viraj Ghelani as Baldev, Gauri's boyfriend is funny.

Jeeva (son of the dreaded villain of the retro era Ranjeet) in his debut as the weird social media obsessed junkie Sunny is a talent to look out for and is really good.

And last but not the least Ranbir Kapoor as himself in a cameo is a testimony that he will remain a charmer forever.

Flaws

The paradigm shift of the nature of certain important characters should have come with some more explanation. Sequences are planted to make the narration easy. Cinematic liberties are at will. Is an A certified so caution should be taken while watching at home.

Final words

Govinda Naam Mera is an enjoyable, dark, quirky funny entertainer, an escapist delight. A sure shot ticket to buy this weekend. Streaming on Disney + Hotstar.