Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video review: ‘If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.’ Posters with philosophical quotes like these are available at every nook and corner today in markets. The next time you’re out for shopping, look closely at a few more, because it turns out they are indeed true. I am thankful to Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video for enlightening me. 

This comedy is akin to a roller coaster which has you screaming with delight as it goes up. And after a thrilling high, it suddenly starts dropping. The brakes fail, and it only stops with an ugly crash.

What's it about

‘Work of fiction inspired by true events’- reads the disclaimer, before we are transported to Rishikesh of 1997. Vicky (played by Rajkummar Rao), a quick-witted mehendi artist, wants to get married to Vidya (played by Triptii Dimri), who has completed her MBBS. They eventually do, and ditch their family’s gift of a Vaishno Devi trip for their own plans of honeymooning in Goa. Vicky has a clipping of a newspaper article which claims that American couples record themselves having sex and it helps their married life. He convinces Vidya to do the same. All is fine until the very next day, when their house is robbed and their TV system is gone, complete with their sex tape. Running parallel is a track involving Vicky’s sister Chanda (Mallika Sherawat) and the investigating officer in the robbery case (Vijay Raaz). Do they find their CD? The answer is not so simple.

What works

Right off the bat: VVKWWV begins brilliantly. Every single punch line lands, and it’s a laugh riot. Just when you thought Stree 2 was the funniest film of the year, here comes a film within two months promising to match that same humour. But… remember the first line of this review? It all seems too good to be true. And it indeed is the case with this Raaj Shaandilya directorial.

What doesn't work

The first hour, I suspect, is directed by another person, and the rest by an amateur who has been given directorial duties for the first time. The writing team (Raaj Shaandilya and Yusuf Ali Khan) has got it all wrong. From a story which was so full of heart and didn’t lose pace for a minute initially, it soon disintegrates by devoting needless time to sub-plots- from their househelp falling for Vijay Raaz’s character, to a local politician's sex tape racket, to a pushtaini talwar (family heirloom sword), to a nosy photographer who’s flirting with Chanda… you lose interest. By the end of it, you desperately want the bloody CD to be found so that you can go home.

Performance report card

Rajkummar as Vicky unfortunately has the same trajectory as we have seen in many films for him. He’s so good at making you laugh with his comic timing. But the story and direction let him down as well. It’s one of his rare performances that irritates you after a point. Triptii Dimri as Vidya is better here after the blot that was Bad Newwz. She’s okayish, and bearable. Alas, she sort of disappears in the larger scheme of things. Tiku Talsania as Vicky’s grandfather is passable. Vijay Raaz tries to make a mediocre script work (he dances!), and Mallika Sherawat is wasted in her role. Ashwini Kalsekar's character makes zero difference to the story, and it's a shame that an actor of her calibre has been reduced to playing such parts.

The worst role however belongs to Stree here. Yes, the ghost from the Maddock Horror Universe, in which Rajkummar (again) had played a character called Vicky. What were the makers of VVKWWV actually thinking? That entire supernatural sequence is a disaster. I felt second hand embarrassment for everyone associated with this film at that point, because it doesn't fit. I would have praised it had the VFX been decent. The budget, however, seems to have been spent on getting as many character actors on board as possible, rather than improving the quality of the project. Archana Puran Singh’s character had potential, which remains untapped.

The music by Sachin Jigar works in the situations, yet nothing stands out. Daler Mehndi is back with Na Na Na Na Na Re, which might have sounded like a great idea on paper. But the film gets so out of hand, I wish someone had told ‘Na Re’ to the makers when they were making this film suffering from an identity crisis.

At the end, we are told ‘Vicky Vidya will be back’. I hope they don’t.

Read Also: Sushmita Sen bows down before idol as she visits Durga Puja pandal with Rohman Shawl, daughter Alisah. Watch

HOW DID YOU LIKE THIS ARTICLE? CHOOSE YOUR EMOTICON !