Director: Shashank Khaitan
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani, Bhumi Pednekar, Renuka Shahane, Viraj Ghelani, Amey Vagh, and others
Streaming on: Disney+Hotstar
Rating: 3 stars
Director Shashank Khaitan’s latest offering Govinda Naam Mera in a way breaks several stereotypes of the films backed by Karan Johar. Shashank, who earlier helmed Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Badrinath Ki Dulhania and Dhadak brings a film out of his comfort zone. It is experimental to the core but lacks depth. The regular chor-police drama with chaos and chase is what Govinda Naam Mera is all about.
Govinda Vaghmare (Vicky Kaushal), a small-time choreographer is in love with Sukku (Kiara Advani), who too aspires to become a famous choreographer but the biggest prick in Govinda’s life is his brash and nagging wife Gauri (Bhumi Pednekar). Amidst all of this, Govinda faces legal trouble when his step family claim the ancestral property.
Maverick filmmaker Manmohan Desai, who made successful films in the 1970s and 1980s introduced a different style of storytelling - family dramas induced with chases, drug dealing, etc. He changed definitions for his lead cast and Govinda Naam Mera is somewhat on similar lines. Govinda, a nice-hearted man with big dreams in his eyes, gets trapped in a mess from which he can’t escape. His character is grey throughout.
From dialogues and locations to BGM, the film transports you to the era that belonged to Desai. The atmosphere of the film has a stark resemblance to films like Delhi Belly, Kaalakaandi and Lootcase but the plotline could have been a lot better. The film is away from run-of-the-mill romance. It was rumoured to be a love triangle but that is not the case. Even the humour is funny but in portions.
Vicky, who we associate with more serious roles, attempts to make people laugh for the first time. Somewhere he succeeds but somewhere he falls too. His ‘taporigiri’ act looks pushy in a few scenes. Bhumi, who has less screen time, does her job well and earns brownie points for her role simply because she is a Maharashtrian originally. Kiara is watchable and reminds one of Karisma Kapoor from David Dhawan films in the 1990s.
Renuka Shahane, who spends most of her screen time in a wheelchair, is a treat to watch. Influencer-turned-actor Viraj Ghelani is confident for his first film and fits in well in the madness. Amey Wagh and Trupti Khamkar play their respective parts with sincerity. Ranbir Kapoor’s cameo just lights up the whole canvas.
Overall, Govinda Naam Mera is a trippy laugh riot with a series of surprising events, but still it is only a one-time watch.
