Rahu Ketu Review: 

Rahu Ketu crams in a clumsy social commentary on corruption and social evils, along with flashy dance numbers, trying to do everything and too much all at once, before ending up as khichdi, notes Mayur Sanap.

Early in Rahu Ketu, a frustrated character, who also happens to be a writer, shouts, ‘Hume kahani banani hain, khichdi nahin!‘

It’s a line that ends up feeling oddly prophetic. For a comic caper banking on the popular Fukrey pair of Varun Sharma and Pulkit Samrat, it’s disappointing how quickly Rahu Ketu goes off track.

The comedy falls apart almost right away, turning into a mumbo-jumbo that leaves you watching the so-called humour with a straight face.Rahu Ketu fumbles its potential

To be fair, the concept of Rahu Ketu isn’t bad on paper. It sets out to tell the story of two bumbling misfits who stumble from one misadventure to another. Think of chaos-driven comedies like Dhamaal, Golmaal, or Bhagam Bhag.

A plot driven by foolhardy characters and spiralling confusion is usually comic gold, and here, it is layered with a fantasy touch drawn from mythological lore, as indicated in the title.

Varun Sharma plays Rahu, while Pulkit Samrat is Ketu. I wondered if they were Rahul and Ketan. But no, those are their names straight out. The literal human forms of their names appear at regular intervals, one painted blue and the other red, in a silly nod to red and blue pills from The Matrix.

The two are inseparable best friends, notorious for creating chaos in Kullu, where the townsfolk believe they bring nothing but bad luck. The young lads claim their mischief isn’t random, but guided by an invisible force.

A twist arrives in the form of Foofaji (Piyush Mishra, sporting an Osho-like look), who narrates the mythological lore of Rahu and Ketu to his nephew, Churu Lal (Manu Rishi Chadha).

Churu Lal writes the destinies of various characters in his magical book, Atrangi Kahaniyaan, linking their fates to the antics of Rahu and Ketu.

Among these characters are fiery Meenu (Shalini Pandey), whom Rahu falls for; a meek policeman Bansi (Sumit Gulati), who has a crush on Meenu; a corrupt officer (Amit Sial); and a drug kingpin (Chunky Panday) chasing Meenu. Amid the chaos, Rahu Ketu crams in a clumsy social commentary on corruption and social evils, along with flashy dance numbers, trying to do everything and too much all at once, before ending up as khichdi.

Rahu Ketu is just not funny

Writer-director Vipul Vig, who previously scripted the Fukrey films, leans on the same tried-and-tested formula, but Rahu Ketu takes it too far with its reckless, over-the-top humour.

Instead of chuckling, or even cracking a smile, we are left staring blankly at the film, bombarded with a string of puerile jokes like murgi ka dil, billi ke baal, ghode ki poonch that our leads throw out like a punchline, without a hint of joke.

Varun Sharma and Pulkit Samrat are utterly inefficient, and their comedic chemistry is reduced to a frustratingly lacklustre effect, proving that Fukrey was a rare fluke.

Shalini Pandey, with a weird influence of Alia Bhatt in her dialogue delivery, focuses more on sexy dance moves than the spark her firecracker role demands. It’s especially obvious in the song sequences, where she looks great, but her sloppy lip-sync is laughably bad.

The real tragedy is seeing talents like Piyush Mishra, Amit Sial and Manu Rishi Chaddha punch far below their weight with idiotic gags involving them screaming, getting hurt, slapping around in amateurish roles.

By the time the credits roll, you feel numb and utterly joyless. The word ‘comedy’ feels painfully ironic.

Key Points

• Rahu Ketu marks the fifth collaboration between Pulkit Samrat and Varun Sharma.
• Vipul Vig makes his directorial debut after scripting the Fukrey franchise, which also starred Pulkit Samrat and Varun Sharma in key roles.
• The film has an appealing premise, but its over-the-top humour fails to deliver the enjoyment expected from a comedy.

Rahu Ketu Review  * *