So It Goes:
With advances in technology, the invasion of privacy that takes place in Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, would be more likely today. But Raaj Shaandilyaa seemed determined to pay a tribute to the 90s, so then a CD it is, with a private sex video,that over the course of the film seems to acquire a life of its own. Kumar Sanu gets honorable mention, Daler Mehndi makes an appearance, Sunil Shetty duplicates drop by, and some music of the era is used too.
The film is set in 1997 Rishikesh, which was, in Uttar Pradesh you are informed, since Uttarakhand did not exist. A detail as gratuitous as the leading lady’s profession—she is a doctor, but is never seen in a medical set up. Vidya (Triptii Dimri) marries her childhood admirer Vicky (Rajkummar Rao), when her engagement to a lawyer is broken off due to his antics. He is a mehndiwala, and unlike his bride, he is actually seen at work.
Right at the start, the comedy hits the loud notes, when people rattle off pages of dialogue when a line would do, and every character seems to have a weird look or quirk. Vicky’s grandfather (Tiku Talsania) has one clear lens on his spectacles and one black, Vidya’s mother (Archana Puran Singh) wears a silly bonnet and speaks funny because she always has paan masala in her mouth, a random kid in the household lisps f instead of s, and the help has the same name, Chanda, as Vicky’s sister (Mallika Sherawat, still flogging her sex symbol image!), just to cause some needless confusion. The sister, incidentally, keeps eloping and coming back home, boasting that a whistle would fetch her any number of admirers.
On their honeymoon in Goa, Vicky persuades Vidya to make a video of their wedding night, which they could watch later to spice up their sex life. A thief steals the video player with the CD inside, among other objects from Vicky’s house, Which brings the inept inspector Laadle (Vijay Raaz) into the film, more to flirt with Chanda (the sister, not the help). More useless info—he cannot sit because he has piles, so keeps his juniors standing too.
Vicky is too scared to tell Vidya that the CD has gone missing, and tries to trace it himself, which, for a very short while, actually sparks some humour into the film – scenes like his visit to the chor bazaar of the town—and then Shaandilyaa runs out of ideas completely. The film gets increasingly absurd, and not in a nice way. Too many characters flit in with nothing to do except try hard to be funny. There’s a whole painful segment in a cemetery, with a malevolent female spirit, as a nod to Stree and the current horror hits.
Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video goes on for far too long (152 minutes), the tone shifts from comedy (such as it is) to melodrama and a cringeworthy monologue by Vicky that ought not to have been written, leave aside included in a film. Every actor must have been told they must ham because that’s what comedians do, right? Tripti Dimrii is relatively new, but Rajkummar Rao’s career was on a high, and this film could only be seen as a blip on his graph. Shaandilyaa’s filmography includes the two successful Dream Girl films, crude comedies, but also crowd pleasing. The topical subject of this film is wasted for lack of imagination and still, in the end, there is a promise (threat?) of the return of Vicky and Vidya. Maybe the next time round, they will have the sense to eject the CD from the player!
(This piece first appeared in scroll.in)
