Some spoilers ahead!
TLDR: Even Vicky Kaushal couldn’t lift “Govind Naam Mera” on his sturdy-looking shoulders.
It’s good that the film was released on Disney+ Hotstar instead of opting for a theatrical release, as I doubt anyone would have gone to the cinemas to catch this one. If you think I am being too harsh, wait till you read the rest of this review.
Let me explain the basic plot to you before I launch into a tirade against this thakela pikchar: Govinda Waghmare (Vicky Kaushal) is a background dancer in Bollywood who harbours the dream of becoming a big choreographer. He is married to Gauri (Bhumi Pednekar) and dating Sukku (Kiara Advani) at the same time, who is also a background dancer. Gauri has a boyfriend-cum-insurance agent named Baldev. She demands that Govinda pay her ₹2 crore in order to divorce her.
I could tell you more about the film, but it’s just not worth it. I realised the true potential of the fast-forward option when watching Govinda Naam Mera because this 2h 21m-long film is two hours too long.
Shashank Khaitan, the director of the film, brings in gangsters, drugs, a corrupt cop, gun, family drama and a property dispute into this already muddled up khichdi. No matter how many surprise elements he tries to throw at the audience, the film still ends up feeling like a massive dud.
If you don’t know who Khaitan is, he has previously directed other forgettable films for Dharma Productions, such as “Dhadak”, “Badrinath Ki Dulhania” and “Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania”.
The intention might have been to pay an ode to the slapstick comedy (of errors) of the late ’90s and early 2000s, but the impact is such that one is grateful for that era having long passed.
While Vicky tries his best to shine as a masala hero and succeeds in rare moments in the film, I couldn’t but help think that he should stick to roles like the ones he played in “Masaan” (2015) and “Sardar Udham” (2021).
Towards the end of the film, there is a longish exposition scene, where one of the characters explains how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. By the time I got to that part, I was so bored that I had to force myself to pay attention to what was happening on screen.
On a slightly tangential note, fans of the long-running, hit show on Sony, “C.I.D.”, might be happy to see inspector Daya make an appearance in the film. I wish I could say that he was the saving grace; he is not!
I’ll stop writing now because even this blog has started feeling like it’s longer than needed…