Odd Couple review: Vijay Raaz and Divyendu Sharma even out the odd bits in this urban comedy

3/5

STORY:
The lives of two couples take a drastic turn owing to a mixup at the registrar’s office. This one’s heavy on emotions, and tender on love.

REVIEW:
Visualise this for a brief while: You are consumed by that otherwise elusive emotion called love, in the company of your beloved; you two have tied the knot after all, and boom… your older neighbour ends up being the spouse, legally! The mix-up of marriage certificates—Piyush (Divyendu Sharma) was to marry his live-in girlfriend Nivedita (Pranati Rai Prakash), while his much-older neighbour Nibedita (Suchitra Krishnamurthy) found love again in her ex-husband (Vijay Raaz) and had given their relationship a second chance—leads to at-times hilarious, at-times heartwarming chain of events. 

Writer-director Prashant Johari’s take on a serious legal fiasco, and the subsequent mayhem that ensues, is candidly complex. And of all the things that stand out in this post-modern relationship-based conundrum, the film’s realistic representation of urban Indian couples—and the hindrances that they face in their day-to-day lives—make it relatable and oh-so-lovely for the audience. Much like most of Mumbai, Johari juxtaposes rich against the poor, privileged against the outsiders (trying to blend in); and reiterates that in love, what was once broken can be mended… in due course of time.

Call it fate or just the unfortunate fact that this film is not the brainchild of a flashy production house, Odd Couple suffers mediocrity. Of course, Raaz and Sharma do their bit to elevate the script like any seasoned actor would, but, to be honest, something’s amiss here. Krishnamurthy, who has graced the OTT space with her ever-confident presence, is personable from the get-go. The same, however, cannot be said about starlet Pranati Rai Prakash. She, partly because of the self-imposed pressure to be at par with her co-stars, cracks and crumbles. The glam quotient, of course, stays intact. Acting chops? Not so much. 

Odd Couple is one of those films that is off to a stupendous start, with a lukewarm middle and a just-above-average end. But, having said that, it never makes the humongous mistake of taking itself too seriously. Hence, limited (read: doable) melodrama and an absolute gyaan-free narrative. 

After a long day at work, a two-hour-long comedy, such as this, seems like the right way to close shop.

VERDICT:
I would recommend this to anyone who’s a fan of Vijay Raaz and Divyendu Sharma’s near-perfect comic timing.