Wild Wild Punjab
Introduction
When you are welcomed in a film by a character coaxing a female to sleep with him, all in the name of comedy it is problematic. But when the same character uses the same trick to sleep with other women, it is even more problematic. Further still if that character advises his friend who has been cheated in his relationship to go to her wedding and call it quits, it is the Luv Ranjan universe! These scenes have a level of dichotomy tagged to them even as the makers wish that you analyze the film keeping your morals aside. But if you have an existing dichotomy simmering in the universe, passing off gags which are problematic all in the name of comedy, then it is an issue. I am all for films with bromance or even having complicated flawed characters grace the screen like those in Animal and Kabir Singh(or even Luv Ranjan’s Pyaar Ka Punchnama franchise), but atleast there should be some form of consistency in the writing that justifies the action of the characters. But then the film is Wild Wild Punjab, a drama being the bastard child of Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Fukrey, The Hangover and the recently released Madgaon Express that seemingly may have participated in a foursome! So while there is no room for logic, I still ventured into the film to atleast have a fair share of laughs from the film. The laughs were there but few and far between! But then does Wild Wild Punjab which is streaming on Netflix, still manage to impress, let’s find out.
Story & Screenplay
Wild Wild Punjab follows the misadventures of four friends who wish to take a trip through the bylanes of Punjab to trigger a closure in relationship of one of them, who has been cheated by his girlfriend and is getting married. Even though the premise here might be seemingly absurd wherein the thought of the foundation of the film being so frivolous may cross your mind, I did think that the story did have the right kind of wacky moments to evoke a sense of laughter. But unfortunately, the writing is so scattered apart from being problematic with its humour that it will make you cringe in a few places. The bromance as a genre might be a wild ride on the outside but there are genuine heartfelt moments which can be wonderously tapped if the writing isn’t superficial. And that is the exact ingredient that is missing in Wild Wild Punjab that just wishes to be frivolous while only momentarily extracting the bromance ingredient, something that was hidden as an underlying layer here. The screenplay standing at 110 minutes is a little meandering but the gags just don’t land the way they ought to have. While the initial attempt at extracting humour was problematic, the loud tone of the drama never lets the gags land almost through and through. And that did not spell good news for the film which was a comedy at its core.
The drama here is quick to introduce you to the main characters, one being a playboy(which is fine but the girl cheating isn’t), the second one being a timid father-fearing lad, the third being broken and depressed in love and the fourth being his car-loving person filled with bravado. The first attempt at humour is straight out of the Pyaar Ka Punchnama universe, where women bashing is the easiest way to make a man laugh. This, apart from their weird character names like Rajesh Khanna and Mr Honey Singh that have no relation to the plot of the film. And since this is a bromance film, the writing should have spent a little more time in exploring the relationship between the boys instead of directly jumping into the main plot whose foundation was built on a frivolous incident of sorts(I mean why would you travel for 3 hours just to tell a girl that it is over especially when she doesn’t want you in her life, self respect hai ya nahi?). And what follows are conflicts in the form of subplots from The Hangover and Madgaon Express that totally miss the mark.
There is a reason why this brand of humour is problematic, apart from the misogynistic jokes that the drama has to offer. You have a character here that is in depression and defeated in love but if gags are made on it on the lines of ‘Blade Se Kaat, Nahi Knife Is Better’, then I am sorry this ain’t funny. Notice the difference in treatment in say a Madgaon Express wherein the character of Divyendu has his own share of vulnerabilities that is treated with sensitivity even in a drama that was a mad-hatter comedy. The difference is in the treatment, particularly here where the drama is almost content with being frivolous be it a character randomly marrying a stranger while drunk, or the gang helping one of their friends to flee from jail even as the cops disappear randomly from the station after a hoax phone call. All in the name of humour which didn’t even coax me to laugh, and seemed so loud with its tone. The fault also lay with the stereotypes of characters that didn’t spike the drama by breaking the shackles of predictability. Almost all characters were confined to their own traits which didn’t quite bring out the wild side of the drama.
Films on friendship often have subplots that would explore the dynamics in the group often in situations that are funny but also intended with a certain sense of purpose. But that subplot was missing even as the misadventures continue as do the characters on the road. But amidst this, an unexpected bout of laughter did actually transpire in a chase sequence featuring a shootout wherein a character dials another character to help him use the gun, and the other character obliges. The twist was that none of them were aware that both of them were part of the same chase. That little sequence was downright hilarious and a breath of fresh air. Sadly though, that sequence was short lived and the writing only went downhill from there – being so convenient that everything just happens to fall in place. The random and abrupt ending was a testimony to the writing, and the kind of ‘Raita’ it had spread throughout the film. The screenplay just misses the mark.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are loud and borderline cringe worthy, all packaged to make you laugh even as it failed to move a single muscle on my face. The music is adequate and atleast goes well with the mood of the drama. The BGM isn’t memorable and is far too stereotypical for a film like this. Even in 2024 if you are introducing Punjabi comedic notes to aide the comedy, then it just stale, not funny but simply just stale. The cinematography is wacky and atleast does its bit in complimenting the wacky tone of the drama with frames that capture the essence of the drama effectively, coupled with some interesting bits of lighting. The editing is shoddy particularly in the backend of the drama wherein random events are just combined in a single setting, that too out of nowhere. The flow in the drama is severely missing. Director Simarpreet Singh does well in the world building with respect to the surroundings, but lacks in characterization and almost misses the humour element in the drama completely. The direction needed a little polish to completely shine with the intended humour in the drama.
Performances
The performances in the film work well although certain actors are fast getting typecast in similar roles. Of all the cast members, the one actor that stood out for me was Anjum Batra who is honestly blessed with an incredible sense of comedy. His gun-chase sequence was downright hilarious and a large chunk of the credit does go to him for extracting humour seamlessly. The veterans Rajesh Sharma and Gopat Datt are decent here although the writing doesn’t fully allow them to shine. Patralekhaa has her moments to shine and she does a good job. Ishita Raj looks pretty and is just about decent with her act. Jassie Gill as Jain is such an underwritten character which is largely underutilized and just doesn’t get enough moments to shine. Manjot Singh as Mr Honey Singh does a good job but he is fast getting typecast in similar kind of roles(only looking rich won’t make him any different from his character in Fukrey). Sunny Singh as Arora is actually exceptional and does tremendously well with his performance and expressions. His comic timing is also pretty good and it reflects well in that gun-chase sequence. Varun Sharma is such a curious case because whatever he does, the filmmakers give him roles similar to ‘Choocha’ from Fukrey. Can an actor be so typecast that he just cannot break free from his onscreen image? It is really baffling because Varun still does an excellent job here as Khanna. And he is generally a good actor too but just not choosing the right kind of scripts(or not being offered such scripts). Filmmakers are you listening? Please allow an actor like him to break his image of Choocha, enough of the same kind of roles!
Conclusion
Wild Wild Punjab is the b*stard child of Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Fukrey, The Hangover and the recently released Madgaon Express that seemingly may have participated in a f**rsome! In fact, the gags are loud and so few and far between that the title of the film ought to have been ‘Loud Loud Punjab’. While I am all for such films to be made, the writing really needs to be sharper while the focus shouldn’t just be on being frivolous. This drama and its brand of comedy is a swing and a miss for me. Available on Netflix.
