R. Balki‘s Ki & Ka stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Arjun Kapoor. Touted as a movie that is set to break stereotypes, it is about a marriage where the woman works and the man is the homemaker. A very simple concept that could have gone a long way.
Kareena plays the role of the ambitious, hard working woman Kia (Ki) who intimidates men. Arjun, on the other hand, plays the role of Kabir (Ka), who “doesn’t want to move forward”. He is happy where he is and aspires to be like his deceased mother – the one who looks after the household.
Ki and Ka meet on a flight, go on a few dates, fall in love and get married. Ka moves into her house where he lives with Ki and her mother. He does everything that a housewife would do. Things begin to change when Kia’s success brings to light Kabir’s job as a househusband. What follows is jealousy, fights, and rest of the drama.
Balki’s Ki & Ka starts off at a good pace but there is always something lacking. Kia wants to work, okay. Kabir doesn’t want to work, okay. But does he really have to wear a mangal sutra to prove that he’s now playing the “role” of a wife? The movie fails to keep you engaged mainly because one is not able to relate to what is happening. And I’m not talking about the role reversal, there are several other things that make you think “why?”.
Kabir has some weird interest in trains, okay. But making his home a train museum? Kia must really love him to accept the makeover he gives to the house. As a viewer, that moving train in the house was a distraction. This was just a small example of things being overdone in the movie. From the role reversal to Ki & Ka’s relationship, the script tries a bit too hard to make a point which could have been made with some more subtlety.
Kareena, as usual, looks gorgeous in the movie. She successfully fits herself into the role of Kia. While Arjun does make a great househusband and both of them do justice to what is asked of them. If there is one actor who will impress you with his small but impactful role, it’s Rajit Kapur. He plays the role of Arjun’s father who supposedly needs a “chaddi check”. Last but not the least, the cameo by the Bachchans. Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan plays themselves and with what elegance! They liven up the screen together and it’s actually one of the best parts of the movie.
On the bright side, there is some humour in the film and some curiosity to know how Ki and Ka will cope with things. But with so much lacking, there is nothing about this movie that will pull you to the theater. Of course, unless you’re a Kareena or Arjun fan. Sad that it’s releasing on April 1st because it could be the butt of some jokes.
