Happy Patel review: Vir Das` absurd comedy redefines Bollywood spy genre

With his directorial debut, Vir Das rewrites the rules of the Bollywood spy genre, turning it into a laugh-riot. 

Bollywood spies, whether it`s Salman Khan in all 3 Tiger movies or Shah Rukh Khan in Pathan, are macho, hyper-masculine men with toned six-pack abs, a perspicacious intellect and a larger-than-life, melodramatic love story.

But then, in enters Happy Paisley-Smith (Vir Das), the adopted son of two of Britain`s greatest spies, who is, with his bumbling, blundering ways, to put it mildly, an utter failure at being a spy. Happy is fond of cooking and ballet, and dances to `I am an Alpha Male` while making his signature recipes, inverting every archetype of a Bollywood spy. Not only has he failed the MI-6 test 7 times, but he also doesn`t realise he`s Indian until he accidentally overhears his dads. 

The movie opens with a flashback sequence in Panjore, Goa. Jimmy (Aamir Khan), the Don of Goa, chases British spies (named Agents Tea and Crumpets – yes, seriously) on a mission, screaming for the British to get out of India. A gunfight ensues, with a bullet hitting Aamir as well as a maid, Sakhubai (Sumukhi Suresh), in the crossfire. A dying Aamir`s daughter (Mona Singh) vows to continue his legacy and become the next Don, while the spies take in the maid`s infant son (Vir Das) and raise him in London.

The story begins when Happy, discovering his Indian roots, volunteers for a dangerous, high-profile rescue mission in Goa to return to his homeland. As his mission unfolds, you quickly realise that this is a film in which anything goes. The narrative constantly switches between playing out as a gangster actioner, a romantic comedy, and an emotional tale of an NRI finding his roots.

Vir Das fits right into this absurd world. His Happy is `Khatarank` only in name, indiscreet and easy to distract, but wins you over with his earnestness. He speaks British-accented English and Hindi with finesse, mispronouncing the correct word to elicit titters. Mona Singh, as the lady Don, Mama, who itches for Happy`s blood, is criminally underutlised, but delivers the required ruthlessness when shooting bullets, slicing fingers and serving poisoned cutlets.

Mithila Palkar, as the dancer Rupa, also makes the most of her unimpactful role. Her romance with Vir Das is playful and breezy, and it injects energy into the film. Rapper Srushti Tawade is delightful in her debut role as 16-year-old tech expert Roxy, who gets to have the funniest reactions to Happy`s addlepated statements.

Imran Khan plays International supermodel Milind Morea (a cheeky portmanteau of Milind Soman and Dino Morea). His cameo is a highlight, peppered with meta-references. An action sequence, when Imran and Vir fly past each other, lead to thunderous laughter from the audience. 

However, the comedy does not always land, especially faltering in the second half. A lot of Happy`s comedic dialogues hinge on puns; courtesy of his broken Hindi, he often ends up using double-entendres. His parody of DDLJ`s Shah Rukh Khan begins to grate on the nerves after a while. Setting-wise, it conflates Mumbai and Goa to be the same, and Mona Singh, as the stereotypical Goan, must end each sentence with `Man`. Three stern Marathi policewomen who high-five after each dialogue are also plain unfunny. There is a paper-thin pretense of calling out fairness creams.

Nevertheless, the film makes it clear that it is only a comedy and must be enjoyed that way; there is no depth to any of it. It is fast-paced, loping along, gag after gag, which culminate in an extremely goofy and unexpected climax, replete with more cameos and spoofs. Though nowhere close to Delhi Belly`s experimental and audacious comedy, Happy Patel Khatarnak Jasoos is quirky and amusing enough to entertain.