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Review: 'Selfiee' relies on its humor & Emraan Hashmi to do the heavy lifting while its drama falters

Fan v/s Superstar - as a concept was deep, dark & even gruesome when Shah Rukh Khan did it in the film, Fan; the situation is however entirely different except for the core equation in the film, Selfiee.

Selfiee

Selfiee

Fan v/s Superstar - as a concept was deep, dark & even gruesome when Shah Rukh Khan did it in the film, Fan; the situation is however entirely different except for the core equation in the film, Selfiee.

A remake of the 2019 Malayalam film, Driving License - the original had a rather mediocre script and relied more on the performances. Does that happen with Selfiee? Or not? Having had the chance to see the film beforehand, here's what I thought about the film-

Raj Mehta and his Signature Humor

21

This is director Raj Mehta's third film and his first being entirely different from the previous two that dealt with couple's dynamics. But the one thing that is a constant and has always worked wonders for the director is his signature humor. Somehow, in all his films, the humor is on point. Even in Selfiee, courtesy Akshay Kumar's natural ease with comedy and some witty meta lines, there are some genuinely funny situations. Even though the credit for this goes to the screenplay and dialogue writers but the staging and timing of situations that is done by director Raj Mehta is funny and even apt to the setting.

An Earnest Emraan Hashmi

23

One of the biggest joys of watching Selfiee was watching the ever reliable Emraan Hashmi in a big film. The actor is one of the most talented performers we have and his filmography in the recent past doesn't reflect the same. But here, to see him doing his best and being as earnest as he can, was such a delight. By his own, Hashmi can play a testosterone-laden swagger hero but he is entirely 'de-glammed' and plays the common man with ease and finesse. Here's hoping Selfiee and a supposed antagonist role in Tiger 3 puts him back in the big league.

Typecast Villains Finally Getting Comic Roles

Typecast Villains Finally Getting Comic Roles

What an absolute delight, it was to see the likes of Abhimanyu Singh and Meghna Malik in this film. Singh, especially is usually limited to stereotypical villainous roles in an array of films he does. However, in Selfiee, the actor gets to play a comical role and be a total buffoon. Some of the best laughs are at the expense of Singh's role and he delivers. Even Malik, apart from her hilarious line in the trailer gets some other funny situations to work on and Kumar's reciprocation. Imagine watching the terrifying Amma Ji from Laado do some situational comedy! She does and does so brilliantly.

Goes Haywire With Seriousness

45

Selfiee works best when there is fun, frolic and laughs throughout. But the moment it takes itself too seriously, the plot and its hold tumbles. The whole build-up that is intentioned in the setting is staged well and some extra background score and multiple slo-mo shots are undertaken to make sure it delivers but it doesn't land entirely. After a point, you don't quite care about and you're not entirely rooting for either of the main characters. The stakes are high but they seem forced and even the actors trying their best to make it believable doesn't end up being as impactful as they would have liked it to be.

Akshay Kumar & Rest of the Cast

45

As expected, actors Diana Penty and Nushrratt Bharuccha are just there, where Bharuccha atleast has something to work with being a middle-class homemaker with her antics. The rest of the cast that include Mahesh Thakur, Kusha Kapila (in a cameo), and child artist Neev Ahuja are well cast in their respective characters. But just like Hashmi, the film rides of superstar Akshay Kumar and his superstardom. Taking nothing away from Kumar and his three decade career where he is indeed a mega star but somehow, the aura that a character like this needed is absent from Kumar's portrayal. He is just as good as he can be but that isn't enough. His comic timing, once again saves the day and makes the entire film watchable from his character's point-of-view.

The Verdict

Selfiee works wonders when it focuses on the laughs and the buffoonery but loses itself when it chooses to meander with over the top drama and forced stakes.

Rating - *** (3/5)

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Emraan Hashmi Thumbnail

Emraan Hashmi

Akshay Kumar Thumbnail

Akshay Kumar

Diana Penty Thumbnail

Diana Penty

Nushrratt Bharuccha Thumbnail

Nushrratt Bharuccha

Raj Mehta Thumbnail

Raj Mehta

Selfiee poster

Selfiee

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