At the onset, Comedy Couple starts out as a film revolving around a live-in couple that does stand-up comedy together. Fair enough. But as it progresses, you realise that this charming little film has several hidden layers that get revealed over the course of its 2-hour run. And that’s the best part about this film.
Deep (Saqib Saleem) and Zoya (Shweta Basu Prasad) are stand-up comedians and their specialty is that they always perform as a couple.
They are a riot on stage and complement each other very well. As a viewer, what strikes you the most about them is how identifiable they are. They have trouble looking for a place to move in together because landlords won’t rent to an unmarried couple. In fact, they also get almost married. Each of them has friends that the other doesn’t like. Like all couples, they have their share of lovers’ tiffs too.
It was very sensible on the part of the makers to give Deep and Zoya their individual backstories. We know why they are the way they are. Zoya has been brought up by a single mother (Pooja Bedi), while Deep has conservative parents back home who are under the impression their son is employed with an IT company.
Things get out of hand when the couple cracks a ‘gaumutra’ joke during one of their acts.
This turns into a huge controversy. A small-time political outfit gets involved, there’s also a doodhwala they are forced to apologise to and overzealous news anchors accuse them of ‘Laughter Jihad’ on national television. From this point on, the film, along with being funny and endearing, becomes quite relevant too.
This incident has repercussions on their personal lives too. Deep’s father finds out the truth about their son’s life. The couple faces fresh trouble in their relationship and then the unthinkable happens. Watch the film to find out what. We’re not telling you more.
Directed by Nachiket Samant, Comedy Couple is thoroughly entertaining.
It was a great idea to open the film with real-life comedian Anubhav Singh Bassi. It sets the stage for the rest of the film.
The film greatly benefits from Saqib Saleem and Shweta Basu Prasad’s crackling chemistry. Both of them hit all the right notes as a couple constantly caught at crossroads in their relationship. The supporting cast including Pooja Bedi, Pranay Manchanda, Aadar Malik and Jasmeet Singh Bhatia are wonderful too. A special mention for Rajesh Tailang’s deshbhakt act as Deep’s father.
Verdict
Comedy Couple is not just a delightful take on modern-day relationships, but also a film that strongly resonates with the times we live in, and for this, we’re going with 4 out of 5 stars.
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