‘Govinda Naam Mera’ Movie Review: Vicky Kaushal-Bhumi Pednekar-Kiara Advani’s Murder Mystery Wins You With A Killer Climax

Director: Shashank Khaitan

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Bhumi Pednekar, Kiara Advani, Sayaji Shinde, Renuka Shahane, Dayanand Shetty, Amey Wagh, Girish Oak, Jeeva Ranjeet, Viraj Ghelani, Wilson Tiger, Veenah Naair, Akshay Gunawat, Trupti Khamkar

Available On: Disney+ Hotstar

Duration: 2 Hours 11 Minutes

‘Govinda Naam Mera’: Story

The very charming Govinda Waghmare, a background dancer, juggles his time and love between his wife Mrs. Waghmare and his girlfriend in this dose of chaos, confusion, and laughter. While he is trying to get a divorce from his wife in order to get married to his girlfriend, he is also trying to sell his ancestral property which is worth crores. Sadly, the property also has got the eyes of his evil stepbrother and stepmother. Will he be able to take his disabled mother out of all this mess? Will he be able to save himself from a cop who’s behind his life for some money that he had borrowed? Will he be able to finally shoot a music video for a gangster’s son? Will he be able to become a choreographer for a Ranbir Kapoor movie? Well, for all that you’ll have to watch the film.

‘Govinda Naam Mera’: Performances

Vicky Kaushal has to date been performing high intense or chocolate boy roles. This is a notch above. He finally breaks the good boy stereotype and comes up with a performance that aamchi Mumbai local. He revels in a performance that’s raw and he has managed to grab that local Mumbai dialect with utter perfection. Even though Kaushal doesn’t disappoint, the role seems to be more suited for a Govinda, of the 1990s, sort of performance, which would have suited much better on Varun Dhawan.

Bhumi Pednekar gets a raw deal. Despite starting off in the movie with a killer opening scene, she somehow vanishes for most of the movie. Only in the climax do you get to know why she has a lesser screen space, but till then you’re left wondering why such a talented actress has been utterly wasted in a role that didn’t have too much meat to hold onto.

Kiara Advani gets the best role among the three leads. Her character has a perfect balance of a bubbly girl next door coupled with sinister charm. Initially, you just feel that she is there just as eye candy, but as soon as the movie enters the second half, you get to see that there’s way more to her character than you can imagine. Advani pulls off twist after twist and makes sure that her character ends up being the most memorable among the three leads.

Viraj Ghelani may have had just a few scenes, but the widely popular Instagram star has made the most of it. It’s his innocence that people love in his reels, and he carries the same innocence even here. Despite being a small character, it wouldn’t be bad to see a spin-off of his character – a life insurance agent who also doesn’t hesitate to turn sinister when need be.

Also, Renuka Shahane is killer fun. Even though you can predict from the start about her disability, you still love the way she takes offence when people talk about her acting skills or calls her aunty. It’s a shame that filmmakers in today’s time don’t have enough roles for an actress of her calibre, otherwise, it would have been lovely to see her in more movies or shows.

Special mention to Shashank Khaitan who plays a property builder to utter perfection. The bald look, the jewellery, and the kickass aggression simply take the cake away. He may have just a few blink-and-miss appearances in the movie, but he has absolutely nailed it in those scenes.

‘Govinda Naam Mera’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects

Shashank Khaitan had a winner of a plot at hand. It was filled with twists and turns at every corner. But sadly, the very first corner reaches a bit too late. The first half drags making you wonder what the film is actually about. He spent quite a long time in establishing the characters of Vicky Kaushal and Kiara Advani and their romance. But reducing that a bit, he could have added a bit more about Bhumi Pednekar and Vicky Kaushal’s daily husband-wife fights. The opening scene with the domestic fight was kickass and as the audience, you feel cheated not having got to see more of that cat-and-mouse dynamic between Bhumi Pednekar and Vicky Kaushal.

Shashank Khaitan’s writing is so layered when you see the climax. It’s killer! However, had he maintained that charisma of the characters in the first half also, or at least sprinkled a few sparks here and there, it would have made for a more wholesome script. But the way he has described the climax makes you come out happy.

Vidhushi Tiwari’s cinematography is nothing to rave about. The old-world charm that she has tried to bring out by showing the dilapidated building, doesn’t come out that well. The bungalow being a prime prop in the entire film, should have had more role to play in the storyline. Also, some of the night scenes and the indoor scenes don’t seem to be that well-lit.

The editing by Charu Shree Roy could have been a lot crisper. The first half could have been cut a bit and maybe a bit more of the husband-wife dynamic could have been shown so as to establish the hatred between the two. Sadly, that never gets established as to why the two hate each other so abjectly. The climax is very crisp and taut and makes for a perfect finish to the film.

Meet Bros, Tanishk Bagchi, B Praak, Sachin–Jigar and Rochak Kohli have provided the songs. To say the least, none of the songs creates an impression that lasts too long. The remake of Harrdy Sandhu’s song ‘Kya Baat Haii 2.0’ is the pick of them all. Rochak Kohli’s ‘Hello’ is the only other song that creates a bit of an impression, that too only for Gurpreet Saini’s lyrics.

‘Govinda Naam Mera’: Can Kids Watch It?

Yes

Outlook’s Verdict

‘Govinda Naam Mera’ saves itself with a killer climax. While some of the twists you figure out along the way, a few of those twists when they come in the climax, you’re really left with a feeling of immense satisfaction. Sadly, the first half of the film drags a bit too much and might make audiences not want to cling on till the climax for everything to unfold. Despite its shortcomings, ‘Govinda Naam Mera’ is indeed a good One-Time Watch. I am going with 3 stars.