Vicky Kaushal in a still from ‘Govinda Naam Mera’ | Photo Credit: Disney+Hotstar
in the middle govinda my name A dilapidated bungalow with many claimants, but as it turns out, the worn-out set piece becomes a metaphor for worn-out writing, which a talented ensemble cast seeks to restore by filling it with moments . A capable cast tries their best to keep the floundering boat afloat, but their efforts are drowned in a sea of superficial writing. A Dharma production, it reminds us of the absurdity of drive (2019) nowhere near being a competent driver.
After making three endearing romantic comedies, writer-director Shashank Khaitan fails to plot a comic thriller with dark undertones. There’s no doubt that Khaitan has created a bunch of colorful characters, but he struggles to create comical situations around the selfish ones. Without reliable inspirations, they remain as cardboard floating on the shallow puddles of the dull imagination of the creator.
Like Govinda (Vicky Kaushal), who is struggling to groove to the throbbing tunes of life. A budding choreographer, he is caught between a domineering wife Gauri (Bhumi Pednekar) and a demanding girlfriend Suku (Kiara Advani). Along with his stroke-survivor mother (Renuka Shahane), Govinda is locked in a court battle with his half-brother to retain their late action director father’s house.
govinda my name
the director: Shashank Khaitan
Throw: Vicky Kaushal, Kiara Advani, Bhumi Pednekar, Renuka Shahane, Sayaji Shinde and Dayanand Shetty
Order: 131 minutes
Story: Caught between a bossy wife and a smart girlfriend, charming Govinda Waghmare finds himself in a vortex of chaotic situations.
In between, a shady businessman (Sayaji Shinde) is eager to use the choreographer to launch the music video of his singer-son (Jiiva), who is more addicted to drugs than music. Add to the mix a shrewd cop (Dayanand Shetty), an undercover maid (Tripti Khamkar), and a greedy insurance agent (Viraj Ghelani) and we have the ingredients for a potent masala cookout. However, it remains a monotonous exercise.
Keen to hide more than reveal during the long build-up, Khaitan could not establish the contours of the triangle in Govinda’s love life, giving the story a promising start. Then he jokes on incompetence which doesn’t land. We expect the proceedings to finally come alive when a corpse is found lying in the drawing room of the bungalow, but he remains unconscious.
There is not a single honest moment in the film that makes you surrender to the chaos created on display. The maddening title promises some electric dance moves and music but there is hardly any current in the score. And, the tail that Khaitan keeps wrapping up in comes long after we’ve given up on a shallow enterprise with a hollow premise. Vicky and Kiara’s natural flair and infectious charm fails to influence the proceedings, and even the credible Shinde and Shahane fail to add any depth to the weak story. In the end, the title itself is the only strange thing about this strange chaos.
‘Govinda Mera Naam’ is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar