Good Newwz
Year: 2019
Director: Raj Mehta
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Diljeet Dosanjh, Kiara Advani

‘Trying for a baby’ is a prickly, painful scenario for the couples who wish to be parents but are unable to do so. The pressure cooker build-up surrounding that entire process is often unbearable, especially in a nosy Indian society, where having a puttar (and as a second choice- Kudi!) is considered some great achievement, and the ‘how-s’ and ‘why-s’ of that thing not happening are publicly dissected ad nauseum. The frustration (of not getting pregnant), desperation (to do that through whatever possible means) and exasperation (after failing multiple times!) often makes the couples go through serious emotional turmoil.

Good Newwz decides to give this thorny issue a comic twist and how!

What’s the plot?

It is about a costly spam (sorry- sperm!) mix-up during in-vitro-fertilization. Two couples trying for baby through IVF are left stunned when the doctors sheepishly inform them that because of sharing the same surname- (Batra!) - the sperms have been wrongly assigned in the lab. So, Mrs. Batra 1 has ended up getting the sperms of Mr. Batra 2 and vice versa! To make the matters worse, both ladies get pregnant! How will this complex scenario resolve?

Verdict

It is really a tough theme to make a comedy on; and full credit to the director Raj Mehta and the writer Jyoti Kapoor for creating such refreshingly candid comic film out of it. They also manage to keep it funny without turning into a banal mindless fare.

Even though in the end, it does go a bit senti, Good Newwz mostly stays away from the psychological exploration of the infertility and its treatment. The first half mainly trains its funny lens on the entire ‘Trying for pregnancy’ thing, and the tremendous emotional and physical toll it takes. These sequences and dialogues are hilariously insightful.

 After the revelation of the ‘mix-up’ (which is pretty much improbable in real life!), it mainly milks its laughs from the clash of the two couples’ different attitudes and approaches towards the unforeseen medical mishap.

Akshay Kumar as the suave car-sales manager and Kareena as his ambitious lawyer-cum-journalist wife share a perfect screen chemistry and especially Akshay is brilliant in his comic timing.

The second Batras, played by Diljeet Dosanjh and Kiara Advani, enter late into the film but they bring a zany energy and rustic sweet simplicity. As the high-flying, high-tech IVF specialists- Adil Hussain and Tisca Chopra add to the fun.

A watchable comedy that manages a humorous take on a touchy topic!

Rating

3 stars