Rahu Ketu review: Pulkit Samrat's mythological comedy is refreshing but mildly funny and deeply incoherent

Helmed by Fukrey fame Vipul Vig,  Rahu Ketu is a classic case of too many ingredients spoiling a broth!

Indian mythology and folklore are a treasure trove of rich stories and our filmmakers leave no stone unturned to utilize them to their full potential. With some creative liberties, VFXs and relevant plots, writers have time and again flown these celestial characters down to the mortal world on-screen and offered a joy-ride filled with life lessons and ancient wisdom aimed atleast at introspection, if nothing at all! Keeping in line with the formula, writer and director Vipul Vig, who also penned the Fukrey franchise, presented the audience with Rahu Ketu, a mythological comedy that reimagines the celestial figures as karma vigilantes, which is refreshing in its approach but outdated in its execution. 

Rahu Ketu follows the story of two men named after the shadow planets that influence human desires and spirituality. However, the characters essayed by Varun Sharma and Pulkit Samrat, aren't humans, but creations of a writer (Manu Rishi Chadha) and hisfakir uncle (Piyush Mishra) possesses a mystical book that turns everything written in it into reality. It’s a meaty premise that had the potential to deliver chaotic fun, interesting plot developments and character arcs but failed to translate into anything substantial or consistently entertaining. 

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Set in the Himalayas, the film opens on a nostalgic note as Mishra’s character Foofa explains the legend behind Rahu and Ketu through a puppet show and a quirky folklorish song that introduces you to the film’s whimsical world without taking much time. An AI heavy sequence showcasing Samudra Manthan and the origin of the spiritual forces fill up the screen post which we are transitioned to the ‘writers room’ where Manu Rishi Chadha’s character is grappling with his inner-turmoils and frustrations of a writer who possesses power to spearhead some change in his home-state mired by drug peddlers and corrupt officials - an element that also subtly conveys the many plights and powers that a writer bears in real life. The jokes and meta-references assigned to him deliver some hearty satires that ground the film in a bit of realism and depth. 

Our affable but slow-witted protagonists - Rahu and Ketu, who are creations of the well-meaning writer, are often shown wreaking havoc in the city as they are designed to punish its corrupt residents. These scenes, mixed with sequences of the duo, depicted as the actual deities every time they are bringing the wrong-does to the justice, offer decent visuals, peppy background score and scattered laughs with slapstick moments and zesty punchlines. But despite their best efforts and phenomenal chemistry, the two fail to salvage this uneven screenplay or undercooked narrative arcs. The scenes pick a promising rhythm every now and then, but the writing doesn't let most of the sequences deliver a consistently entertaining ride as a whole.  

The film carries the soul of Fukrey but just doesn't get its humor and story beats right! The script lacks structure and an intriguing storytelling. It has a promising beginning, an unclear body and a hurried climax that isn’t entirely satisfying. Meenu (Shalini Pandey), the love interest of Rahu (Varun Sharma), as the street-smart over-ambitious wannabe cannabis mafia, brings the familiar charm of the cunning and ruthless Bholi Punjab from Fukrey. However, the inconsistencies and lack of detailing in her character, family dynamics and her troubled association with the Israeli drug mafia Monderchai, essayed by Chunky Pandey, who has been criminally underutilized in the film, refrains the audience from investing in her. Similarly, Piyush Mishra’s Foofaand Amit Sial’s corrupt Police SHO who protects Monderchai’s illegal operations in the city, too fall prey to unclear writing. The conflicts of these characters are ambiguous and their motivations remain undefined till the climax.  

Overall, barring some smart punchlines, upbeat music and comic chemistry between the leads, Rahu Ketu largely comes across as missed opportunity owing to its inconsistent characters and incoherent writing!

Rahu Ketu is now playing in cinema halls near you!