Hum Do Hamare Woh

Play: Hum Do Hamare Woh
Director: Prasad Khandekar
Duration: 95 minutes
Cast: Anup Soni, Smita Bansal, Prasad Khandekar and others
Language: Hindi
Rating: 2 1/2
One of television’s most popular onscreen couples, Anup Soni and Smita Bansal, who are known for their effortless chemistry, are now making an appearance on stage together. Unlike their solemn TV avatars in the social drama Balika Vadhu, the two play a young, urban married couple in their play Hum Do Hamare Woh.This, and the fact that they are doing a full-on comedy, is a refreshing change for the audiences.
Ironically, like their TV soap, this new stage production too toys with the idea of divorce, remarriage and blind beliefs, albeit in a contrastingly comical way. A quick synopsis of the story: The male protagonist Sameer (Soni), a superstitious man, gets his kundli read by a godman he insouciantly reveres, who tells him he is going to die within the next fifteen days. Blinded by his faith in this greedy, money-laundering guru, he decides he needs to secure his wife Saloni (Bansal) and son’s future before his death and so, along with his friend (Dheeraj), begins a groom hunt for his clueless wife! What results next is chaos.
Unfortunately, it is being touted as a ‘comedy’, you won’t be laughing your guts out through the play. It does have some hilarious moments, but they are very few and sparingly unleashed. The first half of the play especially, is tedious and slow, as it builds the plot. Characters are being introduced, and a backstory is being spun. Thankfully, the second half is funnier and sails more smoothly. Between the three main characters, the one that gives comic relief to the story is that of the perennially drunk friend, played by Prasad Khandekar, who is also the director. He steals the show and you wish the other two characters also had his spontaneity and humorous tone.
Very typical to Hindi theatre, this play carries a strong social message, in a light-hearted manner. But it falls short of expectations because of its absurd storyline and inability to deliver more punch lines. A strictly average watch.