Movie Review: Mixed Doubles

WARNING: SPOILERS!!!

Ok this is gonna be a very half-assed review, considering I got into the movie 10 minutes before the interval (sliding from the corridor into our seat like adept footballers scoring touchdown, only the cheers we might have earned elsewhere were substituted by disbelieving snide snickers).

But I knew the movie was about wife-swapping (a concept that DOES exist, and flourish im Mumbai, what with the existence of key clubs etc. Message me in the comments and I shall educate you, young grasshoppers). Im not sure where I stand on that. While it sorta does go against the whole norm of fidelity and all that that is attached to the institution of marriage, I suppose it could be a good way of actually preserving loyalty through sanctioned infidelity – in a twisted way. As in, if variety is the spice of life, you will also enjoy your home-cooked food that much more. As Rajat Kapoor says in an interview in the Mid-Day, to each his own I suppose (I’m really surprised that Dinesh Raheja had to put a disclaimer at the bottom of his column that the views professed were not his or the newspapers. To prevent trouble from annoying fundamentalists most likely. But *makes snorty sound* isn’t it obvious that an interviewer is merely that – a documenter of the interviewee’s opinions?).

As long as neither party is forced into submission or acceptance in such a situation. And wife-swapping I suppose might even be a more agreeable option for a party who might potentially be aggrieved should the partner indulge in an extramarital affair. At least the aggrieved party gets to have a chance to partake of other booty, rather than sit at home and suffer or plot revenge and become bitter, caustic, haggard and depressed, while the other goes gallivanting about merrily.

So, on to the movie. Sunil a slick salesman (VJ Ranvir) and Malti, a writer I think (Konkona Sen-Sharma) are a married couple (love marriage), with a son. Middle-class professional scenario. They love each other a lot, but are sexually stagnant. At this point, Sunil hears from an American desi friend (who was pulling his leg – which leads to nervousness on Sunil’s part when he hears about it) about wife-swapping. He does a lot of internet research and ‘interviews’ prospective couples who have ads up, who reject him on the basis of various superfluous reason. Till he meets Rajat Kapoor, who he hits it off with. Of course Malti violently rejects his suggestion and returns to her parents’ with their son. Sunil then fakes a heart attack and gets his friends, who are extremely comfortable with the situation and who vocally support Malti, to get her back and to agree to his idea. He slowly works on priming her and they have a meeting with Vinod (Rajat Kapoor) and his flighty over-the-top fake wife Kalpana (Koel Puri -attractive with her new long-haired look but supremely annoying).Sunil has started working out – weights, table tennis – the works, and is filled with a new excitement and zest for life, which his friends see with disapproval. In the meantime his immediate superior’s wife leaves him for another man and he is utterly miserable.

The fateful night arrives. After a dinner mostly dominated by Kalpana, the swapped couples retire to their respective rooms. Sunil and Koel play funny foreplay games and kiss and Sunil is DYING to get it on. Malti sits with a bunch of books to read on the other hand (one of them is a Gabriel Garcia Marquez!) and she and Vinod talk about relationships. She remembers to give Sunil his heart attack pills and enters when Sunil is in bed, bare-chested, enacting a little sex game. She leaves the room miserable and sobs on Vinod’s shoulder. Sunil, on the other hand, finds that Kalpana has fallen asleep while he was massaging her!!!!

So poor KLPD Sunil and Malti take a cordial leave of Vinod, with Vinod kissing her cheek and all in a friendly manner. THEN in the car, the conversation veers to the night and Malti refuses to believe that Sunil didn’t sleep with Kalpana and somehow Sunil thinks that Malti slept with Vinod (she doesn’t clarify) and he FREAKS OUT! HAH! SO typical male! Expect the world to live by your rules and when you don’t get the fruit of your own convenience you begrudge others who do! It was so funny how he got all territorial when he didn’t get to commit the adultery he wanted and assumed his wife had!

The film closes on their doing their daily chores upon returning home in silence.

I love open endings! I like the fact, that you know what, life goes on. I don’t think they’re gonna get divorced over something stupid like this. Sunil would probably try to take sme stupid revenge. It’s just one more hurdle in a long line of them that every couple faces. And if they love each other, they sulk, but they deal with it. But I wonder if Malti had actually slept with Vinod or not! I’m inclined to think she might have, because the last scene she was shown in before the goodbye was her resting crying on Vinod’s shoulders, and we all know that men swoop in for the kill when women are most vulnerable (sorry to be sexist – I suppose women too). So it could have gone either way. I’m just feeling so gleeful over Sunil’s KLPD na!

To critique onscreen chemistry… nahh. Ranvir and Konkona are going out in real life – you would think there would be all this latent chemistry bubbling over. But there isn’t. Is that good acting? I don’t really think Konkona is that emotive an actress – after a few movies her facial range starts to look very redundant. But they have good old-bored couple chemistry. Vinod and Kalpana – he indulgent, she all-too-happy to be indulged, but slightly awkward. I like Vinod and Malti’s interaction better, they are more sedate. But I guess they say opposites attract huh! Ranvir is endearing (though I reluctantly say so) as the fumbling sex enthusiast.

I didn’t notice the background music if there was any… the costumes were quite realistic. It was set in Bombay, but randomly the frames would shift to unidentifiable locales.

Some argue that Rajat Kapoor was not adventurous enough… that he should pushed the envelope all the way through. I disagree. Not everything has to be explicit, its more troubling to guess. That’s the way real life is. He has dealt with a topic that many would be afraid to touch, and it’s less important how they get into the act than whether it happens and how they deal with it. It’s not supposed to be a guide on wife-swapping.


But at the end of the day, in complete opposition to my stand above, I’d also say, because we’ve witnessed this through various movies and real-life situations, that if couples actually make the effort for each other – to work out, look attractive, dress up, be adventurous in bed and share experiences with each other, there would be no need for anyone else. After all, all the effort that you expend in getting and maintaining outside booty, however much of an ego kick it might be, would show you far greater rewards if you channeled them towards your current relationship. Not only will your bedroom life be better, your family life with other members will also be more fulfilled because you won’t have any more awkwardness or frustration.

See this is all a vicious endless circle. You get with someone, get bored, move on. Get with someone else, get bored, move on. So it continues. (Of course, in the meantime, the other has also been getting bored of you, but no one ever thinks of it that way, unless one is a self-pitying victimizing prick who wishes to absolve oneself of all blame and responsibility). So no great effort is being expended here.

Therefore – since this has got me thinking - the standards for male (and nowadays female) ego kicks need to be changed. For this, we need to forget our selfish desires for a minute. Anyone can hook up with a new person and keep them interested for a few months, but do you have it in you to KEEP someone interested in YOU for a lifetime? Can both of you constantly grow and continue to make each other happy?

Now THAT’S a challenge.

Review here.