Ki & Ka (2016) User Reviews

R.Balki's Experiment On Love & Relationship; Feminism & Gender Equality Can Induce That 'Change'

[mohulghosh · 7/10 · 2 April 2016]

‪#‎Ki‬&Ka: I wanted to give it 7; but my wife demanded little more. We argued, we debated, and then we finally settled for 7.25/5.

And I guess that's the only essence of this brilliant ‪#‎love‬, ‪#‎relationship‬ movie from R.Balki, which is somewhere between traditional and modern, yet loaded with highly practical, anti-age- old advice for those who think that being in a relationship is actually tough (or easy!)

Overall, I would describe the movie as a mixture of several Bollywood movies of this genre; as if R.Baliki is giving an ode to all previous directors: It has the pride and ego of Abhimaan, the wit, intellectuality from Bawarchi; the complexities and subtle emotions from Saathiya as well as the dark, mysterious elements of love from Hum Tum. R Balki has picked up ingredients from these movies, reversed the protagonists and the conflicts and presented via ‪#‎KiKa‬.

If Kareena Kapoor is the burning deity of hardcore feminism in this movie, then Arjun Kapoor is the epitome of gender equality and the evangelist and advocate against running the 'race'. Watch it with a pinch of salt, and get immersed in the awesomeness of food-porn, get bewitched by the portrayal of a successful blogger, and some untraditional, out of the box experiments which A-list stars seldom try out.

Watch it with an open mind, remembering the fact that the director had earlier given us path-breaking cinema like Cheeni Kum, Pa & English Vinglish. Ki&Ka won't change your life; but yes, it will seep an idea about the 'positive' change all right!

7.25/10

Fresh & Progressive!

[namashi_1 · 7/10 · 1 April 2016]

R.Balki's 'Ki & Ka' is innovative, progressive & amusing. This film breaks the stereotype of the hero-heroine concept & offers an all new approach. Its far from perfect, but it has a good heart & the narrative holds at most times.

'Ki & Ka' follows of how A young couple's (Kareena & Arjun) marriage challenges the gender roles placed upon men and women in Indian society.

'Ki & Ka' is about a man who enjoys being a house-husband & a women who proudly runs the house. Its a fresh thought & Balki's Writing offers enough scope for humour & some drama. Its amusing to watch this brand new take on romance & society unfold in those 124-minutes. The first-hour is nicely balanced on how its protagonists meet & their subsequent sudden their marriage, but the second-hour slows down & the jealously angle from the lady's point of view, when the man becomes a craze for his uniqueness, doesn't really work. In fact, 'Ki & Ka' has a breezy first-hour & sets things right up, but the second-hour loses pace, as the proceedings become loose. However, things come back on a track, as the finale, is cute.

Balki's Screenplay is engaging at most parts, but a sharper & more convincing second-hour would've elevated the narrative. Blake's Direction is competent, as always. Cinematography is well-done, although a few frames are distracting. Editing is neat. Music by Various Artists is wonderful. Art & Costume Design are good.

Performance-Wise: Kareena & Arjun make for a good on-screen couple. Kareena shines from start to end, enacting the part of an authoritative wife with remarkable conviction. Arjun is extremely likable as the loving, younger husband. Also, the on-screen chemistry between the two, is exciting. In supporting roles, Swaroop Sampat is adorable as Kareena's lovable mom, while Rajit Kapur is perfect as Arjun's miffed dad. Amitabh & Jaya Bachchan are delightful in cameos.

On the whole, 'Ki & Ka' dares to be different & yet it doesn't forget to entertain. Recommended!

An opportunity lost.

[akshay-ak-kumar · 6/10 · 7 May 2016]

Ki and Ka has one hell of an interesting premise.

Kareena Kapoor aka Kia doesn't want to get married and have kids as that will ruin her career while Arjun Kapoor aka Kabir is very happy to play the house husband with no ambitions inspite being from a wealthy family and B School topper. They get married but how long will this last?

The 1st half of the movie is fun filled. The way Kabir and Kia meet. Kabir is not the usual Hindi hero; he cries and tells Kia that housewife is an artist. How Kabir convinces her to marry him? How Kabir takes over running the house and becomes a favorite of all the ladies in the apartment. Frankly, the 1st half is simply awesome.

Its when the 2nd half starts that the cracks arise in the marriage and that when the movie starts to sink. The problem in 2nd half is that Balki and his co writer Virmani have no clue how to take the movie forward. So there is a stupid scene of Kia worried that she is pregnant and takes multiple pregnancy tests.

And, finally to ensure that there is a dramatic end they turn the film into a very old Amitabh Bachchan classic called Abhimaan. The only difference is here Kia gets jealous of Kabir's success. There is also one stupid mandatory fight scene to show that Kabir is still a man. Seriously !!

Very ironically, when the movie loses steam, Balki takes help of Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan who stared in Abhimaan and comes with a nice interesting piece between them. Both the actors steal the show in the 10 mins they have but those 10 mins also makes the viewer think about marriage and roles a husband and wife play.

Which also brings me to the question of what Balki was thinking while writing the movie? The problem with Ki and Ka is that Balki takes the story very seriously. If he wrote the 2nd half as the 1st which is fun filled and less preachy, this film would have been a cracker.

The film is also watchable because of its leads. Kareena Kapoor proves to us what a fabulous and talented actress she is. The fact that she ends up signing blockbusters with minuscule roles is the sad part of her career. I hope she concentrates more on the roles she signs because she is still capable of giving Deepika and Kangana a run for their money.

Arjun Kapoor also does a commendable job and is at ease playing the house husband who never looses his cool. I don't believe any other actor who have risked is career but Arjun takes it and shines.

And, finally both the Kapoors share one hell of a chemistry on screen which also lights up the movie.

However, I believe Ki and Ka could have been a landmark film for Hindi Cinema had Balki got the idea correct. He misses the plot and for me its an opportunity lost.

Love story with cute and fresh Tadka

[dineshprakash · 6/10 · 1 April 2016]

Director and writer Mr. R. Balki successfully breaks the established norms of gender biased society. He enhances the concept with adding perfect shots and churning out right expressions from actors. Story line is thin but screenplay and dialogues make it lovely. You can witness freshness in approach even from beginning of film. The way they meet and introduced on screen. The way Kia takes to meet Kabeer to her mother is good and the way Kabeer father reacts being introduced Kia by Kabeer and her reply is fantastic. When Kabeer catches maid red handed, the way this scenes handled is appropriate for the premise, even she is not fired but warned in cute way. Kabeer father wishing him Happy birth day is quirky but it shows the equation between father and son and it gets justified and enhances the climax. Perfect example of establishing characters and using it in proper way. Kabeer and Kia heated argue culmination is very good. Even the guest appearance of Mr. Amitabh Bachhan is very entertaining. His expressions are awesome and this plot is also used to realizing Kia's over reactions. Pre climax dialogues by Kia's mother about justification of gender with work is very good. Climax is emotional and impressive. Only drawback in this film is, its 30 minutes of second half which is full of montages and in films ads, promoting lots of brands in non creative and stuffed way. It slow the movie pace up to level of boring. Performance wise Kareena Kapoor is fabulous. Arjun Kapoor is endearing and balanced. Swaroop Sampat as Kia mother is very good. Rajat Kapoor as Kabeer father is good. Music wise "High heel Par Nache" is peppy and foot tapping.

He is She and She is He....... Confused??

[altaf42049 · 2 April 2016]

"Hello! My name is Kabir and I am a house wife (husband)" is the main theme of this movie. This movie is a negative mask, that converts every right perspectives, traits, norms and ethics into an opposite. Mr Balki has once again come up with an innovative,fresh and yet slightly controversial topic as before. The movie focuses on marriage lives in subcontinent but in a never seen before manner. Ka(Arjun Kapoor) Ki (Kareena Kapoor) is a married couple in which Ki(Kareena) plays the husband and Ka(Arjun) plays the wife. The story emphasize that it is not mandatory for women only to stay at home and perform domestic tasks while assigning the outer duties to the male partner rather the same can be implemented in an entirely opposite way. This situation creates a natural comic angle and curiosity in the movie that is maintained till the end. A husband has been shown supporting his wife while staying at home and doing house keeping so that his wife can fulfill her dreams and becomes a very successful business woman. But at times success and over commitment of one partner becomes indigestible for the other and this marks the commencement of disputes between them leading towards more problems. Kareena and Arjun Kapoor has done a fabulous job by doing complete justice to their roles. Kareena Kapoor has appeared so fresh after a long time since "Jab We Met". A short cameo by "Big B" and "Jiya Bachhan" serves as icing on the cake towards the climax. R. Balki has proved his direction abilities and capabilities once again and deserves applause for bringing an altogether new dimension of thinking towards personal relations. A recommended movie to be watched by couples for sake of understanding the value and importance of each others role in real life!!!!

The message that it passes is different and superior than what is guessed. Great storyline, direction and a wonderful effort.

[ankitcom · 7/10 · 9 July 2016]

The message that it passes is different and superior than what is guessed. Great storyline, direction and a wonderful effort.

Director: R Balki Actors: Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma, Randeep Hooda

Rating: 3 / 5

Storyline Rating: 3 Content: 3 Commercialization: 4 Entertainment: 4

Acting Rating: 3 Arjun Kapoor: 3 Kareena Kapoor Khan: 3 Swaroop Sampat: 3

Direction Rating: 3

Music Rating: 3

Cinematography: 4

Editing: 3

OTT and Rather regressive

[smartrogue · 4/10 · 16 April 2016]

Frankly if you reverse the role of Kareena and Arjun the film would be termed misogynist.... So y isn't this termed misandry? We are all for working women and blah blah..but blatant derision of Arjun Kapoor and his meek responses just reinforces the negative stereotypes about home makers ( be of either gender) that they are supposed to be doormats..that they are there to be abused and then be apologised at.. And to top this cherry pie..it tries to brainwash that women are not our equals but our superiors.. How do they do that? Just see If a man is a breadwinner and woman is the home maker then its normal..no more pati parmeshwar ideology...which is fine.. But if a woman is the bread winner and a man is a househusband then the woman is braver than the man because being the (earning) wife of a house husband is more brave than being the earning husband of a house wife..today if the man is earning and woman is handling a house then she is doing a tougher job..but if a woman is earning and man a house husband..its still a woman who is doing a tougher job??

Brilliant concept ruined by poor execution!

[Yudhvir-Singh-Ahlawat · 6/10 · 22 June 2016]

Movie focuses on a married life where "Ki" i.e female plays role of "Ka" i.e male and "Ka" plays role of "Ki". Movie shows reaction of society towards the man who is a "housewife", he soon earns a huge female fan following but that affects their married life drastically.

What's Good: -Brilliant concept. -Characters were chosen correctly. -Movie raised some valid points (not all) regarding gender problems that exist in our society.

What's Not: -Story could have been a lot better. -Brilliant concept ruined by poor execution. -Neither romantic nor funny, disappointment in both genres.

Our Ratings: Story: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6/10. Music: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ 5/10. Direction, editing and screenplay: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 7/10. Star Performances: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ 5/10. Overall: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6/10.

Final Verdict: Not worth the time, concept was ace but everything else was not up to the mark, you'll be disappointed.

Ki & Ka – Breaking age old conventions & social conditionings!

[g_aparna · 5/10 · 6 April 2016]

Ki & Ka – Breaking age old conventions & social conditionings! The female is Kia and the male is Kabir – Hence Ki & Ka.

About Male –

Son of a filthy rich real estate bizman. Father had a belittling attitude towards mother and thought she did nothing at home apart from sitting idle! Well, since they were filthy rich....there is not much that a wife does – apart from shopping, playing Mahjong, attending kitty parties etc....unless of course the Bizman was struggling during his youth and was surviving on measly salary – then the wife really comes handy – she buys food/ vegetables herself, washes utensils, clothes, cooks etc. – even then the members of the family think that she is not good enough! All the good-for-nothingness of the wife get further more exaggerated if there is a mother-in-law around (MIL hereinafter). You see many MILs cannot tolerate the fact that some unknown stranger female will come and have a good and comfortable time at her house! MILs often compare their days of youth with the present day and try to torture the daughter-in-law (DIL hereinafter) just as she was humiliated or tortured when she was a newly wed bride...anyways, I am diverting from the main story! Read on... So Kabir had witnessed the humiliating attitude of his father since childhood and was very upset about it. He was intelligent in studies so he did manage to finish his MBA from a good Institute. But he did not want to join the rat race – he wanted a cushy job of a home-maker. He wanted to be a 'WIFE'! wow!

About Female –

Kia had lost her father at a very young age. Her mother had to become both father and mother to the child – and we all know how important is money to run the family. Mother therefore gets busy with her profession...and of course also feeding & educating her daughter Kia. They lacked a man-figure in the house. Both of them had become males in the journey of life. Their house appeared as if it was hit by a tornado – unkempt and dishevelled! When Kabir had first visited their house, he even commented if they had a dog at home.....shows how terribly unkempt both the mother daughter were...in spite of a maid !

Story line- So ka and ki meet, Ka tells about how he disrespects his father because all his life he had seen him disrespecting his mother! They go around, try out sex and were probably happy with the outcome of the sex-session...so they decide to get married. Mother of Kia confirms from daughter – right in front of Ka - whether she had had sex with him or not – which is very important for marriage commitment! Really !! So very modern outlook!! Triple WOW!! So the movie is trying to convey to the youths..and adults and the aged...that youngsters should be allowed to have sex before wedlock.

Like male A will have sex with female B – if they are not satisfied with each other sexually, male A will have sex with female C and Female B will try out sex with male D....then Male D, who had tried sex with female F, G & H...and had rejected them all because they were not sassy enough as compared to what he had been watching in triple X blue films, will recommend an orgy session with female B because he is really really confused about his sexual preferences!

Anyways, they get married. Ki already had a beautiful flat but after all ka was the son of a rich bizman – he had picked up wasteful habits ..so he renovates the entire house and turns it into an 18th century railway station! Yuk! (I certainly would have kicked him out for this.....anyways pretty far fetched thought – I would never have agreed to such a stupid proposal...maybe because I have had a very normal childhood and I know the difference and importance of both father figure and mother figure in one's life.....and my mother was a very dominating personality.... she dominated with love..and no one in his or her sane mind would ever meddle with the source of sheer, selfless, unconditional love!) Maid Servant episode There is a scene where the maid arrives and thinking that all the family members must have gone to office, calls over her boyfriend to have sex in the AC room! Ka did not drive her away....but politely asked her if she had changed the bed-sheets after having sex ! Wow! Such an understanding kewl dude....the AC is on for 3-4 hours as long as she works, she watches TV and even keeps the house unkempt (remember the 1st time kabir visited the house, it looked like a kennel?) and all that the master of the house..no mistress of the house...whatever – had to say was 'Please change the bedsheets, Thankyou.'!! Gosh! Such creeps – devil knows what Bollywood tries to prove by showing such behaviour towards the wrong doer!

This film is basically a kick on the mouth of those women who consider it lowly to be a housewife and have joined the rat race...esp. to compete with men! Ka showed that recognition and fame, that humans hanker for, could be achieved by being a good home maker too! Ka starts making home cooked, healthy food videos and he becomes more famous than Ki. They fight...then make up at the end.

Story over.

Only superior thinkers can digest 'Ki And Ka'.

[mrsharmasuyash · 7/10 · 1 April 2016]

The much awaited R. Balki's 'Ki And Ka' revolves around the two characters and their after marriage life, Kareena Kapoor As 'Ki' (Kia) and Arjun Kapoor As 'Ka' (Kabir). Kia is a business women who's dream is to be at peak in her field, and kabir who is son of a renowned top builder of Delhi but he do not want to live a boring, messy life he just want to be like her mother. Kia and kabir after falling in love decides to get married but after marriage Kabir became house husband. everything runs on right track until Kabir became quiet famous and because of his fame Kia gets jealous. And then movie comes to a other way but at end everything becomes normal. R. Balki's Direction is good, he presented a very uncommon issue in a very simple manner. Acting of Kareena and Arjun is Fab and of other supporting casts are good. Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan plays a cameo. Music is good 'Ji Huzoori' and 'High Heels' are awesome tracks, 'Foolishq' 'Most Wanted Munda' and 'Pump It Up' are good. Cinematography Is Okay-Okay. Dialogues weren't enough good so we can remember them. Script is nice but what happened to screenplay, it is not just enough good. Overall movie is a 'Fresh' one and is very good but somewhere it looses. If you're an Entertainment lover, this movie can disappoint you somewhere but if you like to watch movies based on social issues, of different zones as gender inequality, etc. you will respect "Ki And Ka".

Shallow and didactic Rom-com

[Ansango · 4/10 · 4 April 2016]

Ki and Ka is a movie which demonstrates the role of housewives in our society.

Constructing home from a house is an art but the people behind this act don't get enough appreciation.According to our society's opinion,the people who work outside are the prime contributor in this act.This movie tries to draw your attention toward the struggle,a housewife has to face,in order to run a home.

The only difference in the movie is that here the wife works outside and the husband runs the home.No doubt,the concept is very noble but its presentation is shoddy.The screenplay has been written in a dilettante manner.The drama is very shoal and mind-numbing.Some of the dialogs are quirky but most of them miss the punch and are ordinary and sometimes preachy too.First half contains some light hearted scenes but second half is a complete washout.The reason for dispute between husband and wife is never justified properly making the movie sound even more unrealistic.Music is plain and contains nothing extra ordinary.

This is the first film of Arjun kapoor after a long break and he is just OK in his role.During some scenes he overacts too much.Kareena kapoor looks good but is just average.The lady in the role of Kareena's mom is good.Rajat kapoor shows his flair is a small role and is excellent.

R.Balki is famous for making films which are far from the usual topics touched by our filmmakers.I am his big fan but i must say that this is his weakest work in recent memory.He falters frequently especially during 2nd half.I am disappointed this time but hope that he will craft something better next time.

Overall the film is fresh,unique and the topic has rarely been explored in Bollywood but weak execution ruins the day.If you are a fan of light hearted Rom-com which are different from routine films then this is for you otherwise stay at your home or go with low expectations. 4.2 out of 10 is my final rating.

New, simple and a refreshing story!

[faisalfaves · 8/10 · 12 April 2016]

A love story about the reversal of gender roles. It was really a new and amazing experience to watch a new story. Thanks the writer of the movie R. Balki for his direction and story.

Kareena Kapoor is really struggling hard to come back in Bollywood. Arjun as always his acting is really nice and clean.

There is so much to be said about changing roles in today's Asia, and films would do well to reflect on this great churn.

The Music lacks the energy that most of people expect from a new-age romance drama. High Heels remains to be the best song from the album while Ji Huzoori and Most Wanted Munda seem average. I am going with a 2.5/5 for the Music album of Ki and Ka.

Overall Nice movie. Watch, Enjoy your weekend

something different

[cuttiekattie · 7/10 · 16 April 2016]

Nice screen play but not deliver well, unwanted scene, a bit confusion in characters but still its something different. i know it looks unrealistic or bakwas because its not something easy to digest. In my views, society needs a movie like this as most of the people (NOT ALL) still prefer to depends upon their wives or in some cases wives have to leave working because stereotypes..

if your soul mate is more ambitious than you so its nothing wrong to let them what they wants to be by sharing their work. p.s. it doesn't mean to become a "house husband" like him wearing high heels and mangal sutaar.. nah nah i can't say this...

7/10 because of the acting and different story line..

This movie gave someone concussion

[himalay-chauhan26 · 1/10 · 31 March 2020]

I'll try to be short. This movie is plain terrible that someone fell from a kid's ride and gave her concussion. Now she thinks she watched Kapoor and Sons but it was Ki and Ka. See the impact ?

A feel good romantic drama by Balki themed on What if the roles in a relationship goes for a toss?

[SivakumarBalachandran · 7/10 · 2 April 2016]

My take on Ki & Ka (Hindi) 2016: Director Balki who specialises in handling heavy subjects light- heartedly has come with yet another venture which definitely makes you feel good at the end (he is better known for his previous ventures are Paa, Cheeni kum, English Vinglish and Shamitabh).

The plot revolves around the couple Ki(a) and ka(bir) in Delhi who are living a life which is quite unconventional in an Indian cultural scenario. The trailers and promos already revealed the main crux of the plot. Well it goes like this "She is the one who tries herself to prove and shine in which is called the he's world and He is the one who tries to prove himself in general called the she's world". Confused! You have to watch the movie.

Casting: Kia essayed by Kareena fits picture perfect on the role of an ambitious corporate marketing women. She flaunts beauty and confidence perfectly. Kabir essayed by Arjun Kapoor has made justice as a rare breed among Indian husbands. He is masculine yet soft, loving, affectionate and caring by heart in short like a mother.

Technicalities: Screenplay and Editing are a definite plus point it was neither dragging nor fast it moves rather at a normal pace and maintained. So don't expect roller coasters here rather I would say you can expect steam engines here. The Director has skilfully played with the parameters or the indicators of a relationship such as ego, domination, fame, responsibility, fights, insecurity in a relationship will remain unchanged even the major roles in a relationship goes in for a gender change.

Music of the one song and BGM by Balki's usual collaboration Ilaiyaraja and Meet bros for other songs. "Ji Huzoori" is one haunting song that rings all the time in your ears after you come out of the movie. One good melody for the year and surprise it was not sung by Arjith Singh.

The Camera handled by the Ace cinematographer PC Sreeram has captured the beauty of Delhi on Celluloid along with cast the entire setting lives as a character throughout the movie.

Verdict: Get in for a 2 hour feel good romantic drama. I would rate it 3.5/5.

Kudos to R Balki for taking risk and making different cinema!

[ataur-rahman1 · 7/10 · 3 April 2016]

R Balki makes beautiful movies which are far different than regular Bollywood movies. This movie is also different than regular Akshay Kumar or Salman Khan movies. R Balki's last movie Shamitabh was also very unique. But I have to say that R Balki should work more on his script as this movie is predictable and all surprises die in first 30 minutes of movie. His movies has unconventional concept and if he do more research on his story line then no one can stop him from make a blockbuster movies. Who knows in future he may win an Oscars too. Overall movie was good but story was weak, I repeat concept was good but movie could not hold us because of predictable and weak plot. Kareena Kapoor still looks good and justifies her role, Arjun Kapoor is OK, I wasn't expecting much from him either. Movie is bold and honest. One time watchable! My rating is 7 stars!

A miss of what could have been an awesome treat.

[MuviFan73 · 4/10 · 2 April 2016]

This is one of the movies inspired from one of the Satyameva jayete's episode's where men take lead in keeping house and making it home. To be really frank I thing this movie is a little underrated movie at IMDb. I enjoyed the first half much more than the later part.

Cons: Poor execution in second part, a man with such nature would definitely want kids and the story with such upbringing could have been much better. The second thing is about being so much frank in discussion of adult material, well for me that was an ouch!

Pros: Good comic in first half. An inspiring idea of house-husband.

Rating : 6.5/10.

Not that bad

[Rawal_Afzal · 7/10 · 9 April 2016]

It is not about man or woman, it is about who the bread-winner of the family, who kind of the head of the family is, or at least feels that way being the bread-winner, that carries that ego and pride. In this case, it was a woman, and hence it was her who developed all those feelings and thoughts in her mind. This was sort of the moral of the story, and a one which I really liked. The speech by Kia's mother there at the end underlined this beautifully.

There were a thousand things here and there that looked a bit odd or were debatable, but it being a film pretty short in length meant that nothing was stretched beyond tolerable limits and remained for me overall a good film. I am not sure it really deserved the hatred that it is getting in reviews. It wasn't the worst film ever, really.

What I really liked was the play of words in "ki" and "ka", taken from their names, Kia and Kabir, and extended to the use in language.

Kareena's character is spot on, Arjun is victim of confusion

[kumarvarun1989 · 2/10 · 5 October 2016]

I count amongst some of my best friends, house husbands. Or let's put it in a slightly more nuanced way, men who like to stay home, take charge of the household, be the primary caregiver for parents and children. They know that they come in for more than their share of good- humoured ribbing as well as nasty jibes, and they have learnt to take it in their stride because they are supremely comfortable doing what they do. Oh, and before I forget, their wives go to work, excel at their demanding jobs, and get in the lolly.

With 'Ki and Ka', Bollywood has got to the point of being able to place a man willing to be home, knuckle down to dull domestic chores, and wave the flag for ambitious women and progressive men. So hurrah for Ka and Ki and Balki? Yes, but only up to point. The film is fun when it is setting up the roles. But the execution, as it goes along, gets rocky. Much of it stays episodic, and starts reinforcing the very stereotypes it set out to negate. And so much of the writing is so explicatory that you begin wondering if the filmmakers really take their viewers for People Who Do Not Understand Anything Unless It Is Underlined Thrice Over.

Kia (Kareena Kapoor) and Kabir (Arjun Kapoor) get past their meet-cute in a tearing hurry, and jump into an exchange of garlands and glands. All is hunky-dory to begin with : Ka rolls out of bed, picks up after his office-going wife and mum-in-law (Swaroop Sampat ; good to see her back on screen), lays out steaming hot 'khana' ; Ki cracks open her Mac, and delivers smart campaign ideas to her advertising agency colleagues (great excuse for lots of product placements, yo), and goes up the corporate ladder.

She is into marketing; he is busy home-making, and they are happy playing footsie. And then jealousy rears its ugly head, and the lines Ka and Ki had set up for themselves start to blur. Who will go out? Who will have a public face and high profile? Who will stay in and cook fresh? Will a Ka be happy to be called 'nikamma'? The film evades that problematic one neatly by a too-convenient plot twist, involving Ka's disapproving papa (a permanently sneering Rajit, who is never given the chance to smile through the film) who thunders on about ' 'mards' and, haha, cautionary 'chhaddi checks'.

Ki & Ka grows beyond gender role reversal.

[binducherungath · 6/10 · 2 April 2016]

Ki & Ka is a romantic comedy-drama film by R Balki. When I had seen the trailer, I had felt that this film is based on the concept of gender role reversal, which is so much relevant to our society. Off late, lot of discussions happen, and articles / books are written that talk about women empowerment, women and their careers. In our society, men are traditionally seen as the providers while women are seen as the ones who take care of things, be it home / family. Society expects men to be ambitious and to perform as the primary breadwinner. The trailer gave the impression that the film is going to deal with the concept, what if a man does not want such roles? What if a man chooses to be a homemaker and take care of the household chores, whereas their wives go out and work? It talks beyond gender role reversal. Rather the film talks about the concept that how a financially independent person or the one who earns in marital partnership becomes the dominant figure. The film highlights, how the breadwinner of the family, be it 'Ki' or 'Ka' (female or male figure) feels that the family survives or thrives because of her / him, whereas she or he ignores the contribution of the support system of their partners. Marriage is a partnership, which can be successful only when both the parties believe in this partnership and live this togetherness without being insecure or jealous of one another's achievements, be supportive of one another's journey, and be tolerant enough to handle mistakes of one another.

Ki & Ka begins with a marriage party, where Kia (Kareena Kapoor Khan) is a guest, who is reluctant to join the dance. The very effort of picking up every incoming call shows her disinterest towards the party. She ends ups expressing during one of her conversation that marriage for a girl is equivalent to her death since her dreams, freedom, desires everything die with marriage. She just becomes 'the support'. This scene itself makes it very clear that Kia is fiercely independent ambitious girl. Kabir (Arjun Kapoor) enters in the next scene in a flight sequence, where he is seen to be sobbing about his mother's absence in his life on her birthday. Kia, the passenger next to him, finds him weird, but strikes an instant chord with him, which leads them into a series of further meetings. Kabir, in spite of being IIM-B topper and son of a business tycoon Mr. Bansal (Rajit Kapur), doesn't want to be part of any rat-race in profession / business, and just wants to settle down with Kia as a househusband, proposes to Kia. Kia, who is three years elder to him, ultimately accepts his proposal and gets into matrimonial alliance with him. Kia's mother (Swaroop Sampath) approves of their marriage whole heartedly, whereas Mr. Bansal humiliates Kabir for choosing to be a househusband. According to Kabir, he always wanted to be like his mother who was a housewife, a great artist in Kabir's language (knew the art of managing home beautifully). Kabir and Kia do court marriage.

What happens after their marriage?

Kareena Kapoor Khan as Kia has done justice to her role. Arjun Kapoor as Kabir could have done better. Probably his body language did not work in his favour. Rajit Kapoor as Mr. Bansal is not very natural, whereas he is a veteran and such a fine actor. Swaroop Sampath has justified her role.

The surprise element is cameo by real couple Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. Let me not reveal, how they fit into this cameo.

The script had indeed so much of potential. I felt, the comedy angle made the film lose its depth. The scenes, which could have directly hit the audience' hearts, fell flat due to humour making them trivial. Probably Balki wanted to keep the film light-hearted. Certain scenes were not well executed viz. Kabir's expressing to Kia in regard to his desire to be like his mom, his troubled relationship with his father, his mingling with the housewives' gang etc. Even the court marriage scene had only one witness as Kia's mother, whereas generally witness from either side is required. The last scene was indeed not a show-stopper scene. Kia does feel at one point of time that Kabir used her, but Balki's thought behind this scene was not clear. Also, I did feel that through gender role reversals, Balki wanted to show how people caught in unconventional roles are treated by the society at large, but he did incorporate scenes to showcase both Ki and Ka in their conventional / expected roles, viz. Kia emphasizing that she is emotional (like other girls) and Kabir fighting with people passing comments on them i.e. role of a protector. Were these scenes required?

Overall, Ki & Ka is a decent watch. You would be able to enjoy this film if you could overlook certain flaws of the screenplay. And if you strongly feel in the traditional concept of men being providers and women being careers, you may just not like this film. Females may envy Kia's professional status, since they secretly desired to be in her shoes, and so, they would like the film.

Ki & Ka starts with gender role reversal, but grows beyond this concept to convey that a marriage partnership evolves only when both Ki & Ka appreciates one another's contribution. A home becomes happy home with the feeling of 'We' predominating than 'I'. Though the screenplay turned out to a bit shallow, overall, it is an enjoyable film. Watch the film for its concept.

Garbage

[leoca-87949 · 2/10 · 14 June 2016]

Complete garbage. Why is India and Bollywood is obsessed with women inferiority in India and pretends that they can achieve equality by copying west. Complete disappointment. R Balki has never impressed me with any of his work. I believe he also needs schooling that breaking norm is always not cool either. Equality is not achieved by making shitty cinema. Very shallow attempt. Man and women are equal why India needs to be reminded every time. What a silly attempt to prove it. Certainly better movies have been made to prove women power like Mother India. This movie has no story and extremely shallow theme, it will appeal to shallow teen generation maybe.

Simple and sweet

[devkushwaha1997 · 10/10 · 2 April 2016]

This movie is a very different kind.... Kareena has done wonderful job..she has again proved that why she is called one of the best actress in Indian cinema.. Fresh and bold yet beautiful she nailed it in the the movie ..Arjun also did a great job in it...a great respect towards Balki sir..he us a visionary director and also the supporting cast did a good job..the movie is a wholesome light hearted romantic comedy with some funny and cute moment with a spark of something new...the cast did a wonderful job to show the life of kia and kabir... Sometimes you can link with the characters and their situation in your life... The movie is simple and beautiful you'll enjoy every bit of it..

Eminently likeable.

[nadkarnisumeet · 6/10 · 2 April 2021]

Ki & Ka review :

In one of the scene's in R. Balki's 'Ki & Ka', Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan playing themselves, discuss gender role reversals. Jaya asks Amitabh if he would have been happy being a homemaker while allowing her to continue acting after their marriage. While the Big B awkwardly retorts that he would be perfectly fine with that arrangement, his face and body language indicate otherwise. That amusing scene pretty much sums up the basic concept of Balki's fourth feature film.

Balki, whose films are invariably driven by concept rather than a strong screenplay, gives a fine twist to the gender expectation set by our society - It's ladKA who earns the bread and the ladKI who applies the butter on it. In a role reversal, Balki's KA or Kabir (Arjun Kapoor) prefers to be the househusband to his KI or Kia (Kareena Kapoor) who toils it out in corporate boardrooms.

They meet each other aboard a boring flight and despite a 3 year age gap (Kia's older to Kabir), decide to be life partners more out of their individual choice. She aspires to be a CEO while he, inspite being an IIM topper, wants to be like his mom. Expectedly, Kabir's billionaire builder dad (Rajit Kapur) throws a fit while Kia's mom (Swaroop Sampat) inquires about their sexual compatibility. Anyways, marriage happens and with it, comes the problems and misunderstandings.....

The story as such, is minimalistic and Balki plays around with situations rather than going for narrative twists and turns. A few sequences are truly amusing like the pregnancy scare and Kabir proudly displaying his mangalsutra as a bracelet. Having said that, Balki's concept appears stretched for a full length feature film. Being an ad film maker, I believe he is used to executing high level concepts within a short time frame and seems to struggle a bit in the second hour by which time he is finished with what he had to say. The second half of Ki & Ka dips and dithers - a flaw I had observed in his previous outing 'Shamitabh' (2015) as well.

More on the flipside count those irritating product endorsements from Kalpataru Towers to Saffola oil to even a pregnancy test kit...yikes. Also, the way Kia's office colleagues accept Kabir as a househusband looks unconvincing. C'mon guys, if my female colleague were to introduce her spouse to me like that, my face would naturally show some amount of surprise. That scene actually had potential to expose the societal gender role bias which was frittered away. The ending also appears to be a rushed up job.

Of the cast, Kareena Kapoor is completely convincing as the go-getter career minded woman. She looks ravishing and also shares a sizzling chemistry with her co-actor. As for Arjun Kapoor, possibly reliving his teenage fantasy about Kareena :), does a fine job as the hubby who likes to chop vegetables at home rather than present powerpoint decks in board meetings. Swaroop Sampat as the open minded mom brings the nostalgia of her 'Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi' serial (1986) days.

Technically, P. C. Sreeram's cinematography is of the highest order. Music by maestro Illaiya Raja and couple of others fits the mood of the film. Editing by Chandan Arora could have been better.

To sum up, Ki & Ka works more at concept level though not everyone will subscribe to it. Eminently likeable through it's 126 minute duration, this gender blender is recommended to all the Ki's and Ka's who frequent high end multiplexes for their weekend entertainment.

Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.

HORRIBLE FILM!

[shreya-41631 · 1/10 · 17 September 2020]

Worst film ever. Arjun Kapoor is unbearable. Cannot act with his blank face. Kareen Kapoor was ok.

Look for the message in role reversal

[vinodemails · 7/10 · 8 April 2016]

R Balki has already brought us some memorable light hearted dramas including Cheeni Kum and Paa. Sticking to his strength, he brings to us, Ki & Ka, another breezy script, but based on 1 statement, 'What if a guy grows up wanting to be like his mom?'

An interesting topic where gender stereotypes are reversed. For a country slowly grappling with the idea of financially independent women, women entrepreneurs, single mothers and husbands who work from home, it's another concept, which is fun to watch on screen, but awkward and embarrassing to live with. Balki casts Arjun n Kareena, who seem like an odd pairing, but grow on us through the movie as a pair of buddies (not as a couple).

The movie follows the basic pattern, but this time girl (Ki) meets guy (Ka), gets impressed, falls in love, takes him home to her mom for approval. The director makes enough efforts to establish the backgrounds of both the protagonists to convince the audience about their decision to get married. There are many well presented situations where Ka serves his first breakfast, catches the maid in action, cleans up a broken glass during a house party, feels left out during a foreign tour. What the film succeeds in, is to showcase the situations that each gender usually faces, helping the audience appreciate each other's troubles. Also, there are 2 advice statements, one from Ki's mom and another from Jaya Bachchan (yup, as herself) which make a lot of sense. There are a few flaws though.

As mentioned earlier, the script is a blown out version of an idea. Although many great movies start from a statement only, this one seems like a stretched idea, falling into the trap of repeating itself. Gender reversals bring out the chuckles, but it's continuous bombarding leaves you wondering whether such actions are plausible. Also the lack of flow in the script, it feels like a set of planned scenes, prevents it from being great. Ka keeps on iterating that he's also a typical guy by drinking a lot of whiskey and becoming Dharmendar to funnily beat up a couple of teasing goons. Also, an IIM topper keeping cash safe in a fridge and preparing house budget on a piece of paper is stretching it a bit too far.

Performance wise, Arjun has to be complimented for taking up the role and keeping a straight face while performing the awkward scenes. However, he lacks much in energy and charm to take the role up a notch. Maybe the Whiskey was a little too much. Kareena as 'Ki', looks great, doesn't let her real life marital status affect her performance in any manner and is the natural actor of the lot. In a film, where the limelight is mostly on Ka, she holds her own and wins it with an outburst on our irresponsible house husband. The best performances were by Swaroop Sampat as the modern, but insightful mom of Ki, who gets great dialogues and also Mr. Amitabh Bachchan who brings out the most laughter without even mouthing a dialogue.

I'd recommend watching the movie with your life partner, if for nothing but to appreciate each other's efforts in sustaining the family.