Happy Patel review: This Vir Das starrer aims to be quirky and different but quirky isn't always funny

HAppy PatelCast: Vir Das, Mithila Palkar, Mona SinghDirector: Vir DasRating: ★★.5In an manufacture that churns come out comedies by the dozen, unfeigned experimentation is a rareness. Appear westward and you’ll find unapologetically unhinged comedies like You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator, or James Franco’s The Interview, each absurd in its own way. In India, bold comedy feels even scarcer. The last audacious example that comes to mind is Delhi Belly, a film that didn’t just crack jokes but tore up the rulebook with its adult certified humour.The makers of Delhi Belly are back with another one, Happy Patel. Is this one as funny?What is the plot of Happy Patel?The story revolves around Happy Patel (Vir Das) a man raised by two fathers who is suddenly informed that he has been chosen to become an MI7 spy. Trained abroad, Happy is sent on a mission to India, landing in Goa, where he meets dancer Rupa (Mithila Palkar) and promptly falls in love. Goa, however, is ruled by local gangster Mama (Mona Singh), who is baying for Happy’s blood. What follows forms the rest of the plot.Happy Patel must have sounded terrific on paper, largely because the film never intends to take itself seriously. Every character is given a quirk. The trouble is, it plays out like that friend in the group who is blissfully unaware of how half their jokes are unfunny. But one doesn't have the heart to tell them.The film, written by Vir himself and Amogh Ranadive, opens on a quirky note, aided by a cameo from Aamir Khan (he should really do a full-fledged comedy soon) Unfortunately, shortly after, the film begins to lose its way. Most of the humour hinges on Happy mispronouncing Hindi words as a foreigner learning the language for the first time. Dost becomes dast (diarrhoea), paas turns into puss, and there is even a parody of Shah Rukh Khan’s iconic arms-stretched pose, punctuated by the line 'Rahul, naam toh Tsunami hoga'.. That, in essence, is the comic arsenal on display. Hilarious in partsThe first half is devoted to setting up Happy’s world, and barring the odd chuckle, it demands considerable effort to find the jokes genuinely funny. Much of it hovers at the level of an old AIB sketch. The difference is that those sketches wrapped up in minutes, not across a two-hour runtime. One hears that the makers are reportedly organising special screenings for college students. That is indeed the ideal demographic, because they are far more likely to titter at a strategically placed ‘BC’ on a character’s apron in a MasterChef spoof. Yes, that actually happens during the climax. The second half finally offers a glimmer of hope as the humour marginally improves, with meta references. There is also the return of Imran Khan in a suitably whacky avatar, which briefly lifts the proceedings. And if you’re still watching, keep an eye out for a cameo by chef Sanjeev Kapoor, because why not. By this point, the film feels more comfortable in its own skin, even if the improvement arrives far too late to salvage what has already been a largely overextended joke.Performance wise, Vir fits right in, and he manages to pull off the absurdity required. Sharib Hashmi is naturally funny, and here, spoofing Aamir's Laal Singh Chadha look, he evokes a lot of laughter. Mona Singh is underutilised.Ultimately, a handful of performances and cameos manage to inject fleeting energy, but they cannot compensate for humour that feels thinly stretched in Happy Patel. What could have been a welcome disruption instead settles for being a mildly amusing curiosity, one that raises a chuckle here and there, but rarely the kind that lingers after the credits roll.