Film 'Ki & Ka' is praiseworthy to watch once for a unique concept. !!

What would happen if a couple reversed socially accepted roles within their marriage? Would their relationship survive societal opprobrium, ridicule and personal insecurities if he were to be a stay-at-home spouse and she the breadwinner?

 

But, despite the promise of an exciting story, Ki & Ka does not meet expectations primarily because of an average screenplay and a stereotypical approach.

 

In the Hollywood comedy The Intern, Anne Hathaway heads her own ecommerce fashion company, while her husband Anders Holm is content with being a stay-at-home father. Similarly, in Balki's Ki and Ka; the role of the woman and the man are refreshingly reversed.

 

Right at the start, you're told through a convoluted monologue that Kia doesn't want to be a man's `support system.' So when she meets the sentimental Kabir, who doesn't aspire to be like his billionaire-builder father, instead wants to be like his homemaker-mother, you're ready for the sparks. Kia downs expensive scotch with Kabir who is three years her junior. Soon, he proposes marriage and even agrees to wear the mangalsutra!

 

Kabir (Arjun) is the son of a business magnate, who wants to be like his mother and take care of the house instead of joining the rat race while Kia (Kareena) is a career-oriented woman, who wants to conquer the corporate world. The two meet on a flight, get to know each other and soon tie the knot.

 

Kabir takes charge of the household happily while Kia embarks on a power walk towards corporate success and everything seems hunky dory… till the time Kabir turns into something of a social media craze because of his choice of being a house-husband. Soon, cracks develop between the two and how the twosome deal with their issues forms the rest of the plot.

 

After some time, the role reversal puts the spotlight on Kabir. Though many continue to view him as an aberration, few also want to follow him. Kabir becomes fodder for gossip, the hero for commercials and women's-day seminars. He even finds fans in the Abhimaan couple Jaya and Amitabh, who show up in a delightful cameo!

 

Arjun Kapoor has been paired opposite Kareena Kapoor Khan for the first time and though the pairing is fresh and both actors have done a decent job. Rajit Kapoor, who plays Arjun's bad-tempered father, is a pleasure to watch while Swaroop Sampat provides capable support as Kia's mother.

 

The concept of a couple, wherein the husband manages the kitchen and the wife earns for the family, is really interesting and with an effective treatment, the movie sure could have been an interesting fare. Kareena is tremendous, Arjun, loveable. But Balki's writing is uneven. A few scenes leave you teary-eyed, but for the most part, the stock situations are boring. However, Ki and Ka is worth a ticket because it shows how there is nothing wrong with the man wearing the apron and the women wearing her ambition.

 

The characters too don't seem well-developed. Kia, a self-assured and confident woman, unexpectedly starts behaving like an insecure teenager just because her husband was invited on a few chat shows, which seems quite juvenile. We wish Balki would have come up with something real serious to justify the cracks between Kabir and Kia.

 

Overall, 'Ki & Ka' is praiseworthy to watch once for a unique concept.