'Pati Patni Aur Woh' (PPAW), which originally released in 1978, was a supremely problematic movie -- for the protagonist willingly cheats on his wife, and gets away with it. The wife forgives and forgets, and he continues making mistakes. In a year where another problematic film 'Kabir Singh' was panned by critics for blatant misogyny -- 2019, the possibility of such a movie inviting praise looks like a far-fetched thought, but not for the cast.
Kartik Aaryan, PPAW's Chintu Tyagi, believes that while the comparisons are inevitable, the two films are as different as chalk and cheese.
"Our film is a modern take on relationships. The remake is a very modern, new film based on a completely new script. Yes, the name is same, but ours is a progressive film. In fact, we have screened the movie for a few and they have all said it was a good, progressive film," Kartik said, in a freewheeling chat with India TV Digital.
Ananya Panday pitched in: "We have all got such good reviews about our film. And nobody has said it's misogynistic. They all have good things to say about the movie."
Ananya plays the "Woh" in the film -- a character often seen as a conniving and evil. But Bhumi Pednekar, whose Vedika is the "Patni" in the film, begged to differ.
"You will see two very strong women in the film. The Patni is not the typical timid wife. And the Woh is not a typical gold-digging vampish woman. They both are nice, strong women. And we haven't shown either of them as weak," Bhumi, known for very strong female characters especially in the recently released 'Saand Ki Aankh' and 'Bala', said.
'Pati Patni Aur Woh' released on Friday (December 6) alongwith 'Panipat', a period drama featuring Arjun Kapoor, Kriti Sanon and Sanjay Dutt in important roles. PPAW also has to face competition from Dabangg 3, which is set to releases on December 20.
But the PPAW cast feels "clash" is a strong word, and should not be used.
"There are only these many Fridays in a year. So some movies will definitely release together. But there's no competition. The genres of ours movies are entirely different. And Arjun [Kapoor] is a friend. Kriti [Sanon] is a friend. We have invited each other to our respective screenings. We wish them all the luck," Kartik, Bhumi and Ananya said.
PPAW has opened to fairly good reviews across the country -- with most of the critics calling it a genuinely entertaining film.
According to IndiaTVNews.com's review of the film, one should not watch it if they expect a 2019- and feminist- version of the 1978 OG film. "Watch it, instead, to see Kartik Aaryan do his thing, for Aparshakti Khurana's superlative performance, and for some genuinely funny moments," the review adds, and gives it 3 stars.
The movie is an entertainer and deserves a dekko -- at least once.
READ FULL REVIEW: Just another remake with Kartik Aaryan doing his thing
