Happy Patel Khatarnaak Jasoos Review: Vir Das's Spy Comedy Is A Self-Aware, Silly, And Wild Ride

"Definitely ye mission fail hoga, par jo bhi ho mazaa aa raha hai," this line spoken by a key character in Happy Patel: Khatarnaak Jasoos, fronted by Vir Das, pretty much sums up the experience of watching the movie in a theatre.

This spy action comedy is paisa-vasool if you are ready to hop on board this crazy, wild ride that is as silly as it is self aware. Not everything makes sense - some things just happen because that's what directors Vir Das and Kavi Shastri intended to do. (?)

From machismo to what being an Indian means in today's time, there's a lot of messaging, and no, it's not subtle, but go along because what's on screen is goofy and likeable. There are many in-jokes, double entendre, completely intended, stupid, and lots of Bollywood nods (Sholay to Chak De! India), but you still go LOL, every now and then, if not always.

This is also a Delhi Belly reunion, 15 years later, with Vir Das getting Aamir Khan and Imran Khan on the silver screen. And when these three are in the frame, know that something insane is afoot. We go to good ol' 90s, a happy time at the movies for many millennials, to begin the Happy Patel experience. And why not start with a top hero of the era: the 'legend' Aamir Khan, who is also the producer of the film.

Though set in the past, Aamir Khan proves his patriotism for India in 2026 through his Charles Manson-esque don of Goa Jimmy Mario, a day after he waded into the ever-simmering language row in Maharashtra. "Die, you English pigs!" he screams. His Jimmy Mario also lusts after a househelp (a crackling Sumukhi Suresh) and gets scolded by his fed-up wife for messing the clean floor with blood.

Cut to 2025, Happy Patel is so happily ignorant about his real identity that he does a double take when he overhears his gay dads, who are former MI7 intelligence agents, talking about him being an Indian. He is 34, has failed the MI7 exam 7 times, makes "lovely sandwiches" while doing ballet in a pink jumper, as the Brits would say. He loves feeding people and when he reaches India after multilevel spy training for a special assignment, he is the happiest in a sabzi mandi.

He is told that spreading his arms wide and dishing out the iconic "Bade bade deshon mein" dialogue from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge on Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham's Suraj Hua Maddham, like Shah Rukh Khan, is the Indian mating call.

Armed with nothing but his training, understanding of spices and blessing of his dads, Happy Patel lands in Goa's Panjor to rescue a British dermatological scientist called Beatrice Fefferbaum whose fairness cream formula yields results in 21 days.

All she leaves a clue before going missing is the letter 'M' painting on her house's wall. Is it a place, like Maldives, asks Happy Patel's local handler, Geet (an amiable Sharib Hashmi)? Is it a politician, he gives it another guess, before both of them mutually decide it would be something else. *I see what you did there*

We then find out that Mama, the bhai of Goa, has kidnapped Beatrice Fefferbaum and wants her to prepare a fairness formula for her beauty line called Mamareal. Mona Singh gets her long-awaited due named Mama (err, yes...), a blood-thirsty villain, an always pink-wearing Dolores Umbridge-ish, who never raises her voice and has a crush on superchef Sanjeev Kapoor, even as she ends every sentence with the cliched Goan-stereotype 'man'. Mama's goons too flaunt pink-coloured and floral shirts.

Mithila Palkar's dancing queen who can't dance, Rupa Kumar, Happy Patel's love interest whose reflex action for a kiss is a tight slap, and rapper Srushti Tawde (Main Nahi Toh Kaun Be) as Roxy, Happy Patel's local handler's handler who is a tech prodigy make the best of what they've been given. Special shout-out to the actor who plays the firangi tourist 'Tom' who pops up every time Happy Patel 'mispronounces' the Hindi word 'Tum'.

And, when Happy Patel and Mama, both cooks, meet each other for the first time, they talk in cooking analogy much to the confusion of others. Watch out for their much-awaited face-off in the end at a place where they spend most of their time when not doing their set jobs: in the kitchen.

As 'international supermodel' Milind Morea, Imran Khan gets a hero's entry at a crucial juncture in the film. In his first movie in 10 years, the actor fights goons and even disarms one of them with his charming smile. In a hat-tip to Delhi Belly, Happy Patel and Milind Morea sort of recognise each other as they fly across the room fighting off Mama's men. Be ready for another Delhi Belly cast member to make an appearance.

A key mention to Ram Sampath, the Aamir Khan Productions dependable composer, whose soundtrack is worth a listen; the Falafel-CousCous song gives tough competition to Dhurandhar's FA9LA.

Happy Patel: Khatarnaak Jasoos is a far cry from the very serious, brooding spies in Dhurandhar, Pathaan and Ek Tha Tiger, and we are not complaining.

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