- Akshay Kumar’s Selfiee is an official remake of Malayalam film Driving Licence.
- He has ditched the serious undertones and has a lot of humour.
- It is a battle of egos and an ultimate fight between a superstar and his fan.
Ayushmann Khurrana recently portrayed a superstar in the movie An Action Hero, in which a young person who wanted to take a selfie with the actor died. His brother then gave the superstar a speech about how all he is is due to the public, so if they want a selfie, performers should oblige. Skip to Akshay Kumar’s most recent movie, Selfiee, in which the actor portrays a superstar who gets into some sort of weird situation with his biggest fan. All this fan wanted was a selfie with his idol, but when the media gets involved, things get ugly and it turns into an argument between a star and his fan.
This Akshay-starring dramedy, an official adaptation of the Malayalam film Driving Licence, has many lighter moments and is not a frame-for-frame replica of the original (I’ve seen the Malayalam version in bits and pieces). Other from the main plot, Selfiee has abandoned the original’s somber overtones and replaced them with a lot of humor.
The tale revolves around superstar Vijay Kumar (Akshay), who desperately needs a driver’s license so that he can complete the film’s climax and prevent losses for the producer. RTO officer Om Prakash Aggarwal (Emraan Hashmi), a devoted supporter, accepts the assignment to assist the actor and decides to do it without completing the customary laborious procedure in exchange for a picture. But due to a misunderstanding, things don’t go as planned, and the public has a field day with their juicy battle as it becomes prime time news.
I’ve always found it entertaining when actors play famous people on television or in movies; it’s like getting two hours of entertainment for the price of one. And it appears that this is turning into a tried-and-true recipe for filmmakers. Remember when Shah Rukh Khan’s Om Kapoor from Om Shanti Shanti Om became everyone’s favorite? Or how Vidya Balan brought Silk Smitha’s superstardom to life? Or even how Kangana Ranaut portrayed Jayalalithaa in her heyday as a superstar? All of these attempted to highlight different facets of a star’s life as well as their connection to the average person.
With Selfiee, the tale and storyline seem more plausible and realistic because they are not too fantastical and are quite believable. Selfiee explores the emotional side of being a spouse, a father, and juggling it all with their separate careers, as well as the conflict between a star and an RTO officer. There aren’t many boring scenes thanks to the screenplay’s interest. Rishabh Sharma adapted Sachy’s original story for the Hindi translation, making a few changes to make it more palatable to the Hindi audience.
Emraan Hashmi in a still from Selfiee.
In his portrayal of Vijay, Akshay comes the closest to the superstardom he experiences in real life. Despite being a self-made celebrity, he displays gratitude for his admirers while maintaining a charming character and charisma. Akshay’s propensity to be able to take a joke on himself and laugh at it, too, is what I loved about Selfiee and may still be my favorite part of the movie. It might be a jab at the ongoing criticism of the number of movies he does each year, the recent box office failure of Hindi movies, a doctor’s advice that he should focus on “classy pictures over massy cinema,” or even his iconic smile that bares his gums.
After more than a year, Emraan Hashmi returned to the big screen. He has a good screen presence, albeit at times he may come off as loud and exaggerated. But perhaps that’s just the way some ardent followers of celebrities are. that when they see or encounter their “gods,” they are unable to control their emotions. It’s amazing to observe how Emraan maintains his composure in fight scenes with Akshay.
Mahesh Thakur, who plays Vijay’s manager, gives a sincere performance. Meghna Malik, who plays politician Vimla Tiwari, has excellent comic timing and is given several amusing lines. Abhimanyu Singh, who plays Vijay’s contemporary, provides comedic relief and laughs in certain situations, but for an actor of his caliber, the writing entirely ignores him. The same goes for Kusha Kapila and Paritosh Tripathi, who come and go as they choose.
And once more, the female characters in the movie are either ignored or given very little to do. As Om Prakash’s wife, Nushrratt Bharuccha is compassionate but also has a quirky side. Also, she doesn’t mind flexing in front of the entire colony when her husband is enjoying his two minutes of fame on news channels on television, even though she disapproves of his fixation with a celebrity. Diana Penty’s inclusion in the script as Vijay’s wife is solely necessary so that the superstar can leverage the emotional undercurrent to deliver an impassioned speech at the film’s conclusion. Diana doesn’t really have many opportunities to perform or display her acting skills other from that.
Even her scenes with Akshay don’t stand out or cause you to pause and think about their chemistry.
Speaking of chemistry, I really like the song Kudiyee Ni Teri Vibe, in which Mrunal Thakur and Akshay groove and light the screen on fire. Even the remixed version of Main Khiladi Tu Anari, which plays during the closing credits, is a surefire party song that shouldn’t be missed. In summary, Selfiee checks off the majority of the requirements that Hindi film audiences have. Hence, even if you have seen the original Malayalam film, you would certainly like Selfiee if Akshay Kumar continues to develop Hindi remakes of South Asian movies. Everyone wants big-budget entertainers who can draw crowds back into theaters, after all, aren’t they?
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