It’s not easy to elicit a laugh from the audience with the visual of someone getting shot by a bullet, no matter what the genre is. But in Jeevan Ya Bheema Con?, we have one particular character whose obnoxious demeanour drives us up the walls — so much so that we can’t wait to see him suffer, even if the suffering arrives in microdoses. Any sort of punishment for this character would amount to a comical reward for the audience. And after a lot of build up, the writers finally deliver this hilarious pay off. Unfortunately, this is also one of the few moments where this film lives up to the potential of its genre and its universe. 

If you see it at face value, Jeevan Ya Bheema Con? has a ludicrous premise. Jeevan (Arshad Warsi) and Yojana (Sanjeeda Shaikh), an in-debt couple, stage the death of his doppleganger Bheema in order to haggle the insurance money so that they could pay off their debts. However, trouble awaits for them in form of Vinayak (Vijay Raaz) and Manu (Brijendra Kala) who know about Jeevan and Yojana’s little conniving plan. 

Cast: Arshad Warsi, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Vijay Raaz, Brijendra Kala, Pooja Chopra, Atul Parchure

Director: Abhishek Dogra

The way these events play out — as we are shown how Jeevan waits for the perfect moment to be a witness to Bheema’s 'accidental' death — it’s disappointing how the film refuses to commit to the silliness of it all. We have two protagonists who are borderline immoral and criminal, and yet, they carry the ethical burden of not wanting to be ‘killers.’ Given our disinterest in Jeevan and Yojana as characters, Jeevan Ya Bheema Con? eventually attempts to glide along on its handful of punchlines and moments built around physical comedy. However, the narrative never gathers the kind of franticness or tension to make a premise like this work. This need to portray its protagonist as ‘flawed-but-good-people’ does half the damage.

The other half is done by the narrative's sheer lack of humour. For a film that’s not interested in saying anything, not even about the absurdity or chaos of life, Jeevan Ya Bheema Con? is too dull for the most part. The film begins on a rather sombre note, and you struggle to find humour for a while. Even when the narrative settles down, the execution feels more suited to a muted thriller than an absurd comedy. The writers of this comedy, as strange as it sounds, struggle to evoke laughs. 

This desperate struggle to bring out laughter reflects in the excess of toilet comedy at use, among other elements. The quantity of fart jokes and moments playing on scatological comedy feels like an overdose. There is a vague subplot about Vinayak who keeps getting calls from his short-tempered Haryanvi wife that could be perceived either as love or excessive control. Either way, it doesn’t add much and remains another bewildering piece of this puzzle. 

Arshad Warsi sleepwalks through his role as Jeevan; there’s some edge to the way he embraces Bheema though. Meanwhile, Sanjeeda Sheikh’s tonality feels too serious for the film.

If there’s any fun to be had, it’s in watching the ever-reliable Vijay Raaz chew the scenery in his quintessential laidback fashion. Brijendra Kala too is pretty effective as Vinayak’s sidekick Manu, despite being weighed down by the mediocrity of fart jokes his character is forced to carry.

The majority of Jeevan Ya Bheema Con? unfolds at a cozy little apartment in Pune. And unfortunately, the makers fall prey to another easy trap here — of being bogged down by the limited confines of their sets. The framing is lacklustre and plain; there is very little enthusiasm or willingness to experiment visually or make the production design a more integral part of the narrative. After a point, you begin to wonder if this film could have worked out better as a teleplay.

In one of the rooms there, however, hangs a dilapidated ceiling fan that looks like it could break a head at any moment. That visual, particularly with Vijay Raaz being part of the frame, instantly brings Delhi Belly to one’s mind — where too a wobbly fan alters the fate of everyone in the room.

There’s nothing as unfortunate as being reminded of comedy at its best and compelled to watch comedy at its weakest.