Ki & Ka (2016) User Reviews

R.Balki's Experiment On Love & Relationship; Feminism & Gender Equality Can Induce That 'Change'

[mohulghosh · 7/10 · 2 April 2016]

‪#‎Ki‬&Ka: I wanted to give it 7; but my wife demanded little more. We argued, we debated, and then we finally settled for 7.25/5.

And I guess that's the only essence of this brilliant ‪#‎love‬, ‪#‎relationship‬ movie from R.Balki, which is somewhere between traditional and modern, yet loaded with highly practical, anti-age- old advice for those who think that being in a relationship is actually tough (or easy!)

Overall, I would describe the movie as a mixture of several Bollywood movies of this genre; as if R.Baliki is giving an ode to all previous directors: It has the pride and ego of Abhimaan, the wit, intellectuality from Bawarchi; the complexities and subtle emotions from Saathiya as well as the dark, mysterious elements of love from Hum Tum. R Balki has picked up ingredients from these movies, reversed the protagonists and the conflicts and presented via ‪#‎KiKa‬.

If Kareena Kapoor is the burning deity of hardcore feminism in this movie, then Arjun Kapoor is the epitome of gender equality and the evangelist and advocate against running the 'race'. Watch it with a pinch of salt, and get immersed in the awesomeness of food-porn, get bewitched by the portrayal of a successful blogger, and some untraditional, out of the box experiments which A-list stars seldom try out.

Watch it with an open mind, remembering the fact that the director had earlier given us path-breaking cinema like Cheeni Kum, Pa & English Vinglish. Ki&Ka won't change your life; but yes, it will seep an idea about the 'positive' change all right!

7.25/10

Fresh & Progressive!

[namashi_1 · 7/10 · 1 April 2016]

R.Balki's 'Ki & Ka' is innovative, progressive & amusing. This film breaks the stereotype of the hero-heroine concept & offers an all new approach. Its far from perfect, but it has a good heart & the narrative holds at most times.

'Ki & Ka' follows of how A young couple's (Kareena & Arjun) marriage challenges the gender roles placed upon men and women in Indian society.

'Ki & Ka' is about a man who enjoys being a house-husband & a women who proudly runs the house. Its a fresh thought & Balki's Writing offers enough scope for humour & some drama. Its amusing to watch this brand new take on romance & society unfold in those 124-minutes. The first-hour is nicely balanced on how its protagonists meet & their subsequent sudden their marriage, but the second-hour slows down & the jealously angle from the lady's point of view, when the man becomes a craze for his uniqueness, doesn't really work. In fact, 'Ki & Ka' has a breezy first-hour & sets things right up, but the second-hour loses pace, as the proceedings become loose. However, things come back on a track, as the finale, is cute.

Balki's Screenplay is engaging at most parts, but a sharper & more convincing second-hour would've elevated the narrative. Blake's Direction is competent, as always. Cinematography is well-done, although a few frames are distracting. Editing is neat. Music by Various Artists is wonderful. Art & Costume Design are good.

Performance-Wise: Kareena & Arjun make for a good on-screen couple. Kareena shines from start to end, enacting the part of an authoritative wife with remarkable conviction. Arjun is extremely likable as the loving, younger husband. Also, the on-screen chemistry between the two, is exciting. In supporting roles, Swaroop Sampat is adorable as Kareena's lovable mom, while Rajit Kapur is perfect as Arjun's miffed dad. Amitabh & Jaya Bachchan are delightful in cameos.

On the whole, 'Ki & Ka' dares to be different & yet it doesn't forget to entertain. Recommended!

Ki & Ka – Breaking age old conventions & social conditionings!

[g_aparna · 5/10 · 6 April 2016]

Ki & Ka – Breaking age old conventions & social conditionings! The female is Kia and the male is Kabir – Hence Ki & Ka.

About Male –

Son of a filthy rich real estate bizman. Father had a belittling attitude towards mother and thought she did nothing at home apart from sitting idle! Well, since they were filthy rich....there is not much that a wife does – apart from shopping, playing Mahjong, attending kitty parties etc....unless of course the Bizman was struggling during his youth and was surviving on measly salary – then the wife really comes handy – she buys food/ vegetables herself, washes utensils, clothes, cooks etc. – even then the members of the family think that she is not good enough! All the good-for-nothingness of the wife get further more exaggerated if there is a mother-in-law around (MIL hereinafter). You see many MILs cannot tolerate the fact that some unknown stranger female will come and have a good and comfortable time at her house! MILs often compare their days of youth with the present day and try to torture the daughter-in-law (DIL hereinafter) just as she was humiliated or tortured when she was a newly wed bride...anyways, I am diverting from the main story! Read on... So Kabir had witnessed the humiliating attitude of his father since childhood and was very upset about it. He was intelligent in studies so he did manage to finish his MBA from a good Institute. But he did not want to join the rat race – he wanted a cushy job of a home-maker. He wanted to be a 'WIFE'! wow!

About Female –

Kia had lost her father at a very young age. Her mother had to become both father and mother to the child – and we all know how important is money to run the family. Mother therefore gets busy with her profession...and of course also feeding & educating her daughter Kia. They lacked a man-figure in the house. Both of them had become males in the journey of life. Their house appeared as if it was hit by a tornado – unkempt and dishevelled! When Kabir had first visited their house, he even commented if they had a dog at home.....shows how terribly unkempt both the mother daughter were...in spite of a maid !

Story line- So ka and ki meet, Ka tells about how he disrespects his father because all his life he had seen him disrespecting his mother! They go around, try out sex and were probably happy with the outcome of the sex-session...so they decide to get married. Mother of Kia confirms from daughter – right in front of Ka - whether she had had sex with him or not – which is very important for marriage commitment! Really !! So very modern outlook!! Triple WOW!! So the movie is trying to convey to the youths..and adults and the aged...that youngsters should be allowed to have sex before wedlock.

Like male A will have sex with female B – if they are not satisfied with each other sexually, male A will have sex with female C and Female B will try out sex with male D....then Male D, who had tried sex with female F, G & H...and had rejected them all because they were not sassy enough as compared to what he had been watching in triple X blue films, will recommend an orgy session with female B because he is really really confused about his sexual preferences!

Anyways, they get married. Ki already had a beautiful flat but after all ka was the son of a rich bizman – he had picked up wasteful habits ..so he renovates the entire house and turns it into an 18th century railway station! Yuk! (I certainly would have kicked him out for this.....anyways pretty far fetched thought – I would never have agreed to such a stupid proposal...maybe because I have had a very normal childhood and I know the difference and importance of both father figure and mother figure in one's life.....and my mother was a very dominating personality.... she dominated with love..and no one in his or her sane mind would ever meddle with the source of sheer, selfless, unconditional love!) Maid Servant episode There is a scene where the maid arrives and thinking that all the family members must have gone to office, calls over her boyfriend to have sex in the AC room! Ka did not drive her away....but politely asked her if she had changed the bed-sheets after having sex ! Wow! Such an understanding kewl dude....the AC is on for 3-4 hours as long as she works, she watches TV and even keeps the house unkempt (remember the 1st time kabir visited the house, it looked like a kennel?) and all that the master of the house..no mistress of the house...whatever – had to say was 'Please change the bedsheets, Thankyou.'!! Gosh! Such creeps – devil knows what Bollywood tries to prove by showing such behaviour towards the wrong doer!

This film is basically a kick on the mouth of those women who consider it lowly to be a housewife and have joined the rat race...esp. to compete with men! Ka showed that recognition and fame, that humans hanker for, could be achieved by being a good home maker too! Ka starts making home cooked, healthy food videos and he becomes more famous than Ki. They fight...then make up at the end.

Story over.

An opportunity lost.

[akshay-ak-kumar · 6/10 · 7 May 2016]

Ki and Ka has one hell of an interesting premise.

Kareena Kapoor aka Kia doesn't want to get married and have kids as that will ruin her career while Arjun Kapoor aka Kabir is very happy to play the house husband with no ambitions inspite being from a wealthy family and B School topper. They get married but how long will this last?

The 1st half of the movie is fun filled. The way Kabir and Kia meet. Kabir is not the usual Hindi hero; he cries and tells Kia that housewife is an artist. How Kabir convinces her to marry him? How Kabir takes over running the house and becomes a favorite of all the ladies in the apartment. Frankly, the 1st half is simply awesome.

Its when the 2nd half starts that the cracks arise in the marriage and that when the movie starts to sink. The problem in 2nd half is that Balki and his co writer Virmani have no clue how to take the movie forward. So there is a stupid scene of Kia worried that she is pregnant and takes multiple pregnancy tests.

And, finally to ensure that there is a dramatic end they turn the film into a very old Amitabh Bachchan classic called Abhimaan. The only difference is here Kia gets jealous of Kabir's success. There is also one stupid mandatory fight scene to show that Kabir is still a man. Seriously !!

Very ironically, when the movie loses steam, Balki takes help of Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan who stared in Abhimaan and comes with a nice interesting piece between them. Both the actors steal the show in the 10 mins they have but those 10 mins also makes the viewer think about marriage and roles a husband and wife play.

Which also brings me to the question of what Balki was thinking while writing the movie? The problem with Ki and Ka is that Balki takes the story very seriously. If he wrote the 2nd half as the 1st which is fun filled and less preachy, this film would have been a cracker.

The film is also watchable because of its leads. Kareena Kapoor proves to us what a fabulous and talented actress she is. The fact that she ends up signing blockbusters with minuscule roles is the sad part of her career. I hope she concentrates more on the roles she signs because she is still capable of giving Deepika and Kangana a run for their money.

Arjun Kapoor also does a commendable job and is at ease playing the house husband who never looses his cool. I don't believe any other actor who have risked is career but Arjun takes it and shines.

And, finally both the Kapoors share one hell of a chemistry on screen which also lights up the movie.

However, I believe Ki and Ka could have been a landmark film for Hindi Cinema had Balki got the idea correct. He misses the plot and for me its an opportunity lost.

Love story with cute and fresh Tadka

[dineshprakash · 6/10 · 1 April 2016]

Director and writer Mr. R. Balki successfully breaks the established norms of gender biased society. He enhances the concept with adding perfect shots and churning out right expressions from actors. Story line is thin but screenplay and dialogues make it lovely. You can witness freshness in approach even from beginning of film. The way they meet and introduced on screen. The way Kia takes to meet Kabeer to her mother is good and the way Kabeer father reacts being introduced Kia by Kabeer and her reply is fantastic. When Kabeer catches maid red handed, the way this scenes handled is appropriate for the premise, even she is not fired but warned in cute way. Kabeer father wishing him Happy birth day is quirky but it shows the equation between father and son and it gets justified and enhances the climax. Perfect example of establishing characters and using it in proper way. Kabeer and Kia heated argue culmination is very good. Even the guest appearance of Mr. Amitabh Bachhan is very entertaining. His expressions are awesome and this plot is also used to realizing Kia's over reactions. Pre climax dialogues by Kia's mother about justification of gender with work is very good. Climax is emotional and impressive. Only drawback in this film is, its 30 minutes of second half which is full of montages and in films ads, promoting lots of brands in non creative and stuffed way. It slow the movie pace up to level of boring. Performance wise Kareena Kapoor is fabulous. Arjun Kapoor is endearing and balanced. Swaroop Sampat as Kia mother is very good. Rajat Kapoor as Kabeer father is good. Music wise "High heel Par Nache" is peppy and foot tapping.

OTT and Rather regressive

[smartrogue · 4/10 · 16 April 2016]

Frankly if you reverse the role of Kareena and Arjun the film would be termed misogynist.... So y isn't this termed misandry? We are all for working women and blah blah..but blatant derision of Arjun Kapoor and his meek responses just reinforces the negative stereotypes about home makers ( be of either gender) that they are supposed to be doormats..that they are there to be abused and then be apologised at.. And to top this cherry pie..it tries to brainwash that women are not our equals but our superiors.. How do they do that? Just see If a man is a breadwinner and woman is the home maker then its normal..no more pati parmeshwar ideology...which is fine.. But if a woman is the bread winner and a man is a househusband then the woman is braver than the man because being the (earning) wife of a house husband is more brave than being the earning husband of a house wife..today if the man is earning and woman is handling a house then she is doing a tougher job..but if a woman is earning and man a house husband..its still a woman who is doing a tougher job??

He is She and She is He....... Confused??

[altaf42049 · 2 April 2016]

"Hello! My name is Kabir and I am a house wife (husband)" is the main theme of this movie. This movie is a negative mask, that converts every right perspectives, traits, norms and ethics into an opposite. Mr Balki has once again come up with an innovative,fresh and yet slightly controversial topic as before. The movie focuses on marriage lives in subcontinent but in a never seen before manner. Ka(Arjun Kapoor) Ki (Kareena Kapoor) is a married couple in which Ki(Kareena) plays the husband and Ka(Arjun) plays the wife. The story emphasize that it is not mandatory for women only to stay at home and perform domestic tasks while assigning the outer duties to the male partner rather the same can be implemented in an entirely opposite way. This situation creates a natural comic angle and curiosity in the movie that is maintained till the end. A husband has been shown supporting his wife while staying at home and doing house keeping so that his wife can fulfill her dreams and becomes a very successful business woman. But at times success and over commitment of one partner becomes indigestible for the other and this marks the commencement of disputes between them leading towards more problems. Kareena and Arjun Kapoor has done a fabulous job by doing complete justice to their roles. Kareena Kapoor has appeared so fresh after a long time since "Jab We Met". A short cameo by "Big B" and "Jiya Bachhan" serves as icing on the cake towards the climax. R. Balki has proved his direction abilities and capabilities once again and deserves applause for bringing an altogether new dimension of thinking towards personal relations. A recommended movie to be watched by couples for sake of understanding the value and importance of each others role in real life!!!!

The message that it passes is different and superior than what is guessed. Great storyline, direction and a wonderful effort.

[ankitcom · 7/10 · 9 July 2016]

The message that it passes is different and superior than what is guessed. Great storyline, direction and a wonderful effort.

Director: R Balki Actors: Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma, Randeep Hooda

Rating: 3 / 5

Storyline Rating: 3 Content: 3 Commercialization: 4 Entertainment: 4

Acting Rating: 3 Arjun Kapoor: 3 Kareena Kapoor Khan: 3 Swaroop Sampat: 3

Direction Rating: 3

Music Rating: 3

Cinematography: 4

Editing: 3

Shallow and didactic Rom-com

[Ansango · 4/10 · 4 April 2016]

Ki and Ka is a movie which demonstrates the role of housewives in our society.

Constructing home from a house is an art but the people behind this act don't get enough appreciation.According to our society's opinion,the people who work outside are the prime contributor in this act.This movie tries to draw your attention toward the struggle,a housewife has to face,in order to run a home.

The only difference in the movie is that here the wife works outside and the husband runs the home.No doubt,the concept is very noble but its presentation is shoddy.The screenplay has been written in a dilettante manner.The drama is very shoal and mind-numbing.Some of the dialogs are quirky but most of them miss the punch and are ordinary and sometimes preachy too.First half contains some light hearted scenes but second half is a complete washout.The reason for dispute between husband and wife is never justified properly making the movie sound even more unrealistic.Music is plain and contains nothing extra ordinary.

This is the first film of Arjun kapoor after a long break and he is just OK in his role.During some scenes he overacts too much.Kareena kapoor looks good but is just average.The lady in the role of Kareena's mom is good.Rajat kapoor shows his flair is a small role and is excellent.

R.Balki is famous for making films which are far from the usual topics touched by our filmmakers.I am his big fan but i must say that this is his weakest work in recent memory.He falters frequently especially during 2nd half.I am disappointed this time but hope that he will craft something better next time.

Overall the film is fresh,unique and the topic has rarely been explored in Bollywood but weak execution ruins the day.If you are a fan of light hearted Rom-com which are different from routine films then this is for you otherwise stay at your home or go with low expectations. 4.2 out of 10 is my final rating.

Inversion is the key

[Sachin_Chavan · 7/10 · 24 November 2016]

'Ki and Ka' is 'Abhimaan' inverse. But it's the inversion that makes it the movie it is. Breaking social mores was, is, and will never be easy. Breaking those that deal with gender roles is perhaps the most difficult.

No wonder the film grossed modestly despite bankable stars and major release. R. Bal'Ki' deserves a big hand for attempting it. I shall skip commenting on its artistic merit just for this reason. Suffices saying that Kareena Kapoor does justice to the role and Arjun is by now creating a niche as a lazy looking actor that can hold the audience, but not impress.

This movie gave someone concussion

[himalay-chauhan26 · 1/10 · 31 March 2020]

I'll try to be short. This movie is plain terrible that someone fell from a kid's ride and gave her concussion. Now she thinks she watched Kapoor and Sons but it was Ki and Ka. See the impact ?

New, simple and a refreshing story!

[faisalfaves · 8/10 · 12 April 2016]

A love story about the reversal of gender roles. It was really a new and amazing experience to watch a new story. Thanks the writer of the movie R. Balki for his direction and story.

Kareena Kapoor is really struggling hard to come back in Bollywood. Arjun as always his acting is really nice and clean.

There is so much to be said about changing roles in today's Asia, and films would do well to reflect on this great churn.

The Music lacks the energy that most of people expect from a new-age romance drama. High Heels remains to be the best song from the album while Ji Huzoori and Most Wanted Munda seem average. I am going with a 2.5/5 for the Music album of Ki and Ka.

Overall Nice movie. Watch, Enjoy your weekend

New concept, a one time watch

[varshaforever · 6/10 · 2 April 2016]

The movie has a nice concept but lacks somewhere in terms of the story. Acting was good,especially by Kareena. Some scenes and dialogs are quite repetitive and have been repeated two or more times which is not very flattering. Dialogs could have been better. The trailer gave out most of the plot, and also the main dialogs which is why I felt the trailer should have had an element of mystery so that viewers could have enjoyed the movie better. The movie left me wanting for more, only if this wish of mine would have been fulfilled.

It challenges the stereotypical mentality of the society and throws light on human nature and tendencies. Thought provoking, overall an entertaining picture with a fresh thought, a one time watch with friends.

A miss of what could have been an awesome treat.

[MuviFan73 · 4/10 · 2 April 2016]

This is one of the movies inspired from one of the Satyameva jayete's episode's where men take lead in keeping house and making it home. To be really frank I thing this movie is a little underrated movie at IMDb. I enjoyed the first half much more than the later part.

Cons: Poor execution in second part, a man with such nature would definitely want kids and the story with such upbringing could have been much better. The second thing is about being so much frank in discussion of adult material, well for me that was an ouch!

Pros: Good comic in first half. An inspiring idea of house-husband.

Rating : 6.5/10.

My Review!

[mrinalmmehta · 6/10 · 29 August 2019]

If all went reversed in society, men at home, women in office, how would it be? Well, of course, this movie just focusses on a single couple but it's an interesting take. It started slow, brought comedy and a cheesy ending. I wouldn't say it's worth a watch but curiosity is what made me watch this one. :)

PEACE OUT !!!

Only superior thinkers can digest 'Ki And Ka'.

[mrsharmasuyash · 7/10 · 1 April 2016]

The much awaited R. Balki's 'Ki And Ka' revolves around the two characters and their after marriage life, Kareena Kapoor As 'Ki' (Kia) and Arjun Kapoor As 'Ka' (Kabir). Kia is a business women who's dream is to be at peak in her field, and kabir who is son of a renowned top builder of Delhi but he do not want to live a boring, messy life he just want to be like her mother. Kia and kabir after falling in love decides to get married but after marriage Kabir became house husband. everything runs on right track until Kabir became quiet famous and because of his fame Kia gets jealous. And then movie comes to a other way but at end everything becomes normal. R. Balki's Direction is good, he presented a very uncommon issue in a very simple manner. Acting of Kareena and Arjun is Fab and of other supporting casts are good. Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan plays a cameo. Music is good 'Ji Huzoori' and 'High Heels' are awesome tracks, 'Foolishq' 'Most Wanted Munda' and 'Pump It Up' are good. Cinematography Is Okay-Okay. Dialogues weren't enough good so we can remember them. Script is nice but what happened to screenplay, it is not just enough good. Overall movie is a 'Fresh' one and is very good but somewhere it looses. If you're an Entertainment lover, this movie can disappoint you somewhere but if you like to watch movies based on social issues, of different zones as gender inequality, etc. you will respect "Ki And Ka".

Kareena's character is spot on, Arjun is victim of confusion

[kumarvarun1989 · 2/10 · 5 October 2016]

I count amongst some of my best friends, house husbands. Or let's put it in a slightly more nuanced way, men who like to stay home, take charge of the household, be the primary caregiver for parents and children. They know that they come in for more than their share of good- humoured ribbing as well as nasty jibes, and they have learnt to take it in their stride because they are supremely comfortable doing what they do. Oh, and before I forget, their wives go to work, excel at their demanding jobs, and get in the lolly.

With 'Ki and Ka', Bollywood has got to the point of being able to place a man willing to be home, knuckle down to dull domestic chores, and wave the flag for ambitious women and progressive men. So hurrah for Ka and Ki and Balki? Yes, but only up to point. The film is fun when it is setting up the roles. But the execution, as it goes along, gets rocky. Much of it stays episodic, and starts reinforcing the very stereotypes it set out to negate. And so much of the writing is so explicatory that you begin wondering if the filmmakers really take their viewers for People Who Do Not Understand Anything Unless It Is Underlined Thrice Over.

Kia (Kareena Kapoor) and Kabir (Arjun Kapoor) get past their meet-cute in a tearing hurry, and jump into an exchange of garlands and glands. All is hunky-dory to begin with : Ka rolls out of bed, picks up after his office-going wife and mum-in-law (Swaroop Sampat ; good to see her back on screen), lays out steaming hot 'khana' ; Ki cracks open her Mac, and delivers smart campaign ideas to her advertising agency colleagues (great excuse for lots of product placements, yo), and goes up the corporate ladder.

She is into marketing; he is busy home-making, and they are happy playing footsie. And then jealousy rears its ugly head, and the lines Ka and Ki had set up for themselves start to blur. Who will go out? Who will have a public face and high profile? Who will stay in and cook fresh? Will a Ka be happy to be called 'nikamma'? The film evades that problematic one neatly by a too-convenient plot twist, involving Ka's disapproving papa (a permanently sneering Rajit, who is never given the chance to smile through the film) who thunders on about ' 'mards' and, haha, cautionary 'chhaddi checks'.

something different

[cuttiekattie · 7/10 · 16 April 2016]

Nice screen play but not deliver well, unwanted scene, a bit confusion in characters but still its something different. i know it looks unrealistic or bakwas because its not something easy to digest. In my views, society needs a movie like this as most of the people (NOT ALL) still prefer to depends upon their wives or in some cases wives have to leave working because stereotypes..

if your soul mate is more ambitious than you so its nothing wrong to let them what they wants to be by sharing their work. p.s. it doesn't mean to become a "house husband" like him wearing high heels and mangal sutaar.. nah nah i can't say this...

7/10 because of the acting and different story line..

Garbage

[leoca-87949 · 2/10 · 14 June 2016]

Complete garbage. Why is India and Bollywood is obsessed with women inferiority in India and pretends that they can achieve equality by copying west. Complete disappointment. R Balki has never impressed me with any of his work. I believe he also needs schooling that breaking norm is always not cool either. Equality is not achieved by making shitty cinema. Very shallow attempt. Man and women are equal why India needs to be reminded every time. What a silly attempt to prove it. Certainly better movies have been made to prove women power like Mother India. This movie has no story and extremely shallow theme, it will appeal to shallow teen generation maybe.

Brilliant concept ruined by poor execution!

[Yudhvir-Singh-Ahlawat · 6/10 · 22 June 2016]

Movie focuses on a married life where "Ki" i.e female plays role of "Ka" i.e male and "Ka" plays role of "Ki". Movie shows reaction of society towards the man who is a "housewife", he soon earns a huge female fan following but that affects their married life drastically.

What's Good: -Brilliant concept. -Characters were chosen correctly. -Movie raised some valid points (not all) regarding gender problems that exist in our society.

What's Not: -Story could have been a lot better. -Brilliant concept ruined by poor execution. -Neither romantic nor funny, disappointment in both genres.

Our Ratings: Story: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6/10. Music: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ 5/10. Direction, editing and screenplay: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 7/10. Star Performances: ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆ 5/10. Overall: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6/10.

Final Verdict: Not worth the time, concept was ace but everything else was not up to the mark, you'll be disappointed.

HORRIBLE FILM!

[shreya-41631 · 1/10 · 17 September 2020]

Worst film ever. Arjun Kapoor is unbearable. Cannot act with his blank face. Kareen Kapoor was ok.

Simple and sweet

[devkushwaha1997 · 10/10 · 2 April 2016]

This movie is a very different kind.... Kareena has done wonderful job..she has again proved that why she is called one of the best actress in Indian cinema.. Fresh and bold yet beautiful she nailed it in the the movie ..Arjun also did a great job in it...a great respect towards Balki sir..he us a visionary director and also the supporting cast did a good job..the movie is a wholesome light hearted romantic comedy with some funny and cute moment with a spark of something new...the cast did a wonderful job to show the life of kia and kabir... Sometimes you can link with the characters and their situation in your life... The movie is simple and beautiful you'll enjoy every bit of it..

A predictable romcom/drama that plays on gender stereotypes.A watchable film,a good effort.

[jmoneyjohal · 6/10 · 10 April 2016]

Approximately 9 days after Ki and Ka released I finally watched the film ,well better late then never right ( I was ill so give me a break). Ki and Ka is made by the famously schizophrenic director R Balki, who on one side has made gems like Paa, and Cheeni Kum, and he is the same man who made last years disastrous Shamitabh. Balki always comes up with unique and out of the box ideas for all his films and Ki and Ka is not any different .Ki and Ka is a film about squashing gender stereotypes, a film where there is a house husband, and a working businesswoman wife, I was impressed with the basic idea, but I had my expectations in check, especially after watching the just okay trailer. However the film is not nearly as bad as Shamitabh, but its not as good as a Paa either, this film hits a middle ground and ends up being a watchable good effort. I will now go into a more of in depth analysis of Ki and Ka.

Story wise Kia aims to become a successful business woman and also wishes other women to work instead of managing the house-hold and just becoming the support system of her husband. On her flight to Delhi from Chandigarh, she meets Kabir . The two get along very nicely and start meeting quite often. Kia discovers Kabir wants to be a house "wife" like his mother and does not want to get caught in the race of progress by becoming of business man. Kia also learns that Kabir is the son of a highly successful building constructor but does not want to inherit his immense wealth.Kia and Kabir gradually fall in love and decide to marry where Kabir would handle the household stuff while Kia would be the bread earner. They convince their parents for this marriage and get married in a court. What happens next forms the crux plot.

Acting wise Arjun Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor have a crackling chemistry on screen, and look very compatible on screen. Arjun Kapoor gives what is one of his career best acts in Ki and Ka. Its a very unconventional role, and he handles it with maturity and is restrained on screen. Its funny to watch him on screen in such a different avatar then usual. Kareena Kapoor is at her ever dependable best, and she owns her de glam business woman role. Both of there play on gender stereotype ideas on screen is hilarious.

Ki and Ka works for two reasons, one as mentioned above the great chemistry of the leads, who look like a real couple on screen, there acting is extremely believable. The second reason is that films core idea is very fresh, and the need of the moment in India especially. In a time were rape, and abuse against women is at its all time in India a film like Ki and Ka is very important to challenge the male patriarchal thinking in India.Don't get me wrong Ki and Ka is not a preachy film, but its still a feel good film/ romcom but it talks about a important issue, and its a start even if the tone of the film is not serious but light (and a steer in the right direction). Now where the film falters is in the stories predictability and very clichéd story arc. You know there is going to be a happy ending right from the first frame, and all the conflicts in the film are those we see in any romantic comedy drama etc. On top of that the film has some not so great production values, as the whole film is shot on sets. And the dialogues of the film and the play on gender stereotyping at times is hilarious, but some dialogues are cringe worthy. The way how first Kia becomes ultra successful and then does Kabir is very unbelievable and not necessary to show in the film (in my opinion).However what makes the film enjoyable throughout despite any flaws is the films light feel good tone, that keeps a smile on your face at all times. I really enjoyed the whole train idea, how the train brings food etc, it was nice catch in the script (You will understand what I mean when you watch the film). The music , and especially the high heels song was enjoyable. The film had a tight edit, and was told at a nice breezy 2hrs.

Overall while Ki and Ka is not a must watch film, its a nice predictable feel good watch, and its fresh core idea make for some good laughs on screen. Just don't go into the theatres excepting a film that will change gender norms,because the film is far from that. But its a start.

3.25/5* Grade: 67% C+

A MASSIVE MISSED OPPORTUNITY

[indraniaray · 3/10 · 5 October 2023]

This is a massive case of what could have been. Such a missed opportunity. Finally watched this film (in 2023) . There's so much regression couched in the "progression" and just terribly unhinged character arcs and story development and tackiness in the garb of modernity -and because R. Balki can rope in the Bachchans he will, no matter what - it was such nonsense hook in this story. The love story never really takes off. And a lot of the subplot popups like the maid using the house - such a trope. Kareena looks gorgeous but is shortchanged - Arjun is so terribly miscast - lacks the charm and sunshine. Swaroop Sampat's dialogues are largely meh and so disappointing. Also Balki's Lust Story core idea came from here. I realised. "Sex kiya" i(especially in this socio economic strata) s literally the grossest way to put this thought out there - like what?! I cringed and fast forwarded my way through. 3 stars just for Kareena.

Not that bad

[Rawal_Afzal · 7/10 · 9 April 2016]

It is not about man or woman, it is about who the bread-winner of the family, who kind of the head of the family is, or at least feels that way being the bread-winner, that carries that ego and pride. In this case, it was a woman, and hence it was her who developed all those feelings and thoughts in her mind. This was sort of the moral of the story, and a one which I really liked. The speech by Kia's mother there at the end underlined this beautifully.

There were a thousand things here and there that looked a bit odd or were debatable, but it being a film pretty short in length meant that nothing was stretched beyond tolerable limits and remained for me overall a good film. I am not sure it really deserved the hatred that it is getting in reviews. It wasn't the worst film ever, really.

What I really liked was the play of words in "ki" and "ka", taken from their names, Kia and Kabir, and extended to the use in language.