Hindi cinema has a history of adapting foreign or regional films and giving them a Bollywood-y spin. The latest example is ‘Khel Khel Mein’, featuring Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu, Vaani Kapoor, Fardeen Khan, Ammy Virk, Pragya Jaiswal, and Aditya Seal. This comedy flick has finally arrived in theaters and is being lauded by audiences. However, when audiences saw the trailer for ‘Khel Khel Mein’, it reminded them of some movie they might have come across before.
‘Khel Khel Mein’ trailer was released on Friday, August 2, and social media users' gave it mixed reactions. In the trailer, seven friends get together for a dinner party and decide to play a game where they have to read out every notification on their phones. As the game proceeds, fights break out and secrets are revealed.
Check out the Khel Khel Mein trailer here:
One internet user shared on X (formerly Twitter), “As it turns out that movie #KhelKhelMein is a remake of movie #PerfectStrangers which is available on Prime Video It seems Bollywood can never improved, they will remain a copy cat. Utterly disappointing. Why can’t we make anything original?”
All about the Italian film Perfect Strangers
There's a pretty peculiar reason behind this sense of familiarity with the recent release. This is because it's a remake of the ‘Perfetti Sconosciuti’ (Perfect Strangers) movie, which was originally released in Italy. Also, the original has been adapted into three different languages in India: ‘Loudspeaker’ in Kannada, ‘12th Man’ in Malayalam, and ‘1001 Nunakal’ in Kannada. It is quite possible that viewers have seen one of these films. Currently, ‘Khel Khel Mein’ is the fourth adaptation of this popular film in Indian language.
It is surprising that 'Perfect Strangers' has been remade 28 times. A outstanding cast including Giuseppe Battiston, Anna Foglietta, Marco Giallini, Edoardo Leo, Valerio Mastandrea, Alba Rohrwacher, and Kasia Smutniak featured in the film when it first came out in 2016.
Remarkably, the film aslo holds the Guinness World Record for the 'most remade film'. The overwhelming reception of the movie sparked a global trend of remakes. A Greek remake of it was completed in the same year, and a Spanish version released in 2017. Several countries in 2018 followed suit, making their own adaptation, including Turkey, India, France, South Korea, Hungary, Mexico, and China.
Later in 2020 and 2021, Vietnam, Japan, the Czech Republic, Romania, the Netherlands, and Israel joined in after Russia, Armenia, Poland, and Germany had already made their versions by 2019. The film ‘Perfect Strangers’ got new adaptations in 2022 in Egypt, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Norway, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, and India.
Khel Khel Mein movie review
The ABP Live review of ‘Khel Khel Mein’ reads: This movie is a delightful watch, packed with humour and engaging moments. The comedy is spot on, and every actor fits their role perfectly, showcasing impeccable comedic timing. Akshay Kumar, Taapsee Pannu, and Ammy Virk deliver outstanding performances, ensuring the film never has a dull moment. As you watch, you're not only entertained but also left with a lingering thought—what if your phone fell into the wrong hands? The film subtly reminds us that everyone has their own shades of right and wrong, but in terms of entertainment, it hits the mark flawlessly.