‘Mere Husband Ki Biwi’ review: Neither funny nor dramatic enough

In the 1980s, a spate of melodramatic films – usually remakes of Telugu films – starred heroines fighting over the hero often played by Jeetendra. Mudassar Aziz’s putative romcom Mere Husband Ki Biwi belongs in spirit to that era.

The title tries too hard to be cute. There is token updating – the women, Prabhleen (Bhumi Pednekar) and Antara (Rakul Preet Singh), wear contemporary outfits and have trendy careers. Prabhleen is a TV reporter, Antara a specialist in sports medicine. The guy they both set their hearts on is Ankur (Arjun Kapoor). Ankur works with his father’s real estate brokerage but is mostly seen hanging out with his friend Rehan (Harsh Gujral), who has the best lines of the lot.

When the film opens, Ankur is waking up from horror movie-like nightmares about Prabhleen, his ex-wife. She is volatile and prone to drinking and tantrums. After spending five years moping, Ankur runs into his school crush Antara, who is into hang gliding and river rafting while Ankur does nothing more strenuous than reaching out to a glass of booze. He confesses his past to Antara and for some inexplicable reason, she agrees to marry him.

Prabhleen reappears and wants Ankur back. In a contrivance that only a silly…

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