What better way to escape the troubled and unsettling times in which we live, albeit momentarily, than by laughing it all away? A spy comedy with the most far-fetched storyline ever, Happy Patel: Khatarnak Jasoos takes us into a make-believe world of wicked lady gangsters, lady cops and foolish secret agents to tell a hilarious tale that apparently seems to have absolutely no intention beyond telling a funny story. The directorial debut of internationally renowned comedian Vir Das, it is full of wisecracks, quips, puns and typically Indian jokes that make you laugh out loud not only at what’s happening on screen but also at socially accepted patterns and ideas and then ultimately at yourself.

Starring Das himself as the eponymous spy, its plot unfolds the events that play out when Happy, who was raised in England by his adoptive fathers, learns of his Indian roots, is coached on how to look and act like an Indian (!) and sent off on a secret mission to Goa to rescue an abducted British woman. This premise becomes the ideal launch pad to make Happy get into the oddest of predicaments and unleashes a chain of circumstances that provide non-stop fun and laughter for the audience. Spoofing the genre of the spy thriller to create comedy, Happy Patel piles on the humour thick and fast, subverting the tropes of not only spy films, but of almost every Bollywood genre including mushy romances, patriotic thrillers and heavy-duty action films. Nearly every comic moment is made carefully and deliberately reminiscent of the original scene it has been borrowed from, the absurdity of the situations arising from this connection making the moment doubly funny.

As a secret agent with virtually zero skills required for the job, Vir Das delivers a performance that literally pulls all the punches (but not the trigger). Happy’s nervousness and incompetence in wielding a gun as a novice agent, his bumbling honesty and straightforward style of operation, and his romantic proposal to Rupa (Mithila Palkar), a dancer, demonstrate Das’s prowess as a comic and romantic actor. Mitila Palkar breaks out of her typecast chirpy image to take on a more serious, intelligent role, which also sees her impress in some truly sharp action scenes. Their romantic connection being nothing like a conventional Bollywood romance, her chemistry with Das is subtle but strong and organic. Rapper Srushti Tawade is the surprise package of the film, her smart, tech genius character Roxy perhaps the most underrated but valuable member of Happy’s on-ground team of handlers. Mona Singh as Goa’s underworld matriarch Mama, who is the film’s main antagonist, is depicted in conventional style as the typical savage and heartless lady don. Singh’s performance is however, spot-on, balancing her character’s feminine elegance with her brutality, and commanding every scene in which she is present with quiet power and authority. The blink-and-you-miss comeback role by Imran Khan towards the end of the film and the cameo by Aamir Khan as Mama’s father at its beginning are roles that add little more to the narrative than star power, perhaps a necessary component to enhance its box-office appeal.

At 121 minutes, Happy Patel which includes a few songs, some unnecessary details and digressions and a tad too many fight sequences, moves at a fast, almost breathless pace and almost hurtles towards its climax, which ends not without more surprises thrown in. Happy and Mama’s interest in the culinary arts adds an interesting context to the film on several levels with the unexpected cooking competition in its climax serving as a breather from the gory scenes of violence preceding it. Vir Das’s storytelling is brisk and robust in most parts; the plot neatly ties up its loose ends and provides all reasonable back stories. There are also some unmissable dialogues that provide food for thought and try to lift this film from being more than just a laugh riot. What ultimately stands out though is the film’s unpretentious style and its ability to warm hearts and make people laugh all at the same time.