Pad Gaye Pange Movie Review : Comedy undone by lazy writing and missed humour

Story: Retired math teacher Shastri Ji shares a deep bond with his former student Ayush. Their lives take an unexpected turn when both are diagnosed with cancer during a health check-up camp.

Review: ‘Pad Gaye Pange’ is a comedy film, but it feels like the makers leaned more towards creating a tragedy. The plot holds plenty of potential for laugh-out-loud moments, but most are missed, leaving only a few to shine. The film's attempt to evoke humour falls flat, with viewers left waiting for veterans like Rajesh Sharma and Rajpal Yadav, who do manage to elicit laughter, only to be hindered by a weak screenplay.

The plot centers on Shastri Ji (Rajesh Sharma), a retired math teacher, living with his son Nilesh and daughter-in-law Madhu. He shares a strong bond with his former student, Ayush (Samarpan Singh), who now works at a bank. Life takes a harsh turn when both Shastri Ji and Ayush are diagnosed with terminal cancer. In despair, they attempt suicide several times but fail. The situation worsens when they become involved with crooked property dealers who are actually criminals. When they later learn the cancer diagnosis was a mistake, adjusting to normal life becomes an even greater challenge.

Rajesh Sharma as Shastri Ji and Rajpal Yadav as Jahaaz Singh, manage to partially salvage the film with their comic timing. However, Sharma's talent feels underutilized. Samarpan Singh, in the lead role of Ayush, comes across as overly restrained, while Varsha Rekhate as Charu seems to serve no purpose beyond adding glamour, with little relevance to the main plot. On the bright side, Rajesh Yadav as Jaggu brings some energy to the film with his street-smart antics.

Set in Punjab (though never explicitly mentioned), the film misses the opportunity to use its vibrant setting to enhance its humour. Instead, that potential is wasted. The dialogue often outshines the actual situations, with the events feeling incomplete, as if the makers and writers ran out of ideas halfway through. The songs are forgettable and disrupt the flow of the plot. While ‘Pad Gaye Pange’ delivers some laughs, it's not enough for a film that aims to be a comedy. Shastri and Ayush's repeated suicide attempts offer chances for humour, but the comedy that emerges falls short. The film ultimately suffers from weak screenplay and uninspired writing.