Govinda Naam Mera: Trailer tries too hard to copy same old murder-mystery formula for umpteenth time

The Karan Johar production will release on OTT on December 16

Karan Johar called his latest production, Govinda Naam Mera, starring Vicky Kaushal, Bhumi Padnekar and Kiara Advani a “mad comedy” and it won’t be wrong to say that only the word “mad”  fits what the trailer reveals about the plot so far.

The film’s trailer, released on Sunday, follows the story of a poor, in debt, Govinda Waghmare (Kaushal), a junior background dancer, whose marriage is an absolute disaster since both of them are dating people outside of it.

Revolving around crime, adultery, dance numbers and cheap punch lines, the Shashank Khaitan directorial offers the same old plot with new faces. While the actors look great in their new avatars, the trailer does not look “thrilling” enough — and that’s frankly sad since the film is touted to be a thriller.

The clip opens with a lustful Govinda dreaming of a yellow saree-clad Advani walking towards him seductively. But the reality kicks in (literally) with his wife, Gauri (Pednekar) wakes him up. She thinks he’s up to no good and verbalises it by introducing him to her boyfriend but the frustrated Govinda can’t even ask for a divorce because she blackmails him for 20 million.

But Gauri isn’t the only person having an extramarital affair. Govinda also has a “naughty girlfriend” Suku (Advani), who is a choreographer like him.

The introductions swiftly move to the murder-mystery plot with Govinda taking a gun to Gauri and we hear a gunshot but nobody knows who is murdered. With no dead body in sight, Govinda becomes the prime suspect and the investigation for murder begins.

“Everybody knows about the murder, except the police,” says Govinda at the end of the trailer.

No wonder Bollywood is facing a downfall these days with the kind of run-of-the-mill storylines they’re chasing — even the likes of hit stars Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan can’t save it with such lazy and uninspired writing. Let’s hope the film offers more than what the trailer shows.

Previously, in conversation with the Indian Express, Kaushal called the film to be an “ode to the 1990s pulpy Bollywood masala” movies. "I have grown up watching films of Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, and Govinda. I would often watch films on TV, like Akshay's Khiladi movies. I have been a fan of these films. So, the first seed of becoming an actor was sown by these films,” he said about what excited him about taking on Govinda Naam Mera.

“This film is another fragment of the same fabric. It is an ode to those pulpy films in which there was murder, comedy, suspense, thrill, love, etc. I am grateful to Shashank who came up with the film for keeping it contemporary and also giving an ode to that pulpy Bollywood masala.”

Advani, also talking to the same publication, called the film a “labour of love.” She said, “Govinda Naam Mera is our labour of love. Suku was an exciting character to take on. I hope the audiences enjoy the film as much as we did making it.”

The quirky murder mystery marks Kaushal’s second film under Johar's Dharma Productions after the horror film Bhoot Part One: The Haunted Ship. He was last seen in the critically-acclaimed film Sardar Udham.

Govinda Naam Mera will release on Disney+ Hotstar on December 16.