After remarkable movies like ‘Cheeni Kum’, ‘Paa’, ‘English Vinglish’, Balki has hit the nail right in the head upon the most controversial question of 21st century: Can a ladKI be a ladKa and vice versa. He has come up with yet another unique idea: Biwi kamaye, Pati ghar chalaye!! The movie which was set to be imbibed with a modern concept, uphold of the stereotypical gender system, sizzling chemistry of Kareena and Arjun and much more, unfortunately lets us down with the poor execution! Your zeal and enthusiasm breaks down in the first half, as it is predictable, but the second half is high on pace! He makes you question everything you have been told to believe in, and it definitely gives us food for thought. But when Balki comes to the story telling part, it completely blows one away!! All in all, the attempt to bring out the exceptional concept, breaking all the stereotypes, does indulge some excitement in us and you love watching Arjun and Kareena together. Apart from it, the movie disappoints! But if you are a much-in-love couple, then you might get delighted watching ‘Ki And Ka’. Winks!

It’s not a man’s world, not anymore. At least this is what R Balki’s Ki & Ka tries to establish: In this world, women behave like men, and men are already men. So it’s basically a tale of two men accusing each other of being a man. There is no denying that Ki & Ka has a noble concept, but hasn’t the director very conveniently confined himself to a comfort zone where he only needs to break some generalised stereotypes such as ‘women can’t be ambitious’ or ‘men can’t cook at home’ or ‘a woman’s career is finished after pregnancy’? The idea of one being superior to the other is deep rooted in our psyche, and that can be addressed when both the genders work for the same goal and not limit themselves with mere role exchange. t’s the lead actors’ spontaneity that saves this 126-minute film. Both Arjun and Kareena look at ease and are ably supported by Swaroop Sampat and Rajit Kapoor. Too much breakfast and coffee table drama make this well intentioned film lose steam. Ki & Ka isn’t a strong voice against gender stereotyping, but it’s one of its kind in mainstream Hindi film industry, and that makes it notice-worthy.

A rom-com about a man who thinks nothing of wearing the mangalsutra in his marriage, it does no justice to the novelty of the theme. Ki And Ka has a six hundred pound gorilla of an idea to work with, but it is so leaden-footed and whimsical that it stomps its way through two hours and a bit without getting anywhere near its destination. The screenplay is riddled with details that border on the illogical. A concept film that has a lot to say - Ki And Ka actually succeeds in getting a few of its points in edgewise - but the writing is below-par. As a consequence, Ki And Ka is like a string of patched-together monosyllables that never attain sustained coherence.In seeking to break gender stereotypes, the film actually ends up reinforcing them.The director isn't content with establishing that Kabir is not a freak and like all 'normal' men, loves women and whiskey. Too much talk and very little plot progression put the skids under the film. Ki And Ka goes belly up pretty quickly never to recover fully. With its promising premise undermined by erratic execution, Ki And Ka is only intermittently watchable.

R Balki’s Ki & Ka examines the shifting dynamics of this ancient institution through a contemporary marriage between a homemaker husband and his breadwinner wife. This is a recurring problem in Balki’s filmmaking. Certainly, he comes up with the most unique ideas, infuses them with a whimsical energy but in his eagerness to impress, he loses all subtlety. Ki & Ka is obviously taken in by its liberal notions but fails to realise that it’s not so uncommon in today’s urban context where lots of working men and women share both their professional and personal duties.  Ultimately, gender describes but doesn’t define a person. There’s no breakthrough in swapping roles. If anything, it only confirms how superficial the conflict is. At the end of 126 minutes, Ki & Ka figure this out too. But is there a need for definite roles at all is what it should be asking.

With ‘Ki and Ka’, Bollywood has got to the point of being able to place a man willing to be home, knuckle down to dull domestic chores, and wave the flag for ambitious women and progressive men. So hurrah for Ka and Ki and Balki? Yes, but only up to point. The film is fun when it is setting up the roles. But the execution, as it goes along, gets rocky. Much of it stays episodic, and starts reinforcing the very stereotypes it set out to negate. And so much of the writing is so explicatory that you begin wondering if the filmmakers really take their viewers for People Who Do Not Understand Anything Unless It Is Underlined Thrice Over. Great to see the premise– send a woman out, keep a man in, and reverse gender expectations- on screen : it just needed to have been sharper and deeper. 

In the Hollywood comedy The Intern, Anne Hathaway heads her own ecommerce fashion company, while her husband Anders Holm is content with being a stay-at-home father. Similarly, in Balki's Ki and Ka; the role of the woman and the man are refreshingly reversed. Kareena is terrific, Arjun, endearing. But Balki's writing is inconsistent. A few scenes leave you misty-eyed, but for the most part, the stock situations are banal. Yet, Ki and Ka is worth a ticket because it tells shows how there is nothing wrong with the man wearing the apron and the women wearing her ambition.