Jeevan Bheema Yojana

There is something reassuringly old-fashioned about a comedy that knows exactly what it wants to be. This film does not aspire to be clever, profound or particularly inventive. It simply wants to put a bunch of increasingly confused people in one place and watch them make a complete mess of things. And, for the most part, it succeeds.

Based on a story by Vivek Verma, Jeevan Ya Bheema Con? (previously titled Jeevan Bheema Yojana) has a scattering of funny moments and an abundance of strained humour. Director Abhishek Dogra can't get an overstretched premise that is tailor-made for a stage adaptation to work.

The movie begins on a promising note, but the narrative loses steam as it struggles to build intrigue around Bheema's death or the couple's plan to pull off the scam. Almost all of its two-hour runtime is set inside a house, placing the responsibility for engagement and entertainment squarely on the plot and characters.