Comedy Couple: Fun while it runs (IANS Review; Rating: * * * )

Comedy Couple (film streaming on Zee5); Cast: Saqib Saleem, Shweta Basu Prasad, Rajesh Tailang, Pooja Bedi, Aadar Malik; Direction: Nachiket Samant; Rating: * * * (three stars) BY VINAYAK CHAKRAVORTY A dash of gender politics and a tall glass of gau-mutra are on the gag menu here with a sizeable helping of stand-up gigs plus the usual chaos over generation gap. You get a rom-com that regales, although without trying to explore the genre beyond familiar terrain.
Comedy Couple works for its freshness in storytelling more than the story it tells. The film is likeable for characters that draw instant attention and quirky situational humour. To his credit, director Nachiket Samant manages to avoid being soppy while narrating the mandatory emotional moments.
Saqib Saleem and Shweta Basu Prasad strike impressive chemistry as Deep and Zoya, live-in couple who also collaborate as comedians on stage. Their sets are a hit and they dream of being India’s first ever stand-up comedy couple.
The going’s good at work but there are problems elsewhere. Living together is a hassle in Gurgaon where societies, it seems, won’t rent flats to unmarried couples. On stage, a gau-mutra joke they habitually crack draws hardliner ire for Deep, and the insane outcome is (literally) more than he can swallow.