Selfiee (2023): The Quest For A Driving License

Be careful when you follow the Masses because sometimes the “M” is silent. After giving a series of flops like Bachchhan Paandey, Samrat Prithviraj, and Ram Setu, the once “Khiladi” turned now “flop-master”, Akshay Kumar has been miserably loathed by the audiences since 2022. Don’t ask me, ask the Bollywood audiences. This is an undeniable truth!

Selfiee (2023): Starring Akshay Kumar And Emraan Hashmi!

But February 24, 2023, witnessed the worldwide release of a Bollywood comedy-drama titled “Selfiee” on the big screens. The film stars Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi. Now the question is, will Akshay Kumar be able to regain his lost reputation with Selfiee? Will the audience once again start looking up to him as the superstar he once used to be? To be honest, Akshay seriously needs some push in the minds of the audiences, as I have been reviewing and praising his flop movies since 2022 only to be loathed more by the audiences myself. Pardon me for this, but if you didn’t like his movies then I have nothing against it. Nevertheless, I pretty much enjoyed those movies.

Selfiee is the official Hindi remake of the 2019 Malayalam-language comedy-drama by the name “Driving Licence”. The plot surrounds Bollywood superstar Vijay Kumar (Akshay Kumar) who doesn’t have a car driving license and wants one. He is a man of the masses who are always surrounded by his fans. One such fan of his was Regional Transport Office (RTO) inspector, Om Prakash Aggarwal (Emraan Hashmi). Being a die-hard fan, Om Prakash wanted a selfie with Vijay Kumar. But as he approached Vijay, his selfie was denied. Om Prakash felt insulted and sought vengeance against Vijay for not entitling him to a driving license. A war of words with frequent face-offs ensued between the two which soon became a public feud.

Will Vijay Kumar be lucky enough to survive the wrath of Om Prakash and obtain a driving license? To find out, watch Selfiee running at your nearest theaters!

Selfiee (2023) Official Trailer 1:

Selfiee (2023) Official Trailer 2:

The Good:

Akshay And Emraan: The Rocking Duo!

Watching the charismatic duo of Akshay Kumar and Emraan Hashmi as the star cast was thrilling in itself. I must tell you, the theater hall was filled with cheers and applause when these two stars made their respective entries.

People who have not watched this film yet, and feel that Akshay Kumar has yet given another loathsome performance, are wrong! This time, Akshay fits himself in the shoes of superstar Vijay Kumar so perfectly that he comes out with flying colors!

Emraan Hashmi has given an equally stunning performance as the vengeful RTO inspector. His pairing up with Akshay Kumar in Selfiee rocked the show throughout with loads of thrills and comedy.

The female lead cast includes Diana Penty as Vijay Kumar’s wife and Nushrratt Bharuccha as Om Prakash’s wife. They have very brief appearances as this basically happens to be a male-led movie. There was absolutely no scope for any romance. Both Vijay and Om Prakash happen to be married individuals and usually, Bollywood movies showcase romance between unmarried couples. The child actor who played Om Prakash’s son was cute and rendered great support. He too was a fan of superstar Vijay Kumar just like his father.

Engaging Screenplay

The adapted screenplay of Selfiee written by Rishab Sharma is entertaining. As this is a remake, many who have already seen Driving Licence may not find the plot of Selfiee to be new. But I must tell you that owing to the entertaining screenplay, even this familiar plot will become convincing enough to keep you buckled up in your seats till the very end! You will surely enjoy watching this movie.

The screenplay of Selfiee blends lively comedy, emotions, drama as well as melodrama to provide you a complete fast-paced entertainment package. In certain instances, the dialogues are just awesome. In fact, the dialogues are very regular and simple, but the way they have been narrated by Akshay and Emraan is simply out of this world! You will feel the impact of these simple dialogues when you will experience their awe-striking delivery by these two stars on the big screens.

The confrontation scenes between Akshay and Emraan were enjoyable. One of the funniest scenes in the movie is when superstar Vijay Kumar was forced to undergo a driving license test by Om Prakash. Usually, it happens in India that influential people, like celebrities and politicians, when they need to obtain something like a passport or a driving license, they need not go for that by themselves. They can send their assistants or subordinates to get those for them. However, here RTO inspector Om Prakash was too eager to see Vijay Kumar suffer because of the insult that Vijay had inflicted upon him. This scene was ultra humorous. Om Prakash started testing Vijay Kumar for his driving skills and the tension coupled with humor in this scene made it intriguing. Also, the action stunt sequences in Selfiee were well choreographed and appeared very realistic.

Stunning Visuals With Sharp Editing

The camerawork by Rajeev Ravi in Selfiee is packed with stunning visuals of Mumbai city. This film has been shot in Mumbai and the scenic backgrounds of the city added to the cinematic essence. The editing and scene placements by Ritesh Soni have been performed with precision which maintained a steady flow in the drama.

Electrifying Dance Tracks

Selfiee has some very popular dance tracks with special appearances.

One of the most popular tracks titled “Main Khiladi Tu Anari 2.0” showcases the duo of Akshay and Emraan as they shatter the screens with their stupendous dance performances. This track is actually a remake of the iconic 1990s Bollywood track “Main Khiladi Tu Anari” which featured Akshay and Saif Ali Khan. Legendary singers Udit Narayan and Abhijeet Bhattacharya co-sang this track which has been composed by Anu Malik.

A Punjabi-language track in this movie is “Kudiyee Ni Teri” which features Akshay Kumar with Mrunal Thakur in a special appearance. Akshay and Mrunal fire up this track together with their sizzling chemistry.

A promotional track which is associated with this film is “Kudi Chamkeeli” which features popular singer and rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh along with Akshay Kumar and Diana Penty. The song lacks melody and is extremely irritating to hear. But the choreography of this track is amazing with colorful visuals and special effects.

The Bad:

The Plot Raises A Question

A question may erupt in your mind upon watching Selfiee. Why on earth did the filmmakers make a 2-hour and 30-minute movie out of such a petty plot? After all, it’s only a tiff between a Bollywood star and an RTO inspector regarding a driving license. What was the requirement to make a lengthy drama out of this?

Maybe the issue seems petty. But the thing is, In India, movie stars are worshiped like Gods! In South India, there are some popular stars, one of them is Rajnikanth, who has a temple by his name. In that temple, his idol is placed and people worship that idol on a daily basis. Similar case goes with veteran action stars like Akshay Kumar, Sunny Deol, Suniel Shetty, and Ajay Devgn. I don’t know if they have any private temples where their idols are worshiped, but yes, people love to see the daily life affairs of these popular stars. The inquisitive nature of Indian audiences makes them wonder, what do these stars do daily? What do they eat? How do they sleep? Etc.

Selfiee with its unoriginal plot has highlighted a personal life issue of a fictitious popular star by the name Vijay Kumar. As this character of Vijay Kumar has been played by Akshay Kumar, who is a mega star in Bollywood, the audiences are surely going to love this. Even if nowadays Akshay’s image has deteriorated in people’s minds, he will definitely rise victorious with his superstar Vijay Kumar character this time and win the hearts of the masses.

The Verdict:

I must say, director Raj Mehta has made a wholesome entertainer for all age groups. His way of direction is lovely. He has successfully extracted every essence of comedy and emotions from his actors in Selfiee.

Selfiee is a no-nonsense entertainer. You can very well consider watching it with your family. Even if its plot seems familiar, the faced-paced engrossing screenplay will make up for it. Throughout the movie, you will feel the emotional gesture of Emraan in his character of RTO inspector Om Prakash. Audiences find it exciting to witness Emraan in such clean roles. After all, he has the image of the “serial kisser” in Bollywood. In almost every movie of his in the past, you will find him lip-locking with his female co-stars in bedroom scenes. That’s what he is very good at!

Overall, Selfiee is an easy-breezy movie that contains rib-tickling comedy and several laugh-out-loud moments. As for Akshay, he is sure to regain his stardom and become the man of the masses once again with his charismatic character of superstar Vijay Kumar.