It’s time for some “Peak-a-bore”! When you have lots of money and need to spend it, you may consider making a flop film. That’s how “Aankh Micholi”, translated as “Hide and Seek”, originated. This so-called “comical family drama” seems to be a disappointment in itself. Seriously, a mediocre story like this was not expected from producer and director Umesh Shukla who has excelled in the comedy genre in Bollywood.Aankh Micholi (2023): Casting Abhimanyu Dassani and Mrunal ThakurAankh Micholi (2023): Featuring Abhimanyu Dassani and Mrunal Thakur!Aankh Micholi (2023) Official Trailer:The Good:You will enjoy the colorful visuals in Aankh Micholi. The cinematography of the tracks in the film has been well done where we get glimpses of the beautiful landscapes of Switzerland that would freshen up your mood. Some of the tracks are rocking and you will enjoy listening to them.The Bad:There is no story. The plot is just about two peculiar families, the would-be bride’s family, and the would-be groom’s family, who have some quirkiness. In spite of the misfit, they decide to get their children Rohit (Abhimanyu Dassani) and Paro (Mrunal Thakur) married to each other. After that, some chaotic twists occur. But honestly, those twists in the story fail to create an impact.Although Arshad Warsi’s narration is convincing enough, the screenplay lacks the element of humor which is a basic requirement in a comedy-drama. The cringy editing of the scenes and the plain and mindless punches make matters even worse. In fact, only the first half of the film has some hilarious instances when the would-be bride’s family and the would-be groom’s family meet to settle their marriage. The second half will bore the hell out of you! The climax makes no sense at all. The filmmakers have tried to provoke laughter by making a joke out of people who suffer from stammering issues. I would like to tell the filmmakers that we have already seen such comedy movies. Come up with something new!What a sheer waste of talent, I must admit! Aankh Micholi casts many popular Bollywood actors like Paresh Rawal, Sharman Joshi, Vijay Raaz, Darshan Jariwala, and Abhishek Banerjee. I don’t understand, what was the need for them to participate in a movie with such a silly script? I bet, nowadays people tend to do anything for money, doesn’t matter if that costs their image!When you are making a comedy film that has such an impressive supporting cast, how can you even think of casting a non-entertainer like Abhimanyu Dassani as the male lead? He lacks the aura of a comical hero. I mean, consider Varun Dhawan, Kartik Aaryan, or take for instance, Ranveer Singh! These actors are popular and they possess sound comedy skills. Had the filmmakers considered casting Varun Dhawan or Ranveer Singh as the male lead in this film then I bet that things would have worked out much differently. Mrunal Thakur is the female lead and her performance is nothing extraordinary.The Verdict:As filmmakers, when you are casting so many popular actors in supporting roles, then how come the hero is the odd man out? I believe that casting an unpopular actor like Abhimanyu Dassani as the hero is the biggest mistake the makers of this film have made which has caused it to flop. He has tried acting cool but sadly; “acting cool” and “being cool” are two different things!I also can’t believe that a brilliant actor like Sharman Joshi has been given a side role in this movie whereas an unpopular newbie like Abhimanyu has been cast as the lead. Sharman Joshi had acted as the lead actor in many Bollywood movies but the filmmakers of Aankh Micholi have just shoved him aside!Looks like Hindi cinema has some obsession with “Aankh Micholi”. Maybe Bollywood loves playing Hide and Seek with its audiences. During the 1960s and 70s, two movies by the same name were released, and now again in 2023. Anyway, if you are stressed out and want to feel light-headed, then you can consider watching this outdated humorous movie once. Acting – 5.5/10 Cinematography/Visual Effects – 9/10 Plot/Screenplay – 4.5/10 Setting/Theme – 4.5/10 Watchability – 5.5/10 Rewatchability – 1/10