Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
A few days ago, my younger brother and I were engaged in a mock argument about how he was exaggerating my age. As the conversation grew increasingly competitive, he urged me to “relax.” Apparently, older siblings aren’t as laid-back as their younger counterparts and most online “funny videos” also tend to support this notion. And you’ll find this as a recurring theme in the 2023 Netflix teen comedy, “Friday Night Plan,” which revolves around two brothers’ scheme to attend their school’s grandest private party. Luckily for the brothers the party falls on the same night their mom heads out of town for a meeting!
Directed and written by Vatsal Neelakantan, the film stars Babil Khan as the studious, responsible class 12 student Siddharth and Amrith Jayan as his carefree, impish younger brother Aditya. The story opens with Siddharth’s mother (Juhi Chawla) telling him to take Aditya to his inter-school football match, but he isn’t thrilled with the idea at all. Later the same day, Aditya convinces Siddharth to take out their mom’s car to the party and ask out the girl he likes for prom. The two brothers first go a hotel to celebrate Siddharth’s football victory with his classmates and then they all get into trouble for pranking their rivals from another school.
Since the story is set in an international school in Mumbai, all the American elements like prom night and beer pong aren’t too far-fetched. In-fact, “Friday Night Plan” has all the makings of a typical American teen comedy, but with desi characters and more family-friendly premise. Yes, you can watch this flick with the family without worrying about weird or cringe-y scenes. There are no drugged teens, no dead teens and criminal teens like in “Class”.
Juhi Chawla, for some strange reason, is very subdued and suspiciously soft-spoken in her supporting role. She talks in an apologetic tone with her kids, almost like they are strangers. It doesn’t go well with her bubbly personality nor with her “independent working mother” character. Babil Khan and Amrith Jayan, on the other hand, have great onscreen chemistry as brothers with a love-hate relationship. So there are quite a few relatable moments throughout the film for those who have a sibling. For example, there’s a scene where Aditya helps Siddharth pick out a shirt for the party, which would be relatable to anybody who helps their brother/sister choose their outfits.
For most part, “Friday Night Plan” is a simple fun film, although, there’s a small twist about the boys running into trouble with a cop that’s played by Ninad Kamat. The transition into the cop sub-plot is done in a way that makes you worry if the story is going to completely shift gears and become some dark serious “party night gone terribly wrong” tale. Thankfully, the film does maintain it’s light tone throughout the runtime and things don’t get out of hand. However, some of the dialogues between Aditya and Siddharth felt slightly scripted and lacked the spontaneity of impulsive arguments and conversations.
Babil Khan gives a convincing performance as a self-conscious 18-year-old senior, who always prioritizes his grades over fun and rarely hangs out with anybody. Amrith Jayan as 16-year-old Aditya comes off as the annoying younger brother, who always gets into trouble and is more bothered about doing “cool” things and couldn’t care much about the consequences of his thoughtless actions. Their sibling bond shines the best in “Friday Night Plan”, while the rest of the elements aren’t as entertaining or amusing. The story attempts to highlight the importance of having some fun alongside academic activities and the writers attempt to keeps things slightly closer to regular teen experiences.
Overall, it’s a nice little film to stream on a Friday night or the weekend. You can watch in on Netflix.
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