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Netflix’s Wild Wild Punjab is a 2024 Hindi comedy about a heartbroken man whose friends drag him across Punjab to get over his ex. The premise is one audiences have seen many times, and the film does little to disguise it. Its strongest asset is the friendship at its centre. Its weakest points are the humour and the way it handles its women characters, and those are where the critical response divides. If you are already tired of the breakup-comedy template, this film is unlikely to change your mind. If you want a loose, noisy ensemble caper and can tolerate broad jokes, it may still work for you.
What the film sets up
Netflix announced Wild Wild Punjab for a July 10, 2024 premiere. Varun Sharma plays Khanne, who has just been through a breakup. Instead of letting him sulk, his friends push him to confront it head-on, and the group sets off on a breakup trip across Punjab in search of closure. Netflix describes the film as a comic caper and buddy comedy.
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The announced confrontation is specific. Khanne wants to tell his former partner “I am over you!” at her wedding. The film, in other words, makes a single emotional gesture its destination, and the road trip exists to get him there.
The credits and cast are as follows:
- Story: Luv Ranjan
- Director: Simarpreet Singh
- Screenplay and dialogues: Harman Wadala and Sandeep Jain
- Cast: Varun Sharma, Sunny Singh, Manjot Singh, Jassie Gill, Patralekhaa, and Ishita Raj
Why the setup feels worn
The formula the title pushes back against is familiar: a wounded lead, loyal friends who turn a grievance into a holiday, and a wedding used as a stage for a grand gesture. Once closure is announced as the goal, the emotional arc is largely fixed in advance. Every scene has to earn its place through the jokes it produces along the way, not through any surprise about where the story ends.
#1 Best Overall
That makes the test simple. A film like this succeeds only if the journey is funnier and looser than the premise suggests. Whether it manages that depends heavily on the viewer’s tolerance for the particular kind of humour on offer, which the critics below disagree about.
Does the friendship road trip add anything?
The film’s most distinctive claim is that friendship is the engine. In Netflix’s announcement, director Simarpreet Singh said: “At some point in our lives, each of us has either been a Khanne or consoled a Khanne, standing by friends through thick and thin regardless of the circumstances.” That is the director describing the film’s theme, and it is a reasonable one. Friends who will go to absurd lengths for a heartbroken mate are a relatable idea.
The problem is that a road trip built on friendship only works if the friends have distinct voices and the group dynamic keeps generating new situations. The reviews below suggest the film’s comic momentum is real for some viewers, while its treatment of characters outside the core group is where it draws its sharpest criticism.
The split critical response
The two reviews that set out the main positions are summarised below. Each is an individual critic’s opinion, not a neutral measure of the film.
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| Outlet | Verdict in the review | Praise reported | Criticism reported | Treatment of the women characters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Indian Express | Headline calls the film “a load of jaded tiresomeness” | Not stated in the points reported | Reliance on stereotypes about Punjabi men; bodily-fluid jokes | Not stated in the points reported |
| Hindustan Times | Describes the film as a wholesome entertainer | A chain of situations that generates chaos and keeps momentum up | Not stated in the points reported | Patralekhaa and Ishita Raj are used as props and recede into the background when the men take over |
Read together, the reviews point to a clear pattern. The Indian Express treats the humour as the problem, while Hindustan Times treats the same kind of chaos as the film’s pleasure. Both reviews, however, land on the same weak spot: the women in the film are not given much to do beyond supporting the men’s story.
What the Indian Express objects to
The Indian Express frames the film as an attempt to turn a familiar romantic setback into broad, bawdy buddy comedy, and finds the result stale. Its objections are to the stereotypes it leans on and to the bodily-fluid jokes it relies on for laughs.
What Hindustan Times credits
Hindustan Times is more generous about the film’s pace. It describes a chain of situations that keeps generating chaos, which is exactly the energy a loose caper depends on. Its reservation concerns the women characters, who are pushed out of the story when the men take over.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the scores show, and what they do not
Rotten Tomatoes listed Wild Wild Punjab at 31% on the Tomatometer, based on 13 critic reviews, and 76% on the Popcornmeter, based on fewer than 50 audience ratings. Both figures were checked in 2026 and aggregator scores change over time. The audience sample is small enough that the 76% should be read as a rough signal, not as a measure of how most viewers feel. Taken together with the reviews above, the numbers point to a film that critics largely found unconvincing while a small group of viewers responded more warmly.
Best Value
- Eh Ki Panga Lai Leya ( COMEDY ) Punjabi
What the makers promise
Netflix India’s Director of Original Films, Ruchikaa Kapoor Sheikh, said: “Wild Wild Punjab is a hilarious ride filled with unexpected twists and turns.” That is a promotional statement, and the critics above are the better guide to how the twists land. The announcement’s emphasis on loyalty and consolation is the same hook the reviews test: the film wants to be warm and funny at once, and critics question whether it manages both.
Who the film is likely to suit
- Likely to enjoy it: viewers who want a loose ensemble comedy, who see the breakup as a pretext for chaos, and who do not mind broad, crude humour.
- Likely to find it a chore: viewers who already find stereotypes about Punjabi men tiresome, who expect women characters to drive the story, or who want a tighter romantic comedy with a clearer emotional payoff.
- Worth checking first: the trailer and a few minutes of the opening, to see whether the tone matches your tolerance for the humour the Indian Express objects to.
Where to watch and what is not established
The film is listed on Netflix. Netflix’s India listing gives a U/A 16+ rating and shows audio and subtitle options, but these and availability vary by country, so check the Netflix listing for your region before you press play.
No independently verified budget, viewership total, or box-office figure for the film is available, so this review judges the film on its announced premise, its official listing, and the published critical responses. It does not offer a scene-by-scene account.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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