(Starring Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Ritesh Deshmukh, Kriti Sanon, Pooja Hegde, Kriti Kharbanda, Chunkey Pandey, Johnny Lever, Ranjeet, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rana Daggubati; Directed by Farhad Samji, Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala)
When the first movie of the franchise, Housefull (D: Sajid Khan) was released in 2010, it was torn apart by the critics (43% Rotten Tomato ratings), but it went on to become a raging hit, collecting 1 billion at the box-office.
Several years later, when its fourth instalment was released this Friday, it was set from the outset that it would the cash registers ringing, critics be damned. As the ‘brand-ambassador’ of the franchise, Akhri Pasta (Chunkey Pandey) says, “I’m Just joking”, it’s no joke that Housefull 4 crossed 50 crores in its first weekend itself, and is on its way to be one of the biggest grosser of the year, if not the biggest.
Housefull 4 is a funny re-incarnation movie that has a lot of flaws and forgettable slapstick humour, but it’s what it was meant to be. Heavily dependent its lead star, Akshay Kumar, it tells the story that goes back to 600 years, no less. Replete with third-rate punches (Aaj mera fast hai, isliye slow mara/ Yes Bank walo ne No kardiya/ Bees ke bad kya aata hai/ London mein do cheez famous hai – Big Ben & Big Bhai/ Main abla hoon, tabla nahi), it was meant to be absurd, brainless and outright nonsense, and it proves just to be that, and thank God for that. You need to leave your brains in safe-deposit locker before entering the theatre. Kumar excellent comic timing isn’t enough to cover up other character’s lack of substance. But who cares. Johnny Lever returns with a bang, but talents like Nawazuddi Siddiqui and Rana Daggubati are woefully wasted.
All said and done, Housefull 4 is a mad-cap entertainer that will make you laugh and keep you entertained till the end. With a total length of 146 minutes, it’s a trifle lengthy but worth the money. I’m going with 2.5 out of 5 for Housefull 4. Watch it, enjoy it, forget it.