Akshay Kumar and co
Housefull 5 directed by Tarun Mansukhani comes alive from the entry of Jackie Shroff and Sanjay Dutt. As suspended police officers with a point to prove the veterans share a wonderful camaraderie. Housefull 5 has an important message on the dangers of unlimited greed and the twist at the end with the guest star does pack a punch however the movie could have been so much more given the premise. The stale humor with sexual undertones is a major bummer
Starcast: Akshay Kumar, Ritesh Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Jackie Shroff, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Dino Morea, Shreyas Talpade, Chitrangada Singh and others
Genre: Comedy/thriller
Story, screenplay and producer: Sajid Nadiadwala
Director: Tarun Mansukhani
Additional producers: Warda Nadiadwala and Firuzi Khan
Production Banner: Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment
Music: Yo Yo Honey Singh, Tanishk Bagchi and others
Cinematography: V Manikandan
Running time: 2 hours and 43 minutes
The Housefull movies is the longest running comedy franchise with five films in total. Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal is the second longest. The Housefull movies have managed to rake in huge numbers in spite of having humor, which is mostly crass. Political correctness has never been the franchise’s biggest strength however the masses have embraced the over top tone. For example, Housefull 4 in 2019 went on to do very good numbers in spite of not-so-great critical reviews and severe criticism on how it treated the angle of a feminine man.
After a gap of six years, you have the fifth installment which is slightly different from the other Housefull movies in terms of mixing suspense with humor. Without giving much away Housefull 5 focuses on the death of a billionaire Ranjith played by Ranjith. Before succumbing to a heart attack set on a luxury cruise, he makes a declaration about leaving 69 million pounds to his first son. However, the trouble is except for Ranjith no one knows who the real Jolly is leading to plenty of chaos. Akshay Kumar, Ritesh Deshmukh and Abhishek Bachchan make a claim of being the real Jolly leaving the board of directors confused. Things take a massive turn with two deaths almost back-to-back leaving the three Jolly’s in a desperate situation. This is the story in brief.
As already mentioned the fifth part of the Housefull installment tries to be different while maintaining the core of what these movies appealed to the masses. The thriller element definitely works starting from the entry of Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff. The duo play suspended police officers with a point to prove, the veterans share a wonderful chemistry uplifting the movie. Whether it is the scene of Jackie Shroff losing his cool on being called the assistant of Sanjay Dutt’s Bhiddu or Sanjay Dutt’s bewilderment on Jackie Shroff on having a hot ex-wife in the form of Chitrangada Singh. The portions leading up to the big reveal has enough suspense on who could be the potential killer or killers and the motivations. Mention must also be made of Nana Patekar in an extended special appearance. He brings in a certain intensity as a dhoti clad Interpol chief.
Just when you think everything is solved Housefull 5 shows up a big surprise with the entry of a guest star who is having a wonderful second innings with a series of grey/negative roles. This guest actor turns out to be the actual Jolly, however he isn’t there to inherit his father’s wealth. Instead, he tells Akshay and co to share the 69 million pounds among themselves leaving the killers angry on what they have done. It’s here that Tarun Mansukhani and Sajid Nadiadwala bring out an important message, the consequences of unlimited greed.
There is no denying that the message is good, but the humor intermixed with the suspense needed to be much better. A lot of movie’s humor is juvenile filled with sexual innuendoes. The character of Shreyas Talpade for example is mostly there to ogle at women’s breasts whenever the secretary bends down for the papers. This becomes a repeated gag even in the pre climax. In fact, the character disappears for a long period too making Shreya’s presence thoroughly inconsequential. The women headed by Jacqueline Fernandes are only there to up the glamor quotient and often times being sex objects for the men to lust at. There is a scene in a tunnel like passage where three female leads are crawling through and the camera focus is on their cleavage line. Even the gorgeous and talented Chitrangada Singh doesn’t fare any better in spite of some grey shades.
Both Fardeen Khan and Dino Morea start of promisingly but are let down badly by the haphazard characterizations. The likes of Akshay Kumar and Ritesh Deshmukh somehow manage to make some of the juvenile’s jokes work on the strength of their experience in this genre. However Abhishek Bachchan sticks out like a sore thumb with his constipated expressions, but the twist around his character does redeem Abhishek somewhat. Chunky Pandey as Aakiri Pasta too suffers from a lazy characterization with little upgrade.
V Manikandan’s cinematography is undoubtedly lavish making the movie a visual feast. The songs are mostly forgettable except for ‘Laal Pari’ which has a catchy vibe.
Final word: Housefull 5 is strictly for those who enjoy juvenile and slapstick humor along with those who have liked the previous Housefull movies.
