Tag: Fardeen Khan

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Housefull 5: A madcap comedy with a cautionary message

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.

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Khel Khel Mein: A deadly game of revelations

Director Mudassar Aziz successfully dwells into the themes of how much we really know our friends and partners. The game of surrendering phones leads to a major chaos, unexpected secrets tumble out leading to major conflicts

  • Starcast: Akshay Kumar, Vani Kapoor, Taapsee Pannu, Aditya Seal, Ammy Virk, Pragya Jaiswal, Fardeen Khan and others
  • Direction, screenplay and story: Mudassar Aziz
  • Based on: Perfect Strangers by Paolo Genovese
  • Producers: Ashwin Varde, Bhushan Kumar, Vipul D. Shah and others
  • Music: Tanishk Bagchi, Rochak Kohli, Guru Randhawa and Raj Ranjodh
  • Cinematography: Manoj Kumar Khatoi
  • Production house: T- Series Films and Wakaoo Films and White World Productions
  • Running time: 2 hours and 21 minutes
  • Streaming site: Netflix

Mudassar Aziz’s Khel Khel Mein based on the Italian movie Perfetti Sconoscuit (Perfect Strangers) has been remade in several languages including the Malayalam movie 12th Man. 12th Man was directed by Jeethu Joseph reuniting him with Mohanlal. What makes the subject of Perfect Strangers so relatable is the exploration of how smartphones create havoc in a what appears to be a perfect marriage. Jeetu Joseph’s 12th Man was more of a mystery/thriller with his signature touches. Khel Khel Mein on the other hand is more of a matrimonial comedy. Every time the movie switches into a tense mode a comic scene follows soon.

The Italian movie Perfect Strangers has been remade into several languages including the Malayalam movie 12th Man

The plot of Khel Khel Mein is set against the backdrop of a big Indian wedding. You have three couples along with a bachelor friend. The night before the wedding Vani Kapoor’s Vartika suggests a game of surrendering their mobiles. Everyone has the license to read or listen to whatever message or video call that will come. What starts off as fun soon goes into a very murky territory. This is the story in brief.

A strong aspect of Khel Khel Mein is Mudassar Aziz’s portrayal of sensitive issues without getting preachy. The movie dwells on teenage sex, infertility and homosexuality among others. All this is backed with strong humor particularly from Akshay Kumar.

Akshay Kumar plays Dr Rishabh. He is an expert at telling white lies. It is refreshing to see Akshay back in the humor zone, a genre which he has aced previously. The actor generates many chuckles with his perfect comic timing. Apart from the humor scenes Akshay also shines in the portion where he gives advice to the teenage daughter about taking things to the next level with her boyfriend. The scene is treated with a lot of maturity giving the movie some depth. Another scene that needs to be mentioned here is the one where Akshay gives a speech on how marriage is not an ownership but a partnership. It is very poignant.

Akshay Kumar as Dr Rishabh. He generates many chuckles with his perfect comic timing

Apart from marital problems the movie also briefly touches upon homosexuality through the character of Fardeen Khan’s Kabir. Initially the actor doesn’t seem to have much to do but he makes a striking impact in the scene where Kabir opens up on his sexual preferences and being removed as a cricket coach in an all-boys school. The management had feared that a gay coach is not good for the students.

Fardeen Khan makes a striking impact in the scene where Kabir opens up on his sexual preferences

Taapsee Pannu shines the best among the female leads

Taapsee Pannu shines the best among the female leads. The Punjabi twang is reminiscent of what the viewers have already seen in last year’s Dunki but still the actress shines bright as a homemaker desperate to have babies. Without her husband’s knowledge she is looking to have children through an infertility clinic. A particular mention must be made of the scene when she lambasts her husband on hiding an important report. Ammy Vik as a hotheaded Sardar also makes a strong impact. He is especially good in the scene where he reminisces about a past love and an inability to keep people happy.

Among the rest Aditya Seal and Pragya Jaiswal also get their moments to shine. Just like the characters of Taapsee and Ammy’s these two also have some dark secrets, Vani Kapoor as the writer though suffers from a sketchy characterization. Her track is half-baked. Her idea of the phone game comes across as scheming than fun, as a result the taunt of Akshay Kumar at one point makes the viewers side with him. Also, the scene where she tries to be a cool mom to Akshay Kumar’s daughter doesn’t have the desired impact.

Another slight issue with Khel Khel Mein is the gag involving an attempted suicide. The punch lines are hilarious, and the absurdity of the situation does make the viewers laugh but in the overall scheme of things the makers could have done away with this.

Keeping aside these small niggles Khel Khel Mein is easily one of the most enjoyable Akshay Kumar movie of the recent past. The film would have fared much better with a solo release date instead of getting sandwiched with Stree 2.