'Housefull 2' (Hindi)
Director: Sajid Khan
Cast: Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Riteish Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Asin, Jacqueline Fernandez, Zarine Khan, Shazahn Padamsee
Every now and then, pretty much like one needs a blurry night out from which one wakes up with a hangover and no memory of anything, one needs a comedy that doesn’t trouble one with a plot. The difference being, with Sajid Khan and Akshay Kumar, you can laugh yourself silly for three hours and not suffer a throbbing headache after.
'Housefull 2' has no story, except for the bare minimum trappings one could wind around a comedy of mistaken identity. It has four pairings, four fathers, and no logic. The brand of humour is the cheapest.
And yet, you’ll find yourself grinning when the characters come up with such lines as 'George Michael ka toh pata nahin, but you can have faith in me and Brad ka toh pata nahin, magar tere wajah se hum pit mein zaroor hain' .
When a film is completely shameless about its low-brow punning, well, it begins to grow on you, however choosy you may consider yourself. A little bit like a sober person in a group of drunks will likely begin to act as tipsy as the rest.
Most of the actors, if you can call the male leads that, have lovely comic timing.
Riteish Deshmukh makes a great Jolly, son of the brigand-turned-billionaire JD (Mithun Chakraborty), while all the other men star as fake Jollys. The women pout so much they all begin to lisp. Thankfully, Zarine Khan and Shazahn Padamsee have been largely kept off camera.
The hamming by practically every member of the cast, including Malaika Arora in her guest appearance, goes with the script. John Abraham will make you laugh with his inability to emote and his eagerness to try, even as he fails to with his line delivery.
But Akshay Kumar’s spoof of iconic yesteryear rapist Ranjeet is hilarious. Ranjeet even makes a cameo, which sort of tops off the bad wordplay quotient.
One could point out the flaws in the film, and analyse where it could have been cut a tad shorter, but for all the liberties it takes, 'Housefull 2' never seems to drag.
It has a profusion of songs, including 'Papa Toh Band Bajaye', influenced by 'We Speak No Americano', and a plethora of fight sequences, but these largely keep one entertained enough.
The one annoying factor was the cinematic dialogue towards the end, but I decided to give it the benefit of doubt, and assume it’s a farce on the Great Papa Speeches that have haunted Bollywood since it learnt to talk.
The Verdict: A film as vacuously funny as 'Housefull 2' is the perfect weekend break. Go watch it for the mindless fun and dancy numbers.