Housefull 2 (2012) Movie Review
By and large, what kind of anticipation does one have from the new installment of a successful franchise? Also, the query that crosses one’s mind is, will the new installment offer better-quality entertainment, will it promise guffaws and belly laughs [in this case] and in turn, prove to be a money spinner at the ticket window?
HOUSEFULL 2 has a massive cast — it retains a few names from the first part [Akshay, Riteish, Boman Irani], but has a number of entrants as well [John, Shreyas, Asin, Jacqueline, Shazahn, Zarine, Rishi, Randhir, Mithun] — and it’s, obviously, bigger in scale. Besides, like the first part, the new installment has most of the drama happening inside a mansion. The only aspect that doesn’t change is Sajid Khan’s objective of providing entertainment. Get amused, have ample laughs and exit the auditorium grinning from ear to ear, that’s his funda.
HOUSEFULL 2 belongs to the same school of zany comedies that gave us NO ENTRY, WELCOME, the GOLMAAL series and READY. Conversely, to some intellectuals and scholars of cinema, this genre of cinema may appear nonsensical and outrageous thanks to haphazard incidents and farcical characters, no definite storyline or characterization. These films are often written off as low-IQ comedies. But do the commoners really care? As long as you are assured of sufficient tummy laughs and the magical words that define masala movies [entertainment, entertainment, entertainment], that’s all that actually matters. Let’s not overlook the fact that a large chunk of the movie-going audience admire and relish these entertainers and are passionate about cinema of this variety. So if a handful of assessors plan to disgrace wacky comedies, it barely matters!
HOUSEFULL 2 tells the story of four fathers [Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, Boman Irani], four daughters [Asin, Jacqueline Fernandez, Shazahn Padamsee, Zarine Khan] and four prospective sons-in-law [Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Riteish Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade]. Each father wants his daughter to marry the richest son-in-law. Each daughter thinks she is marrying the richest son-in-law. Each son-in-law is pretending to be the richest son-in-law. However, none of these people can stand each other and all of them are under one roof, in one house.
As they enter the house, a catchy title ‘Jolly’ gets attached to their name and thanks to a confusion, the four fathers begin to think all four sons-in-law are named Jolly. The confusion only gets bigger…
HOUSEFULL 2 gives a new description to crazy and bizarre and Sajid Khan makes no bones of the fact that his motive is to make a movie that appeals to the masses, the aam aadmi who relishes hardcore masala movies. In fact, HOUSEFULL 2 has all the constituents of an archetypal Hindi movie with hilarity and madcap absurdity in abundance. Moreover, with songs, dances and feel-good moments, it delivers what it promises. The mantra is simple: Keep the fun quotient coming. If you are one of those who cares less about logic and rationale, but looks at movies that not only entertain, but also act as stress busters, HOUSEFULL 2 should slake your craving in those two hours.
The first hour is breezy and fun [just don't miss the crocodile and python episodes in this hour], besides the introduction of Akshay, but the fun quotient takes a backseat in the post-interval portions. The track involving Vindoo seems unwarranted and the fight sequence looks forced. Ditto for some sequences in the middle of the second hour [the Mithun-Boman tiff], which stagnates the movie. Besides, a few jokes appear contrived, while a few fall flat and are not too effectual. The climax, much like most of the movie, is ludicrous, but it works because it keeps you glued to the proceedings.
Sajid Khan comes up with a film full of joviality, frolic and merriment. While the screenplay is watertight in the first hour, the writers could’ve added more zany stuff in the second half. Yet, there’s no denying that the motive is to make you laugh and this movie makes you break into guffaws on several occasions. Also, I’d like to make a special mention of the dialogue, which are witty, funny and amusing. The music [Sajid-Wajid] has been created keeping in mind the theme of the movie. ‘Papa To Band Bajaye’ is already popular and so are ‘Right Now’ and ‘Anarkali’. The cinematography is conventionally appealing.
Akshay is in form this time. I have often said that you can put in writing the most hilarious dialogue in the world, but at the end of the day, humor is all about delivery on screen and Akshay delivers and how! He fits the character like a glove and delivers a scintillating act, illuminating every scene that he appears in. John and Akshay first teamed up years ago in GARAM MASALA and again in DESI BOYZ. This time around, John has emerged a lot better in his comic timing and gets your funny bone tickling with his worthy act.
Riteish continues to be in the middle of an exciting phase. Proving his credentials in several comic films, the actor displays his comic time yet again. The precision with which he executes his part is commendable. Shreyas is almost a veteran as far as comic entertainers are concerned. If truth be told, it is fairly tricky to make people cackle with gusto and Shreyas makes an earnest effort to come up with an endearing act.
Amongst the female leads, Asin has the meatiest role and gives a decent account of herself. Jacqueline, Shazahn and Zarine act more as eye candy. They are the typical sultry and enticing selves; each one is befitting in her own space.
It’s a treat watching veterans like Randhir, Rishi and Mithun portraying wacky characters with panache. In fact, each one of them is wonderful in their respective parts. Boman Irani is efficient yet again, although the length of his character isn’t much. Chunky Pandey is simply superb. Johny Lever’s comedy is flawless. Ranjeet shines in a cameo. He’s hilarious! Malaika Arora Khan radiates oomph in the ‘Anarkali’ track.
On the whole, HOUSEFULL 2 is a madcap entertainer that gets the viewer giggling, yelling, whistling and applauding
