TOTAL DHAMAAL #MOVIE REVIEW #AJAY DEVGAN #ANIL KAPOOR #MADHURI DIXIT #RITEISH DESHMUKH #JOHNNY LEVER

‘Total Dhamaal’ is the third film of the ‘Dhamaal’ franchise and the expectations from the movie were undoubtedly high. Almost after seven years of the release of 'Double Dhamaal’(The first film of this franchise 'Dhamaal’ released in 2007.), Inder Kumar came back with a newer version of the slapstick comedy film. Thankfully, ‘Total Dhamaal’ is not a sex comedy (Bollywood is pathetic at making sex comedies) and just a family entertainer. ‘Total Dhamaal’ is a no-brainer kind of film where you go to the theatre just to enjoy the film. If you begin searching logic in this film, you will be ghastly disappointed. The makers of this movie tried to create a 'Paisa Wasool’ type of a film; however, the screenplay of the film let it down.

The movie begins with the song 'Paisa Yeh Paisa’ which sets the tone of the film. The introduction of all the lead characters in the film gives you a fair idea of what is going to unfold in the next 2 hours. The storyline of the film is outright predictable, and the film is devoid of any twists whatsoever. The only plus point of this film is the sizzling chemistry between Anil Kapoor (Avinash Patel) and Madhuri Dixit(Bindu). Anil Kapoor plays a role of a Gujarati husband and Madhuri Dixit plays his Marashtrian wife. The couple are shown to seek divorce after 17 years of their marriage. The comic timing of both the veteran actors was superb, and they provided few of the most clapworthy moments in the film. Riteish Deshmukh (Lallan) and his partner Pitobash Tripathy (Jhingur) are sacked from their job for taking bribes. Riteish Deshmukh is an old member of the ‘Dhamaal’ franchise, and he has tried to give a level-best performance in the film. The sequences involving him and Johnny Lever were indeed funny. Arshad Warsi and Javed Jaffrey (Adil and Manav, respectively) acted far better in the previous editions of this franchise.

The character of Guddu (Ajay Devgan - who is also one of the producers of this film) is not well-etched in the film. Sanjay Mishra (Johnny) plays the role of Ajay Devgan's partner while Boman Irani essays the role of a police commissioner. All these characters are involved in a wild goose chase of money at a zoo in Janakpur (this forms the central line of the plot). Many events transpire in between as the various characters try their best to reach Janakpur (the story, thus, is more about the journey than the destination). The audience might enjoy the first half of the film; however, they will certainly wish that the movie ends soon in the second half. The songs of the film are just bearable, but the remix of ‘Mungda Mungda’ starring Sonakshi Sinha stands out for sure. The cinematography of the movie could have been better compared with the previous two installments. The CGI used to depict the animals was a big disappointment considering the fact that the animals played an equally important role as other costars. The plot lost its way in the second half. The guest appearance of Esha Gupta seems quite unnecessary. Inspite of an ensemble cast, ‘Total Dhamaal’ failed to strike the right chord and ended up on a sour note. However, you can not blame the star cast for this. It just turned out to be a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. 'Dhamaal' was a hit thanks to the situational comedy and excellent dialogue delivery of the lead characters. Somehow, the comic timing and dialogues of the film 'Total Dhamaal' were not as appealing as the original 'Dhamaal.' Director Inder Kumar has to keep in mind that the audience today has grown much more intelligent than before, and you cannot fool them by serving a stale dish in an attractive covering. It might bring them to the theatre, but it will certainly reduce the credibility of the movie. Verdict: 'Dhamaal’ franchise has it's own audience. For them, this film will be worth watching. However, if you are not fond of logicless slapstick comedies please avoid this film as the films like 'Gully Boy’or ‘Uri-The Surgical Strike’ are still running at the theatres. ‘Total Dhamaal’ is certainly not the best movie of the ‘Dhamaal’ franchise. Still if you wish to spend this weekend keeping your brain aside, 'Total Dhamaal’ awaits you in the theatre. Our Rating : 2.5/5