Housefull 2 Review

When 'Housefull 2' was launched, Sajid Khan had apparently promised his producer Sajid Nadiadwala as well as his actors that the film would be a biggest money spinner of their career. If the audience response to the film is any indication, this is indeed going to be the case as it should comfortably cross the collections of Akshay Kumar's highest grossers till date. Moreover for the director also the film should now do a lot of good since he is all set to create a hat trick of commercially successful films after 'Heyy Babyy' and 'Housefull'.

Though the storyline is about four Jollys and their respective girls, it is as much about the 'Pappas' of the house who further keep it full enough to ensure that there is confusion galore. One Pappa (Rishi Kapoor) thinks that he has the richest son-in-law (Akshay Kumar) as his prized possession while another (Randhir Kapoor) has the same understanding (John Abraham). Meanwhile the richest of the lot (Riteish Deshmukh) has his own Pappa (Mithun Chakraborty) to contend while the fourth (Shreyas Talpade) has to go through his own struggle to get into the good books of the fourth Pappa (Boman Irani).

While girls of the house (Asin, Jacqueline, Zareen, Shazahn) indeed wonder what is happening around them in the house, the one who is most confused of the lot is Johnny Lever, the caretaker and ex-partner-in-crime at Mithun's household. In between this all there is sprinkling of some genuine humorous moments, courtesy the return of Aakhri Pasta (Chunky Pandey) and the arrival of Ranjeet who just plays himself.

What doesn't quite cut much ice though are a couple of action sequences, one in each halves of the film, which are totally forced into the proceedings. Frankly, one could well have lived without these as they unnecessarily extend the film's length without adding much value. Also, the entire sequence at the island, though funny in parts, is a bit extended as one waits for the film to proceed faster instead of getting stuck at this point.

Moreover in the middle of the second half, the emergence of third and the fourth Jolly leads to the narrative become a little confusing due to which you just give up as an audience to keep track of the actual happenings and just concentrate on fun on the screen.

In this fun outing, the man who delivers the best and also makes the most out of it is Akshay Kumar. Playing the son of 'vaasna ka pujari' Ranjeet, he is a complete riot with his lusty mannerisms and overtures. Watch out for his opening scene in a shaking van, parachute landing over his prospective mother-in-law or the bedroom scene with Asin. Not just that as his interaction with Mithun, once he dons the avtar of 'Bhadrakali' devotee, is as 'masala' and crowd friendly as he gets.

The other actor who benefits immensely here is John Abraham who lets go of his macho and masculine side here and (surprise-surprise) brings in a slight feminine streak in his walk, talk and body language. He clearly seems to be enjoying doing everything that he has never done before. Watch out for his scene with the python and you would know why. Riteish Deshmukh is comparatively a step behind in screen time though there are at least three scenes that he makes just as his own - the one where he gets bitten by an alligator, the back-story narration and the points where he keeps juggling steps.

On the other hand Shreyas Talpade has limited screen time as well but doesn't seem like an odd man out at all. Integral to the film's plot and actually the one who starts it all, Shreyas gets his Sindhi act right and also looks younger than ever before. Same holds good for Shazahn Padamsee who is cute and nice, especially in the song 'Do You Know'. Zareen Khan has a minimal role as well though she exudes oomph in the song 'Right Now'. Jacqueline is presented well again and since she is not new to glamour, one can see her confidence in carrying herself well. Asin has the lengthier of the parts and while she looks her best amongst the four Hindi films that she has done till date, she plays her mandatory two emotional scenes, two songs and two comic sequences well.

Amongst the veteran actors, it is Mithun Chakravorty who steals the shows with his 'dakoo' act and towering personality. Rishi Kapoor is fun, especially in the first 30 minutes when get gets into a verbal spat with anyone and everyone coming near. Randhir Kapoor is an unexpected riot and some of his dialogues, especially the ones related to 'najaayaz aulad' and 'have you seen a dog drink' are bound to receive roars of approval from the audience. Johnny Lever shows once again what he is made of though Boman Irani is relatively sidetracked.

When Manmohan Desai made films, while he followed the `moolmantra' of 'entertainment, entertainment and entertainment', he also had a basic thumb rule. He always advocated the inclusion of at least one item sequence in every ten minutes of the film's narrative, whether though a song, action, comedy, dramat or suspense. Sajid Khan has always claimed to be a student of Manmohan Desai and he shows once again why he could well be a true successor in the current times, if 'Housefull 2' is any indication.

Rating: ****