Housefull Review

What is it all about?

Designed for the `fun' hungry souls of Bollywood, Sajid Khan helmed `Housefull' carries the potential to be the first genuine success story of 2010.

The aptly named `Housefull' captures that jolly crowd who don't care a damn when it comes to laughter and easily within seconds you come to know that this flick has hit written all over it.

The Story....of course

`Housefull' is a romantic comedy entertainer which narrates the story of Aarush - the world's unluckiest man. Being jinxed, he believes his bad luck can vanish if he finds true love. In this quest for true love how one lie leads to another and how different people from different walks of life come together adding even more confusion to this hilarious comedy of errors resulting in total chaos and mayhem forms the crux of the story. The line which Deepika tells Akshay in the film "Jis jhooth se kissi ka ghar basta ho, voh jhooth jhooth nahin hota", pretty much sums up the essence of the film.

What to look out for?

What separates this one from Akshay's previous mad capers is that in addition to the actor's whole-hearted performance, director Sajid Khan gives him the "touch". Knowing very well how to keep the laugh party going, the helmer instinctively understands what to say and when, the spirit is naturally infectious.

The trump card, however, is `Akshay'; unlike in past film work, you believe him as a loser and, even more important, you want him to win this time.

Ritesh Deshmukh again proves that his comic timing is at par with the best in the industry. Lara Dutta again proves her brilliance when it comes to laughter.

Deepika chips in with valuable support.  

Other actors are uniformly strong, and Sajid Khan deserves much credit for exacting just the right degree of outrageousness without spinning into some wild orbit. None of the characters are cheap targets of fun, and the script actually manages to put the situations into a human context that makes their foibles real and funny. There's also genuine levity in cameos from Boman Irani, Jiah Khan, Arjun Rampal and Randhir Kapoor.  

`Housefull' dishes out the mad caper predicament to perfection and has moments which can make even a stone hearted a good laugh. The scene where Akshay cleans the house with a vacumizer and gets it all houch pouch instantly reminds you of the Chaplin, Laurel Hardy videos you watched sitting at home with your wafers, bhajias, cold drink whatever.   Days and later when he suffers from electric shock which passes on to Ritesh is undeniably hilarious and the best. Sajid Khan maintains the honesty though events become predictable and keeps the audience engaged rather than frustrated by the track.  

Director Sajid Khan and his partners in screen writing Milap Zaveri and Vibha Singh  work in concert to maintain the pace in the comedy loaded with buffoonery, gags, gay jokes but the skill is in the filmmakers' ability to get his audience hooked up with the entire proceedings.  

Technical aspects are strong where Vikas Shivraman cinematography is breathtaking, Rameshwar S Bhagat editing is sharp. Production values are mind-blowing. 

The music is a major plus and Shankar Eshaan Loy had already delivered a winner in "Apni Tohn Jaise Taise". 

What Not?

Starts marvelously and maintains a great pace in the first half. Anyhow during post interval, it becomes a bit draggy because the helmer already plays all the cards during the first half. Some may find it ridiculous due to its loyalty to buffoonery. 

Conclusion: It's a pure masala entertainer for the masses designed for the fun hungry souls of Bollywood. Go for it leaving your brains behind and enjoy. 

Rating ***