An early-birdy hellos, freEk fellows!
For someone took well-aimed and ruthless pot shots at film-makers, Sajid Khan probably threw away all caution to the wind when he took on the mantle of director himself. His earlier venture “Hey-Babyy” was an unashamed rip-off of that 80s Hollywood classic “Three Men and a Baby”, and his new mish-mash “Housefull” appears to a well convoluted mix of recent Hollywood blockbusters..
What it is: Akki (quite convincingly) plays an endearing yet neurotic “loser in love” (borrowing liberally from Ben Stiller’s character in “Along Came Polly” and “Heartbreak Kid”) when his first, hurried marriage to seductress ( read nymphomaniac) Jiah Khan ( trying hard to come off as sexy, and failing by miles!) doesn’t go quite as planned, Akki finds himself falling in love with Deepika Padukone (effortless) and trying desperately to get out of his marriage with the suspicious Jiah. Add to this a half dozen twists and turns and Akki finds himself (pretending to be) married to Lara Dutta as well! At some point in time, all 3 heroines show in bikinis, at which point one wonders if the movie should have been called “Blousefull!”
What works: Akki who hasn’t had a hit in a while, puts a lot of effort in the characterisation of his neurotic and hapless character, almost making it work. Riteish Deskhmukh as Akki’s friend brings along his easy charm and Arjun Rampal as an army man, suspicious of Akki’s motives, plays his stern persona well. Chunky Panday as the imaginatively titled “Aakhri Pasta” and Boman Irani ham up their parts collectively, this ham and pasta dish is too rich for my taste (burrrpp!) To Sajid’s credit he seamlessly manages to make the year’s first purely fun film! And yes, that “item-number” with Jackie Fernandes is pure-fun! the modern version of the Lawaris number “Aap Kya Hoga”
What doesn’t: Yes Akki is one of the best looking guys around, yet his pairings with heroines substantially younger than himself are wee bit yucky (Yucky Akki!) to say the least. The seduction number between him and Jiah Khan seems like the sequel to Nishabd! Sajid also follows David Dhawan’s and Priyadarshan’s tried and tested route of adding twists and new characters to compensate for the lack of a basic plotline. For viewers of angrezi hits such as “the Heartbreak Kid” and the “Hangover” the mish-mashed scenes will bring a unwelcome feeling of déjà-vu!
Verdict:
An iffy -iffy 3 freEkies!
Positioning itself as Bollywood’s first major summer release post the IPL extravaganza, Housefull surely stands to gain from crowds looking for their next dose of escapism, just wish that the thrills, lasted a little longer than the theatre exit!!
