Double Dhamaal

Starring: Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Kangna Ranaut, Mallika Sherawat
Directed by Indra Kumar
Rating:

ouble Dhamaal fits in perfectly with the current brand of Hindi slapstick movies (think Golmaal, Thank You, Housefull...the list goes on). The film is so terribly sincere in its effort to adhere to the established template employed by every film in this league—loud toilet humour, groin kicks, gorilla smooches and racist jokes—that it hardly springs any surprises. The four buffoons from the film’s prequel Dhamaal, Adi (Arshad Warsi), Roy (Riteish Deshmukh), Boman (Aashish Choudhary) and Manav (Javed Jaffrey), return with a new set of get-rich-quick schemes that gives them a chance to indulge in more buffoonery. The group thinks they’ve hit the jackpot when they run into cop-turned-businessman Kabir (Sanjay Dutt), who, since the last film, seems to have mysteriously acquired a lot of money. The four friends scheme to blackmail him into parting with some of his wealth. Enter Kabir’s angel Kamini (Mallika Sherawat), sporting bikinis and other revealing outfits, matched only by Kiya, Kabir’s even more skimpily attired sister (Kangna Ranaut). The blackmail plot quickly fizzles out as the foursome realise they have been conned. From then on, it’s Team Buffoons versus Team Dutt.

It’s futile to pinpoint what this film possibly lacks, for this brand of cinema is clearly not meant to be seriously deconstructed. In the second half, the action shifts to the casinos of Macau, where the characters goof around aimlessly, with the actors quite happy to make complete fools of themselves for the sake of a few laughs. If you’re desperate to look for a silver lining, the film is unpretentious, with a clear agenda to make no sense at all, come what may. The four friends try hard to mimic the likes of Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha, Sanjeev Kumar; there are light references to films like Taare Zameen Par, My Name is Khan, Deewar, Arth. The gags get tiring, sure, but there are moments when the effort to spoof is mildly entertaining. Then, there are the obligatory item numbers, a butchered remix of that catchy Tridev number Oye Oye, and Mallika’s wannabe Sheila/Munni jig as Jalebi Bai. All of it works only if you have a taste for mindless cinema.

Bollywood

1. Double Dhamaal
2. Ready
3. Bheja Fry
4. Shaitaan
5. Bin Bulaye Baraati

Hollywood

1. Cars 2
2. Bad Teacher
3. Green Lantern
4. Super 8
5. Mr Popper’s Penguins

Pop

1. In The Deep (Adele)
2. Give Me... (Pitbull)
3. The Lazy Song (Bruno Mars)
4. E.T. (Katy Perry & Kanye West)
5. Just Can’t... (Black Eyed Peas)

Courtesy: Film Information