Housefull 4 Movie Review, Release Date, Star Cast, Story
Housefull 4 Movie Release Date:
25th October, 2019
Housefull 4 Star Cast:
Akshay Kumar as Prince Bala Dev Singh…
Riteish Deshmukh as Bangdu Maharaj…
Bobby Deol as Dharamputra…
Kriti Sanon as Princes Madhu…
Pooja Hegde as Princes Mala…
Kriti Kharbanda as Princes Meena…
Rana Daggubati as Raja Gama…
Sharad Kelkar as Suryabhan…
Chunky Pandey as Pehla Pasta…
Johny Lever as Winston Churchgate(as Jo
Housefull 4 Movie Review:
Reincarnation stories have been extremely popular in Bollywood. There is a certain charm to watching the protagonist face an untimely death and then avenge wrongdoings in his next life. Interestingly, there has never been a reincarnated comedy. This void has now been filled thanks to Housefull 4. The film looks grand in every way and also has a big Diwali release. So has Housefull 4 emerged as the perfect entertainer for families this festive season? Or does it fail to impress? Let’s analyze.
HOUSEFULL is the story of three couples and how fate helps them to be reunited after 600 years. The story begins in 2019. Harry (Akshay Kumar) is a barber in London who has a habit of momentarily losing his memory after hearing loud noises. During one such time, he destroys a large sum of money belonging to Michael (Sharad Kelkar) which was given to him by Big Brother for safekeeping. So Big Brother gets angry at Harry, his brother Max (Bobby Deol) and their friend Roy (Riteish Deshmukh). He demands them to return the brother’s money. Harry, Max and Roy then tell Bhai that they are in a relationship with Pooja (Pooja Hegde), Kriti (Kriti Sanon) and Neha (Kriti Kharbanda) respectively. All three are daughters of a very rich man, Papa Ranjit (Ranjeet). So after marriage they will give money to Big Bhai. The trio then meet Papa Ranjit and the marriage is fixed. The chosen place is a city in India called Sitamgarh. The trio reach Sitamgarh Palace with their girlfriend and father Ranjit, which has now been converted into a hotel. As they reach there, the belle’s last pasta (Chunky Pandey) claims that they were all part of the kingdom of Sitamgarh. He falls overboard while making the claim, making the guests uncomfortable. So manager Winston Churchgate (Johnny Lever) takes out the last pasta. However, Harry has often had glimpses of his past life. He goes to Madhavgarh, where the last Pasta resides, to find out more. On reaching Madhavgarh, Harry is reminded of his past life. The story then moves to a flashback mode in the year 1419. Bala (Akshay Kumar) is a notorious prince of Madhavgarh who is banished from the kingdom by his father (Parikshit Sahni). With the help of Pasta (Chunky Pandey), he learns that the king of Sitamgarh, Maharaja Surya Singh Rana (Ranjeet) will be celebrating his birthday and that they had three daughters, Madhu (Kriti Sanon), Meena (Kriti Kharbanda) and Mala (Kriti Sanon). Pooja Hegde). Bala reaches Sitamgarh and succeeds in wooing Madhu. Meanwhile, Bangdu Maharaj, a dancer in the royal palace, gets into a relationship with Mala, while warrior Dharam (Bobby Deol) begins an affair with Meena. The king also approves the union and their marriages are fixed. All is going well but Suryabhan (Sharad Kelkar) who wants to become the king comes up with a plan. He kills Gama’s brother (Rana Daggubati), a ruthless chieftain of a neighboring kingdom. Gama is made to believe that it is the king who ordered the murder. As a result, Gama reaches Sitamgarh during the wedding ceremony to take revenge. In the ensuing battle, they all die. What happens next becomes the rest of the film.
The story of Sara Bodinar and Sajid Nadiadwala is very weak. The screenplay by Akash Kaushik and Madhur Sharma (with additional screenplays by Farhad Samji, Tushar Hiranandani, Sparsh Khetrapal and Tasha Bhambra) further spoils the show. The makers seem to have taken the audience lightly and, in an effort to showcase the grandeur, they missed out on the factors that made HOUSEFULL such a successful franchise. Farhad Samji’s dialogues add to the fun but only in places.
Farhad Samji’s direction is impressive. Though for the most parts, he is able to handle grandeur and illusion pretty well. The opening credits are very similar to the opening of Baahubali 2: Conclusion. There is actually a face-to-face reference to the film later. However, many sequences are weak and the jokes fall flat. The writing is also flawed but the director should have hidden these shortcomings with his execution. Sadly that doesn’t happen.
HOUSEFULL 4 starts off on a very funny note. The madness at Harry’s salon sets the mood. The film gets better as soon as it reaches Sitamgarh. Once the flashback starts, it is expected that the film will go on a high. But the opposite happens because the humor is missing from the film. Yes, there are funny moments but they are not funny enough to give the audience a penny worth of time. Much of the second half is about how Harry tries to convince Max and Roy that they are making a mistake by marrying their sister-in-law. The humor is all right here and in Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s track, it goes out the window. Thankfully, the entry of Pappu Rangeela (Rana Daggubati) serves as a relief. The climax only works in parts. Continuity issues spoil the fun.
Akshay Kumar has emerged as the most entertaining actor in the film. His Bala act is superb but he is very good in the 2019 part too. After this comes Riteish Deshmukh. As Pavitra Bangdu Maharaj, he did a good job which was expected as he has done similar roles in the past. Bobby Deol is disappointed as he doesn’t have much to contribute in terms of humour. Rana Daggubati is excellent in both the avatars. He adds to the fun especially in the pre-climax and climax. Talking about girls, all three are looking quite stunning. Kriti Sanon gets her share of interesting scenes. Kriti Kharbanda makes her mark in the scenes where she sings Hindi songs. Pooja Hegde is decent. Chunky Pandey doesn’t get enough scope like in part 1 and 2, but he gets to be a part of some crazy scenes. Johnny Lever makes some laughs in the second half. Sharad Kelkar is skilled in a small role. Manoj Pahwa laughs in his cameo appearance. Ranjeet is fine. Jamie Lever is fine and Johnny Lever’s connection comes through wonderfully. Parikshit Sahni is nothing great. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is weird.
The songs are average and will not have any recall value. ‘Satan Ka Saal’ is the best. This is followed by ‘Ek Chumma’ and then ‘Badla’. ‘The Bhoot Song’ is the weakest part of the film while ‘Chammo’ is forgettable. Julius Packiam’s background score is dramatic and the recurring theme is engaging.
Sudip Chatterjee’s cinematography adds to the grandeur. Sham Kaushal’s action is good. Amit Ray and Subrata Chakraborty’s production design is brilliant. The costumes compliment the characters. The women in both the avatars look especially gorgeous. The VFX of Do It Creative, AI Solve Ltd and Prime Focus is of superior quality. The Kingdom of Sitamgarh is depicted in a particularly fascinating way. Rameshwar S Bhagat’s editing is inconsistent and there are many leaps in the narrative.
Overall, Housefull 4 is a huge disappointment and suffers due to poor writing and blank screenplay. Negative word of mouth will ensure that it crashes at the box office, though it may still creep up to Rs. 100 crore mark due to festive period and extended weekends.