Review - Dhamaal: Funny but...not all through

Dhamaal

wogma rating: Add to that never-watched 'To Watch' list ^(?)

quick review:

Quite a few funny scenes are strung together with wannabe funny scenes. Anyways, 20 minutes of hard laughter guaranteed in those two+ hours.

Director: Indra Kumar

Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Jaaved Jaaferi, Ashish Chowdhry

Running time: 135 minutes

Genres: Slapstick

More Movie Info

Consistency - that is what Dhamaal lacks. A few hold-my-stomach-and-laugh situations are sewn together with the regular loud, slapping-around slapstick. And in all of this, the story writers have been kind enough to worry about my well-being, literally begging my gray cells to take a break.

Some of the gags were sadly derived from jokes that I first heard when I was ten, and have been deleting as e-mail forwards for the last ten years. On the other hand though, caricatures of some of the side-side-characters were outright hilarious and acted out really well too.

You have to give them credit for creating an atmosphere of general interest throughout the movie. Within the first fifteen minutes you know that no matter what the lead characters plan, they are going to fall flat on their face (not literally, thank goodness!) But, it is the manner in which they fall that is pretty creative at most times. Unfortunately, the second half sees you playing catch-up with the five characters and what they are up to. The structure of the story itself becomes such that no amount of editing could create a flow in the narration.

The performances were a mix of the good, the bad and the ugly too. Riteish Deshmukh and Javed Jaffrey added nuances to their characters with their comic timing. Sanjay Dutt and Ashish Chowdhary looked plain and disinterested. One doesn't expect any less from Asrani in a slapstick - the screaming is written off as soon as you know his name in the starcast. Here is the shocker - Arshad Warsi takes his cue from Asrani - how heart-breaking is that!

Did anyone notice - no female lead! Ain't that great!? We all know how they could have easily been misused in a movie of this genre. No women also usually make the songs pretty much boring. The plain-as-ever lyrics and the lackluster music don't help. Not to mention the ridiculous choreography and the resultant indifference with which the cast executed it. What a waste of Javed Jaffrey! The background music did make certain situations funnier. But then, it got a bit much and annoying when it was used for every single movement of any character or object.

There certainly are a few very good laughs packed in the two hours - about twenty minutes worth. But is that good enough to forgive the tolerable, miscellaneous comedy? On a lazy Sunday afternoon, on DVD with a remote control in hand - yes.

- meeta, a part of the audience

22 reviewers^(?) - 15 yays 4 so-so 3 nays

Warning: clicking on "full review" will take you to an external website that could contain spoilers.

Thumbs up, by Nikhil Kumar, Apun Ka Choice : ...The funniest of the lot is Javed Jaffrey, who, with his imbecilic humour, brings the house down... full review

Thumbs up, B4U TV : ...Hats off to the director, for delivering a comic caper without a female character.... full review

Thumbs up, by Rachel Fernandes, Bollywood Mantra : ...The film is brilliantly funny in the first half and manages to mostly keep up the pace in the second half too.... full review

Thumbs up, by Fatema H Kagalwala, Business of Cinema : ...With all that surprising hilarity the ending comes as a bit of a downer, especially the looseness with which it is handled... full review

Thumbs up, by Aprajita Anil, Express India : ...the witty one-liners and the apt comic timings go on to create a the real ‘dhamaal’.... full review

Thumbs up, by Martin D'Souza, Glamsham.com : ...he comedy is not over-the-top and performances from the actors not loud... full review

Thumbs up, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...Dhamaal works primarily because it's a cleverly written film that moves briskly from one gag to another... full review

Thumbs up, by Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM : ...the film works in totality and that's what matters at the end of the day.... full review

Thumbs up, by Praveen Lance Fernandes, indiatimes : ...It’s not trying hard to make you laugh, it makes you laugh hard.... full review

Thumbs up, by Amit Kaundinya, J.A.M : ...The music of Dhamaal too is a huge disappointment.... full review

Thumbs up, by Ashok Nayak, Now Running.com : ...Dhamaal is a 'clean' comic entertainer... full review

Thumbs up, by Hanumant Bhansali, Radio Sargam : ...While the first half sets the rhythm for a laugh riot, its the second half which tends to go overboard with its scenes innovatively ripped from old Hollywood comedies... full review

Thumbs up, by Syed Firdaus Ashraf, Rediff : ... Editor Sanjay Sankla should have been better with the scissors.... full review

Thumbs up, by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India : ... Don’t go looking for too much sense and you might just enjoy this celebration of nonsense... full review

So-So, Bollyvista.com : ...Speaking about the technical aspect of this film...would simply mean running down at least half a dozen of his crew, so that part is better skipped!... full review

So-So, by Khalid Mohamed, Hindustan Times : ...But for a few stray toilet jokes, the humour’s clever.... full review

So-So, by Subhash K Jha, Now Running.com : ...Dodging over vulgarity, keeping the pace slick rather than sick... full review

So-So, by Satyajit, SmasHits.com : ...However, my eleven year old son comments on the introduction of Javed Jaffery's character. "Daddy, this scene is borrowed from Mr. Beans."... full review

Thumbs down, by Oz, Desi Train : ...The writers of this movie need to stop writing and first learn the spelling of comedy - it’s C O M E D Y… and not some weird K A M E D I or any other spelling that numerology may have come up with... full review

Thumbs down, by Vaibhav Wankhede, M TV : ...DHAMAAL has it's moments but on the whole it's juvenile and relies too much on farcical comedy.... full review

Thumbs down, by Anupama Chopra, NDTV : ...Dhamaal is an attempt at a brain dead comedy in which a nonsensical plot is merely the framework for a series of unconnected gags.... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

2 readers - 2 yays 0 so-so 0 nays

Yay! Thumbs Up, by monogrammed playing cards : 85

Yay! Thumbs Up, by nohemi jastremski : 90

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Warning: this section has some details that could distort your experience while watching the movie. I strongly recommend reading this only after you have seen the movie or if you have decided not to see it.

Plot Summary

Four good-for-nothings get together to earn some quick buck. Soon enough they are caught in a trap of their own making by a cop. As the situation would have it, the five of them now have a common goal. What they need to do to achieve this goal is what the rest of the movie is all about.

What Worked

The noose scene - couldn't stop laughing throughout - and five minutes after.
Riteish Deshmukh's mimcry of Sanjeev Kumar - top notch!!
The shots of the monkey while Riteish Deshmukh is trying to jump.
The south Indian who gives a lift to Arshad Warsi and Javed Jaffrey - very amusing caricature.
The sermon-like tone of the control room manager at the airport.

What did not

Note: This section simply lists the things that I did not like in this movie. This is not the overall impression about this movie. Please read the full review here

Who exactly is Riteish Deshmukh talking to in the first sequence where he is standing with his hand on the top of a car. Intentional or unintentional - it looked awful.
How come the foursome didn't bother with white clothes in the second funeral? Too convenient for them to be spotted as goons when goons were needed in the plot.
What was the aluminum bucket doing at the spot where Prem Chopra falls after the accident? Waiting to be kicked? To what end?
How does Asrani know that there were four people in his house to rob his car?
Whatever happened to the crab that entered Javed Jaffrey's pants.
The lack of creativity in the action sequences.
The turn-around of all the characters in the last scene.

Nitty-Gritty

This section lists things that I think are not important to the overall impact of the movie. In most cases, it could be explained away by something like, "we noticed the glitch after the scene was shot and there were schedule/budget issues and thus we could not re-shoot it". I like giving the makers the benefit of doubt, but I am amused nevertheless. Hopefully, they will tickle you too.

Some of the scenes in the car at night were out of focus.
That was one hell-of-a-stylish office for police officers to hang out in.
Ashish Chowdhry is supposed to be in a hurry and the first thing he does is wear a T-shirt before racing in a car.
In the jeep, where does Sanjay Dutt get a foam spray?
The foursome were shown as having no money on them. Where does Riteish Deshmukh get Rs.500 to pay for his bus ticket?
Is Sebastian garden on the beach? It felt like a huge continuity cut.