Review - Golmaal Returns: And how I wish it didn't!

Golmaal Returns

wogma rating: Switch channels if it's on cable ^(?)

quick review:

As loud as Diwali and as bright as Diwali and Holi put together. A festival of poor writing, gay jokes, random songs, SMS forwards, etc

Director: Rohit Shetty

Cast: Arshad Warsi, Shreyas Talpade, Tusshar Kapoor, Ajay Devgan

Running time: 150 minutes

Genres: Slapstick

More Movie Info

Some antics are best left to Tom & Jerry. That kind of violence is just not funny when humans do it, especially when set in a really long Ekta Kapoor soap opera. Yep, Golmaal Returns is that bad!

What's with this trend of having half the dialogues referring to another movie/ TV show? Every other scene has one such reference here with Sanjay Leela Bhansali taking the worst hit. How many more movies are going to do this? Is our creativity limited to laughing at another's expense? Which could have been grudgingly acceptable were it done at least a little less crudely.

Like in Golmaal, Tusshar Kapoor's mute character comes as a welcome relief in the midst of all the screaming and yelping. And he is the only one who managed to make me laugh. And then that too became repetitive.

Women, as we are supposed to expect, are mere eye candy and to be referred to as the men's property. Jealousy is just about the only emotion they are allowed. It almost felt like these particular women were cast only to balance off the men in the looks department. I see no other reason for casting Celina Jaitley with Shreyas Talpade and Amrita Arora with Arshad Warsi. The Ajay Devgan-Kareena Kapoor pair is alright in an Omkara but here it just feels like a complete mismatch. Especially when Kareena behaves all insecure about Ajay's faithfulness.

And don't even get me started on how badly placed and picturized the songs are. And they sound awful too.

The silver lining to this dark, dark cloud is that I completely enjoyed the transitions used to put together two scenes. So much so that I began waiting for the scene to end, so I could see how they are going to move on to the next one. Of course, that was not the only reason I wanted scene after scene to end, but nevertheless credit given where it is due. So, how many of you would see a movie just for its transitions?

There's this scene towards the end where each member of the cast walks towards a noose hanging down a tree threatening to commit suicide. Now, three cheers to that one!

- meeta, a part of the audience

28 reviewers^(?) - 4 yays 7 so-so 17 nays

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

Thumbs up, by Preeti Arora, Buzz18 : ...It seemed like the director Rohit Shetty was simply trying to cash in on the success of his debut venture.... full review

Thumbs up, by Deep, Deep's Home : ...it will be liked by people.. though it has no logic.. but decent comedy with no double meaning stuff... full review

Thumbs up, by Martin D'Souza, Glamsham.com : ...Tusshar Kapoor as Lucky is a complete riot... full review

Thumbs up, by Amit R Agarwal, merinews : ...The first half is absolutely smooth-sailing. In fact you don’t even realise the interval-point.... full review

So-So, by Sneha Hazarika, DearCinema : ...The script has some grave pitfalls that do not hold the script tightly.... full review

So-So, by Karishma Purshotam, desi hits : ...No-brainer comedies have worked in the past, and 'Golmaal Returns' does too!... full review

So-So, by deepa garimella, fullhyd.com : ...Golmaal Returns is still funny and lively enough to deserve your attention,... full review

So-So, by Rajeev Masand, IBN Live : ...Golmaal Returns alternates between drop-dead hilarious and drop-dead dull.... full review

So-So, by Gaurav Malani, indiatimes : ...The writer wittily evades the censor scissors by having the mute Tusshar Kapoor indulge in most of the cursing... full review

So-So, by Raja Sen, Rediff : ...Golmaal didn't really have to return... full review

Thumbs down, by noyon jyoti parasara, AOL INDIA : ...Tusshar comes up with his best performance. Shreyas is good too. Arshad although good, now seems to be getting repetitive. Ajay is okay. Celina, Amrita and Anjana hardly have any scope to show their skills.... full review

Thumbs down, by Nikhil Kumar, Apun Ka Choice : ...It’s a film that suspends reason and wit for juvenile humour. It has plenty of gags stitched one after the other in its threadbare script... full review

Thumbs down, by Baradwaj Rangan, Blogical Conclusion, The New Sunday Express : ...The early portions of Rohit Shetty’s sequel to his comedy hit are simply dreadful.... full review

Thumbs down, by Shannan Mann, Bolly Spice : ... Kareena is good in her role but that's because hers is the only role written well.... full review

Thumbs down, by Daliya Daspurkayastha, Bollywood Mantra : ...It’s a total Tusshar Kapoor and Shreyas Talpade’s flick. They have been able to develop some interest.... full review

Thumbs down, by Sanjay Ram, Business of Cinema : ...The film is as good as it is bad. It’s funny in parts and awful in most... full review

Thumbs down, by Angel Rani, Deccan Herald : ...Very slapstick. Very mindless.... full review

Thumbs down, by Udita Jhunjhunwala, DNA : ...As a sequel it manages to dive a few notches below the original.... full review

Thumbs down, by Khalid Mohamed, Hindustan Times : ...Any indication of the story-screenplay is impossible because it seems to have been shot randomly.... full review

Thumbs down, by Taran Adarsh, IndiaFM : ...But GOLMAAL RETURNS treats the viewer like a nitwit, with zero brains... full review

Thumbs down, Indicine : ...If you expect Golmaal Returns to be a fast paced roller coaster ride, filled with funny one liners, rib tickling sequences with brilliant performances by the lead stars; you probably will be sorely disappointed... full review

Thumbs down, by Janhvi Patel, indya.com : ...Golmaal Returns is an insult to your intelligence and makes its predecessor look far superior.... full review

Thumbs down, by Ashok Nayak, Now Running.com : ...The writer has scripted some of the most bizarre of sequences in the name of a mindless comed... full review

Thumbs down, by Subhash K Jha, Now Running.com : ...Fast, furious and fatuous "Golmaal Returns" isn't quite that Diwali blues-chaser you expect it to be.... full review

Thumbs down, by Goher Iqbal Punn, Radio Sargam : ...‘Golmaal Returns’ should not have churned out at all since it’s a big disappointment in every sense of the word... full review

Thumbs down, by Nikhat Kazmi, Times of India : ...t's quite sad to watch seasoned actors like Ajay Devgan and Arshad Warsi goof up in comic roles... full review

Thumbs down, Upper Stall : ...All in all, strictly avoidable fare and nowhere near the prequel. Calling Sharman Joshi and Paresh Rawal…... full review

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

7 readers - 5 yays 1 so-so 1 nays

Want to Watch, by poul : gol mal

Yay! Thumbs Up, by andrew : 100

Yay! Thumbs Up, by anna : 95

Yay! Thumbs Up, by joomla developers

Yay! Thumbs Up, by juliajin : 90

Yay! Thumbs Up, by Neha : 99

So-So, by tsmughal

Nay! Thumbs Down, by QueMacy : 89

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

Plot Summary

Gopal (Ajay Devgan) has a suspicious wife Ekta (Kareena Kapoor). Gopal has to spend a night out because his car breaks and is trashed by goons in a fight while he tries to save a lady in distress.

What Worked

The dialogue where sentences that suit the situation are formed from all the movies Ajay Devgan has been in. Especially the punch line.

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

The 'Ekta' tattoo. How lame was that whole sequence!
The 'Ekta' in the tattoo is spelt wrong.
How could they have seen Saawariya on July 26, 2005 when Saawariya released only in November 2007!? Oh, never mind...
The whole deal with Celina Jaitley's family in the hospital. More so because she is checking out a sale in a mall when her family is supposed in the ICU.