Housefull 5 Movie Review: Partly Funny, Mostly Forced But The Mystery Keeps It Afloat
Rating: 2.5/5
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Shreyas Talpade, Nana Patekar, Jackie Shroff, Dino Morea, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Chitrangada Singh, Sonam Bajwa, Soundarya Sharma, Chunky Pandey, Nikitin Dheer and Johnny Lever
Director: Tarun Mansukhani
Storyline:
Billionaire Ranjeet Dobriyal passes away on the eve of his 100th birthday, right in the middle of a grand party aboard a luxury cruise. In a shocking twist, his will leaves his massive 69-billion-pound fortune to his son named Jolly. The problem? Three different men, all named Jolly (played by Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, and Riteish Deshmukh), show up on the cruise with their glamorous wives (Nargis Fakhri, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Sonam Bajwa), each claiming to be the rightful heir.
Naturally, this does not sit well with Ranjeet’s son from his second marriage (Fardeen Khan) or the powerful board members (Chitrangada Singh, Dino Morea, and Shreyas Talpade), who have their own eyes on the fortune.
Just as the mystery of the real Jolly starts to unfold, a murder takes place on the cruise, throwing everyone into a frenzy. Enter two sharp cops (Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff), determined to get to the bottom of the case. But with hidden agendas and unexpected twists, especially with Nana Patekar’s surprise move, this turns into a hilarious whodunnit on the high seas.
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Housefull 5 Movie Review:
The Housefull franchise has always been about mindless fun and outrageous comedy, and Housefull 5 sticks to that formula. This time, the makers try to spice things up by throwing in a murder mystery set on a cruise.
The premise is interesting enough. A billionaire dies during a lavish party, his fortune is up for grabs, and multiple people show up claiming to be his rightful heir. Just when the tension builds, a murder occurs, and the stage is set for some madcap comedy mixed with a whodunnit twist.
Sadly, the film does not fully commit to the mystery. Instead of playing around with the killer angle, a lot of time is wasted on forced slapstick and loud, over-the-top comedy that simply doesn’t land as well as it should. The script had plenty of scope to balance humour with suspense, but the film tilts heavily towards a barrage of juvenile jokes and adult humour that won’t sit well with family viewers.
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Housefull 5 Movie Review:
Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh know this space well and deliver a few decent slapstick moments. Abhishek Bachchan gets better as the film progresses and gets his moment to shine in the second half. Nana Patekar also makes a strong impression once he enters the narrative mid-way.
Post-interval, the energetic Laal Pari song adds a glam burst of colour and fun, and is easily one of the film’s highlights. It gives the second half a brief lift before the story spirals into more chaotic comedy.
Among the leading ladies, Sonam Bajwa stands out. She looks great on screen and has decent comic timing. Jacqueline Fernandez brings the glamour, while Nargis Fakhri leaves little impact. Soundarya Sharma is stuck with a flowerpot role as well.
Housefull 5 Movie Review:
Chitrangada Singh, who deserved a meatier part, is sidelined in this crowded ensemble. Nikitin Dheer too doesn’t get his due. Dino Morea is decent, while Johnny Lever brings some laughs but is stuck with weak material. Chunky Panday continues to milk his Aakhri Pasta shtick, but it feels repetitive by now.
The pairing of Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff as the investigating cops had solid potential, and their chemistry worked. But again, their scenes needed sharper writing and funnier exchanges. The big finale is as silly as it gets, with over-the-top chaos that borders on pure nonsense.
Still, all is not lost. The killer reveal is quite engaging and provides some intrigue. The alternate ending gimmick may just leave audiences curious and give the film some post-viewing buzz.
In the end, Housefull 5 had the bones of a fun comedy-thriller but is let down by a weak script and forced humour. It might still find takers among die-hard fans of the franchise, but for many, this noisy cruise will feel like a missed opportunity.
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