Film Review: 'Entertainment' is a full-on entertainer and full value for your money

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Tamannah Bhatia, Krushna Abhishek, Johny Lever, Prakash Raj and Sonu Sood

Director: Farhad-Sajid

Rating: ***1/2

What it's about:

They’ve scripted a bunch of 100 crore grossers (Housefull 2, Golmaal 3, Bol Bachchan & Chennai Express among others). So when it came to handling the directorial baton for the first time, writers Farhad and Sajid chose the genre that’s given them all the glory – mainstream entertainment. In this comic caper, Akhil (Akshay Kumar) juggles multiple jobs to make ends meet till one day when he discovers that his ‘real’ father Pannalal Johri (Dalip Tahil) is a billionaire based in Bangkok. But with the good news comes bad news – the father is no more and he has passed on all his riches to his other ‘son’ Entertainment (Junior, the dog). Akhil, aided by his best friend (Krushna), now plans to get rid of the dog so he could be next in succession. Only he doesn’t know that Johri’s two nephews Karan and Arjun (Prakash Raj and Sonu Sood) are planning to eliminate him instead. The rest of the film is all about how Akhil and Entertainment join hands and fight the baddies to live happily ever after.

What's hot:

Firstly, Entertainment (the film) is not for the pseudo intellectuals. If you’ve enjoyed films like Housefull and the Golmaal series, you’ll find this one a laugh riot too. The film is laced with 'punny' dialogues and a screenplay that may remind you of Rohit Shetty’s films. After a long time, an animal is cast as the protagonist. The scenes between Akshay and Junior are hilarious. The comedy is completely in your face and the writer-directors are almost unapologetic about the jokes – that’s what makes them work. You may question logic after the film is over but while you’re watching it, you’d be busy laughing. Just like sensible and serious films need to be lauded, such entertainers too deserve their fair chance – just like it happens the world over. Akshay Kumar is in top form – watch his tribute to the classic Mehmood scene from Pyar Kiye Jaa –  captured in a single shot. Krushna brings the house down with his dialogues. Johny Lever is delightful – his antics in the climax will have you rolling down with laughter. Prakash Raj and Sonu Sood are good as the lovable thugs – the Karan Arjun reference is a hysterical touch. Farhad and Sajid define a certain kind of cinema and they’ve done full justice to that. It’s hard to believe that this is their debut film.
 
What's not:

The pace of the film in the first half is much better compared to the latter. Also, considering it’s a Tips production, one expected better music. The two popular songs – Johny Johny and Veere Di Shaadi – have been well shot.
 
What to do:

Entertainment is a full-on entertainer and full value for your money. A perfect family film in the true sense.