'Golmaal Again' Review: Despite its flaws, the Rohit Shetty film will bring in the smiles

Film: Golmaal Again

Director: Rohit Shetty

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Parineeti Chopra, Shreyas Talpade, Kunal Kemmu, Tusshar Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Tabu. Prakash Raj, Johnny Lever, Sanjay Mishra, Vrajesh Hirjee and Neil Nitin Mukesh
 
What it's about:
It’s the fourth installment of the Golmaal franchise, and if you have watched the previous Golmaals, then you know what to expect. Only this time there is a ghostly twist. This time, the location has changed from Goa to Ooty. All the five boys grow up in an orphanage. They leave the orphanage one night after a fight. Gopal and Laxman (Ajay Devgn and Shreyas Talpade) go one way and the other three – Lucky, Madhav and Laxman (Tusshar Kapoor, Arshad Warsi and Kunal Kemmu) go the other. Years later they all reunite for the funeral of the Jamnadas, who ran the orphanage. They are reunited with their childhood friend Khushi (Parineeti Chopra) and Anna (Tabu). Anna can see ghosts and she helps them fulfill whatever is holding them back here, and move on to afterlife. The boys discover a crime and the bad guys’ plans to destroy the ashram where they all grew up. How they fight the villains along with the girls is what the film is all about   
 
WHAT’S GOOD:
It’s almost like Rohit Shetty paying a tribute to all the previous Golmaals. He puts together all the best characters from his earlier films into this one. So along with the usual gang, there’s also Bhoola (Johnny Lever), Vasooli bhai (Mukesh Tewari), Sanjay Mishra, Inspector Dande (Murli Sharma) and even the snake-man Vrajesh Hirjee. The first half of the film begins slow but picks up pace soon after and maintains the momentum right up to the interesting intermission point. The film is a mix of comedy and fantasy. Golmaal Again is about ghosts but Rohit makes it very kid-friendly rather than going for actual scares. Despite a weak screenplay, Rohit goes full throttle at the entertainment quotient, mainly depending on the on-screen camaraderie between his actors. The five principal characters (Ajay, Arshad, Shreyas, Tusshar and Kunal) retain their superb chemistry and timing. Ajay plays the ghost-fearing macho man to perfection. Shreyas is the highlight among the others – his comedy is impeccable. Tabu brings a lot of dignity to her role as the film’s narrator and backbone. Parineeti seems like a misfit at first but slowly adds her own chutzpah to her character. Johnny Lever and Sanjay Mishra never fail to bring in the laughs even in the film’s dullest moments. There are no cars blown up in this one.
 
WHAT’S NOT:
It’s the film’s screenplay (Yunus Sajawal) that becomes tiring after a point. Most of the second half of the film is devoted to explaining the story so the laughs are rather sporadic. The entire part of the boys trying to scare Prakash Raj is long and could’ve been funnier. The climax could’ve been better – with some constructive participation by the boys. The way it is penned makes you wonder why the boys were needed in the first place. In comparison, Golmaal 3 had a bigger ensemble but every character had his or her own highlight moment. Somehow, the writers have failed to do the same in this one. Arshad and Kunal have rather sketchy characters; Tusshar is even weaker. Ashwini Kalsekar’s presence is established but after that, she’s missing from all the action. Dialogues (by Farhad-Sajid) have a massive hangover of the previous Golmaals. And instead of flying cars, this one has flying books – inspired heavily from Harry Potter. Music is a downer; the cover version of the ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ title track was best avoidable.
 
WHAT TO DO:
It’s Diwali and for all Golmaal fans, there couldn’t be a bigger celebration than this. Despite its flaws, Golmaal Again will bring in the smiles. 

Rating: *** (3 stars)