CINEMA: Houseful of laughs

By K.N. Vijiyan| kvijiyan@nst.com.my

LIVING up to its name, the cinema session I attended was full house. There is nothing like a movie with plenty of well-known names and on top of that, tagged as a comedy, to draw in the crowd.

As is normal with Hindi comedies, don’t expect too much logic in the story. Just enjoy the antics.

I have to say this movie is definitely better than the other comedy currently showing, Chaar Ki Din Chandni, starring Tusshar Kapoor, Kulraj Randhawa, Anupam Kher and Om Puri.

The presence of “ageing” Rishi Kapoor, his brother Randhir and Mithun Chakraborty somehow makes Housefull 2 more fun to watch.

As with most comedies, this is all about false pretences and impersonations. The story is set in London, about rich Indian families aiming to get richer.

Jai (Shreyas Talpade) is upset when the feuding Kapoor brothers, Chintu (Rishi) and Daboo (Randhir), embarrass his father and land him in hospital. He wants revenge.

Knowing that the Kapoors intend to find rich husbands for their two daughters Heena (Asin) and Bobbie (Jacqueline Fernandez), Jai and his friend Jolly (Ritesh Deshmukh) hire two conmen, Sunny (Akshay Kumar) and Max (John Abraham), to woo the girls and then break their hearts. In all this, they have to contend with Jolly’s billionaire father, J.D. (Mithun).

You have to believe that the Kapoors and J.D. don’t suspect anything amiss despite all that is happening around them. That’s difficult to swallow.

It must have been tough for director Sajid Khan to handle such a huge cast, including veterans such as Rishi, Randhir and Mithun.

The best part is when Akshay, John and the girls are marooned on an island. Unknown to the girls, the other part of the island is a resort. So the men source the food from there and pretend that they have to suffer a lot to feed the girls.

Comedian Johnny Lever also enlivens things.

The songs, composed by Sajid-Wajid, are well spaced out and are wonderful. Papa Toh Band Bajaye will make you want to break into a dance. Malaika Arora Khan puts in a special appearance for the song Anarkali Disco Chali.

Despite being described as a sequel to the 2010 hit Housefull, there is no connection between the two except for the same director and some of the actors.

Again, I’ll say suspend logic to enjoy the show.

NOW SHOWING

HOUSEFULL 2 (Hindi)
Directed by Sajid Kha
Starring Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Ritesh Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade, Asin, Jacqueline Fernandez, Zarine Khan, Shazahn Padamsee, Rishi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, Boman Irani
Duration: 160 minutes
Rating: PG13

(From right) Akshay and Asin with John and Jacqueline in a song sequence

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CINEMA: Houseful of laughs

LIVING up to its name, the cinema session I attended was full house. There is nothing like a movie with plenty of well-known names and on top of that, tagged as a comedy, to draw in the crowd.

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