Total Dhamaal Movie Review: Madhuri Dixit-Anil Kapoor, Jaaved Jaaferi-Arshad Warsi stand out in this half-witted film

Indra Kumar's Total Dhamaal this week will question your intellect! A multi-star cast film, that created the buzz by bringing back the franchise with its third sequel, is much of a disappointment than a wow film!

Setting the Scene

The movie begins when Boman Irani, a corrupt Police Commissioner is trying to launder the money because of demonetization and Ajay Devgn steals it. How the two bags worth Rs 50 crore reach a zoo and the five set of teams try to get their hands on it is the real adventure or a slapstick comedy tale of 129-minutes. The characters use all kinds of transport available to reach their final destination — be it air, land or water — and also face the weirdest and predictable hiccups in between.

Plot

Team 1: Boman Irani and Vijay Patkar: Police Commissioner and his sidekick who are cracking a big deal worth Rs. 50 crore, which is their commission for converting Rs. 100 crore because it is 'demonetisation-era'.

Team 2: Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Mishra: Guddu along with his man (Mishra) wings his way to the 16th-floor hotel room where the big deal is happening and runs away with the money. But before he can really lay his hands on them, his driver (Manoj Pahwa), also a former animal trainer, runs away with it.

Team 3: Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor: A Maharashtrian wife and Gujju husband. Their courtroom banter where they are fighting for a divorce will remind you of Kangana Ranaut and Madhavan's hilarious scene from Tanu Weds Manu. But nevertheless, this pair's comic timing and dialogues will leave you in splits — courtesy their years of understanding probably, but their camaraderie is definitely to look out for! Anil Kapoor's energy is 100 times more than the entire crew put together and well, let's not forget the 'Modi Punch' our Gujju character throws in during the climax with a lion.

Team 4: Arshad Warsi and Jaaved Jaaferi: Adi-Manav, the innocent brothers who are trying to win the race to loot the money before everyone else in their oh-so-smart and violent car is one hilarious set in itself. Every frame in the film that they appear in is hilarious! The two will leave you wanting for more, surely.

Team 5: Riteish Deshmukh and Pitobash Tripathy: Firefighters who take bribes to save people. Yeah, that is their plot! Along comes Johny Lever with his autorickshaw-turned-helicopter who tries to help the two reach the destination. Loud and absolutely god-fearing team!

And there is one more team, 'Team Animals' headed by Esha Gupta, who makes a cameo performance in the film. The Zoo where the money is hidden is where the climax is shot.

The director tries to plug in an emotional angle about animals in the end and that at a point made them look way better than the storyline!
All of them have to reach one place called "OK" in a place called Janakpur, where Rs 50 crore are hidden by Manoj Pahwa (Ajay Devgn's driver). Who reaches first? Who will leave with the money?

Verdict

A senseless and brainless comedy with a few genuine and honest laughs here and there. 10 actors who are fighting to get their hands on the big money — is a thought that could have been executed well but unfortunately, Indra Kumar failed at achieving the 'Dhamaal' level. The brain can't digest the fact that it saw Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy last week and Total Dhamaal this week. Why? (the brain cries). Looks like the kids might just enjoy this film.

Cast: Anil Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Madhuri Dixit, Arshad Warsi, Jaaved Jaaferi, Riteish Deshmukh, Sanjay Mishra, Boman Irani, Johny Lever, Vijay Patkar, Esha Gupta, Sudesh Lahiri, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sonakshi Sinha

What works: Two pairs stood out — Anil Kapoor-Madhuri Dixit & Javed Jafferi-Arshad Warsi. These two deserve the movie of their own. Their banter, comic timing, the situational expressions — everything was on point. They will crack you up. Jackie Shroff's 'Chindi' (Chaalu Hindi) which is 'the world's most advanced GPS system' is a fabulous piece in the film. Mahesh Manjrekar's character Chinnappa Swamy, who plays an antagonist, has a small screen presence but sure makes an impact.

What does not work: Ajay Devgn is a complete disappointment. Looks like the actor just can't come out of his Singham a.k.a Rohit Shetty hangover! The comic timing was just lost somwhere for Devgn. Also, Ritesh Deshmukh, who was only loud and didn't make much of an impact. Some senseless punches that yet again puts women in a bad light or racism are totally not needed. 'Not needed' also reminds us of Sonakshi Sinha's Mungda song which came out of nowhere in the film and sure looked forced. Poor VFX, mediocre-rehashed songs are some of the negative points of the film.

Rating: 2/5