Director: Rohit Shetty
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Parineeti Chopra, Tabu, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Kunal Khemmu, Prakash Raj and Neil Nitin Mukesh
Plot: An adventure of five friends who are on a quest to save the orphanage they grew up in, from a high profiled goon. Things go haywire when an eerie supernatural presence lurks in the background.
Direction and Screenplay -
When you witness a group of actors posing alongside or on super expensive sports cars on graffitied sets, where the sky is filled with colorful confetti and there are 100s of people dancing in the background, you know who the executor of this carnival is. Yes! Rohit Shetty who is known for making larger than life movies with an extravagant cast did the same this time around but a notch better than what he did with his last 2 installments of the Golmaal franchise.
Props to him for reviving the Horror-Comedy genre which was lost and almost extinguished after the disasters like Great Grand Masti and Kya Super Cool Hai Hum.
The Direction by Shetty fares well and it's lovely how most of the sequences are shot covering a scene in its entirety in one continuous sweep without involving editing of any sort. On the other hand, the loosely based shots and establishing long shots are a problem as it makes the objects too sharp to seem real.
Yunus Sajawal (screenplay) and Farhad Sajid (dialogues) are actually good for the most part of the movie with the slapstick comic lines and showcasing character attribute to their best. But few slices are repetitive - Like the one where the ghost gives a "demo" of its existence followed by some over explanation by the cast.
Still, the movie has its moments. Like genuine moments that play out well-generating giggles and squeals at the cinema hall with some even rolling with laughter.
Editing and Cinematography:-
At 150 mins, Golmaal Again is wayy too long for some audiences to sit through, without yawning. But the camaraderie between the actors and their USP saves this ship from sinking.
Talking about the cinematography, the opening aerial sequence over Ooty and the song Neend Churayi Meri were garishly color corrected and unbearably loud. While the rest of the movie was quite according to the mood and setting of the plot with quirky, warm and vibrant colors.
Music:-
Pritam Chakraborty who is known to be quite inspired by golden hits, failed to strike a chord with his rehash remixes of
"Neend churayi meri."
"Neend churayi meri."
The Highs -
Being a follow-up, this one traces back the relationship of the fab five right to their childhood in order to explore and showcase the genesis of the characters. Also, there are a lot of references right from "chinese billi" to "lagana dikhana."
This movie has an endearing mix of wordplay and buffoonery involving a bunch of grown men acting like nincompoops. And to add to this, the background music of more than one fun sequence is straight out of Tom and Jerry.
The previous parts had Rimi Sen and Kareena Kapoor as mere eye candies. But thankfully in this part, the women and actually given a substantial and strong role. Tabu and Parineeti literally and figuratively, drive as well as fly the film's narrative.
The film even throws in a couple of social messages, like anti-superstition statements and a half-baked girl education line.
The real laughter generators of the movie is the not-so-subtle placements of products. It’s a laugh riot to watch how lazily with little to none thought the products are placed unapologetically floating around in the screen. I mean... We see you, Ching’s Secret, Finolex, Kwality Walls and others. We see you loud and clear!
At one point in the film, when Prakash Raj’s Vasu Reddy gets almost electrocuted while touching a stage mic, Lever’s Pappi Bhai does an exaggerated version of the same thing. Takes a pause. Turns around to say, “I was kidding. I’m experienced at this." We see what you did there, Johnny Boy. 
There are some scenes that are just so silly that you can't help laugh at the silliness. No seriously, I'll let that pass because hey, who doesn't fancy a good laugh.
The Lows -
The addition of subplot drags the movie. Prakash Shetty murmurs in one scene - “Mujhe sirf ek achche plot se matlab hai (My only concern is a good plot)”. We know right? Same. Same.
The background score is deafening (except for the paranormal scenes) and could pierce through your eardrums. So please carry earplugs or cotton along.
Sometimes jokes are stretched too far, ceasing the smile that had just begun to erupt. And dude, why the well would you think of using Ku Klux Klan costumes for the ghosts? I mean the idea is completely lost on me. We are tolerating Trump already, can't bear the sight of the KKK getting back in action.
Also, the hideous father-daughter hooking-up jokes don't help at all.
Gopal falls for her and it’s almost pedophilia, considering they all refer to her as ‘bachchi‘ (child), with her trotting around in dungarees and talking like a child. It gets more questionable when, in his mind, the two of them are dancing to a rendition of the song Neendh Churayi Meri, a song that came out when Parineeti was eight years old. And Devgn, who was in the original song, was a well-established hero back then, paired with his now-wife, Kajol. Even for the sake of pop-culture, it’s unsettling enough.
Performances:-
Tabu, as a level-headed librarian Anna with superhuman ability to see ghosts, tries to lend some subtlety to her role and actually maintains the stability.
It would be a while until Parineeti Chopra grows out of her manic pixie dream girl-like characters. It's getting way too much now.
Ajay Devgn as Gopal, the angry youn... ahem man shows his vulnerable side by being petrified of ghosts and therefore, hates nightfall. But when it comes to fighting off goons, he turns his Singham mode on with a menacing stare, swift punches and kicks and a body language as cool as a watermelon. Sometimes he gets too much into the Singham character, that it feels as if he will now break out into the famous, "aata maajhi satakli" but thankfully he uses "main yeda hain" instead.
Arshad Warsi is effortless as Madhav, the ultimate prankster who never lets Gopal rest easy with his devious tactics.
Kunal Khemmu as Laxman Sharma is the best in the gang and with a timing as accurate as a discuss shooter, he is skilled enough to lift the sagging spirits of the audience.
Lucky's (Shreyas Talpade) lisping is fun to listen to because of the properly placed dialogues.
Tushar Kapoor gets a complete voice changeover by a veteran actor. Naming him could spoil all the fun for you so I'll leave it at that.
Also, watch out for a supercool cameo by one and only... Bola na I won't spoil it. Sshh!
The supporting cast is better than the primary cast in many scenes.
Sanjay Mishra elicits many laughs as a Shatrughan Sinha imitator with an attitude of an old hipster. Backed with terrific delivery and a style of his own, he is sure to tickle your funny bone. B. O. R. N, Bone!
Johnny Lever proves that he is still in form, not with the jokes, but with his all-time famous execution.
Watch o Not?
Trying to reinvent a horror comedy genre in Bollywood, Golmaal Again has its moments and should please those that seek it out. Not so good as far as the script is concerned, but its the performers and their timing and knack for generating laughs that keep you glued. The way the writers and the cast demand that you stay invested in paper-thin characters is commendable. This film is meant for all those who don’t bury their heads into the serious. If you don’t go there so much as a purist but rather as someone who enjoys a good jolt and moderate comedy, this is well worth catching. And just in case you missed it in the trailer, the movie sends at least three reminder pleas asking you to remember it is not about logic when it is magic. Yeah, we get that!
Verdict :
Nevertheless, Golmaal Again makes for a decent watch if you are cool with a long first half and a dark and confusing second half. It’s a film that would appeal to many just because it belongs to the “oh-so-funny” Golmaal franchise and if you are looking to kick back and relax. If not for the gang of five, watch it for the supporting cast, the real heroes of this mish-mash.
Ratings - 2.9/5
