Welcome Back Hindi Movie Review

If one goes by the adage that a man is known by what he laughs at, Anees Bazmee has a very poor opinion on the intelligence and sensitivity of the aggregate Indian viewership. Not that the prequel did not prepare you sufficiently. Also not that it is something the audience is not used to. A film starring the likes of Nana Patekar should put it all in perspective. Most importantly the film showcase by absence of the importance of Akshay Kumar as an actor in the context of ‘commercial cinema’. May be Karan Johar and Yash Chopra have not directed him but his absence, you understand, how he lifts mediocrity to a working space of acceptance. In contrast John Abraham fails and with it goes Welcome Back. It is Mad Party, but do not go by what you saw at the earlier outing.
Uday Shetty (Nana Patekar) and Majnu (Anil Kapoor) have moved on to the garish loud locales at Dubai. It is over half a decade that they bid farewell to the ‘old bad ways’ and have settled down to more respectable ways. Their skin may be clean but their souls are not cleansed. The two often debate the metamorphosis. They however haven’t given up opulence and hangers on, including Mushtaq Khan. The old bachelors still have a roving eye till it settles of bikini clad Chandini (Ankita Shrivastav) who with Maharani Padmavathi are out to sponge on the brothers. The con artists are out to woo the brothers.
Ghungroo (Paresh Rawal – prim and propah!) is told by wife (Supriya Karmik) that she has a son from another marriage. They leave for Dubai to meet Beta who is on the roads with huge cut outs and gangs – Ajju (John Abraham). Uday’s Dad (another Nana Patekar Avtar) announces the existence of a daughter from a previous marriage and tells Uday that he can get married only after the new found daughter Ranjana (Shruti Hassan) is married. As the groom hunt goes on, Ranjana and Ajju fall in love. Uday is stuck with the ‘Bhagwan ka diya hua sab kuch hai’ and insists his part sibling marry a gentleman which in the Anees Bazmee is a huge call. Ajju thus clads himself in tuxedoes to prove he is a gentleman and gets a pair of glasses to make a spectacle!!
So we have Majnu and Uday wooing Chandini, Ajju and Ranjana in romance. Enter Wanted Bhai (Naseer) replacement for RDX (Feroz Khan) who lives like he is the richest and the most powerful – albeit corrupt guy on earth. He is willing to do anything for son Honey (Shiney Ahuja – yes Shiney Ahuja!!). Honey loves Ranjana!!
The chaos of gun shots and killings, one liners and crude jokes take you to the desert and you have some take at humour that robs the film of what little sanity it had hitherto garnered. The film maker has a very unapologetic take on humour and entertainment. Take it or leave it. Do not analyse it. The dark sofas, huge chandeliers, turns up an overkill of Dubai and wealth. You have actors like Ranjeet walk in and out of the script. You have Mushtaq Khan wasted yet again, as is with Rajpal Yadav.
Nana Patekar is far more sober than you expect. He obviously and repeatedly tells himself: control, control. Anil Kapoor is his usual self – trying visibly hard to get into the skin of his outing. You don’t talk of his dress sense. It is clearly designed to be loud. Wonder if he and Nana Patekar could have prevailed on the film maker to avoid the burial ground episode. At least the Editor (Steven Bernard) should have put his foot down. Naseer is woefully out of touch. Not a moment of the famous halo is out there to see. He hams. Paresh Rawal is his usual good self.
A very noisy chaotic welcome. Avoidable.
Rating : two stars
+ one liners and Paresh Rawal
– Crass and too long.

L. Ravichander.

N.B.: Who told Dimple that Maharanis wear horrendous pinks?