Double Dhamaal

Double Dhamal is a sustained gag riot that has you rolling in the aisles. The style is Mel Brooks, and the plot, non-existent. The four jokers from the first edition work on their nemesis, Inspector Kabir. He is now ex-Inspector Kabir (Dutt) and is in business with a shapely wife (Mallika) who wraps him round her little finger. The gang is determined to be accepted as ‘business partners’ by the couple and to freeload on them for the rest of their lives.

They start with a spot of blackmail, accelerate with fraud and move on to wild and wacky impersonations to slime their way into easy money. En route, a non-stop parody of Hindi film dialogue, several imitations of star mannerisms, mad impressions of iconic movie characters and a  mockery of well-known lyrics keep you entertained. Indra Kumar pokes fun at the movie industry here—not half as cleverly as Brooks satirised Hollywood in films like Silent Movie, but like him, using primarily visual gags.

The difference is in the pacing. Double Dhamaal does not pause for breath, rumination or reflection. There is not a single engaging thought in the film and the humour is anything but cerebral. The four buffoons (Ritesh Deshmukh, Warsi, Javed Jaffrey and Chaudhary) use mime, voice, costume, make-up and props for the comedy, and race you through a marathon of stunts, most of them corny, but some of them genuinely funny.

The laughing would exhaust you but for reprieve from the ladies. Kangana Ranaut as Kabir’s sister, Kiya, is lovely and shows excellent comic timing. With recent films like Once Upon a Time in Mumbai and Tanu Weds Manu, she is developing a winning screen persona for herself. The other relief for your funny bone is Sherawat.  Her Jalebi Bai number is hot. Double Dhamaal is not a great movie, but you get your money’s worth.