Hungama 2 review: Lesser laughs, more drama

2/5

Story:

Radha (Shilpa Shetty) lives with her husband Radhe (Paresh Rawal) who is constantly suspicious of the other men in her life. Radha and Akash (Meezaan) are close to one another and share every detail. When Radhe comes to know about that, he creates chaos in both their lives.

Review:

Hungama is a film that 90s kids have grown to and loved. The film is an effortless comedy. However, the same cannot be said about Hungama 2.

The latest release, featuring Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Meezaan Jaffrey in the lead roles, is an effortless drama. The film is no less than an Ekta Kapoor serial but with lesser jazz.

This time around, Priyadarshan focused on making his film dramatic rather than comic. The funny moments are limited to very few actors like Rajpal Yadav. Actually, he is the only person in the entire film who brings in a fun element. Even the likes of Paresh Rawal, Johnny Lever, Manoj Joshi and Tiku Talsania bring very little to the table in terms of light-hearted entertainment, which original Hungama was known for.

Just like Hungama, Manoj Joshi makes an appearance but his role isn't as powerful as the first instalment. He is also caught up with the drama going on in the family and thus, his skills as an actor get sucked in along with it.

Ashutosh Rana gives his best as an actor but the role of a father and grandfather isn't exactly tailor-made for him. Even if he did try to bring in his acting skills, the script did not allow him to go through his maximum potential.

Johnny Lever appears in a cameo for the first few minutes. He plays the role of a Bengali but tries too hard in terms of his accent. The actor has his moments like an unexpected funny dance but that's about it. He replaces Rajpal Yadav as the pitiful guy who is the victim of a misunderstanding. His character builds up the story ahead, but like mentioned previously, the script isn't exactly the best part of the film because of which the entire movie suffers at every step.

If the script wasn't disappointing enough, we get glimpses of Heyy Babby and De Dhana Dhan (Gale Lag Jaa song) with Meezaan and Pranitha Subhash (who plays Naina in the film) at the centre of it. The film has too many songs, most of which are unnecessary and disturb the storyline. 

Moreover, a few scenes are cut abruptly. Naina is at Akash's house in one moment and meets with a surprise guest the next and there is no justification for the cut whatsoever.

The main leads Meezaan and Shilpa try to give their best to the film but cannot really offer much. Meezaan hogs more screen time than Shilpa but he can barely keep the ship called Hungama 2 sailing solely on his shoulders.

Rajpal Yadav, on the other hand, is awesome as always. His dialogues and acting are on point like is the case with most of his films, including Hungama itself. Even in a brief role, his character is more appealing than everyone combined.

Akshaye Khanna is a pleasant surprise who leaves a powerful impact as a cameo.

Tiku Talsania, who played Popat Seth in the first part, is now seen as a house help. He brings his fun side but it doesn't help bring too many laughs.

Fun fact: This time, Rajpal Yadav plays the role of Popat and is way smarter than Raja from Hungama.

Hungama 2 has an 'almost rape' scene. Akash (Meezaan) loses his patience and forces himself on a woman while justifying his act. What is the reason for Priyadarshan to add such a scene to a film which is supposed to be comic, is a question left unanswered.

The drama in Hungama 2 continues from scene one to the final scene and seldom ends in smiles or laughs, contrary to Hungama or even the original Mohanlal starrer Minnaram, which is a major disappointment.

Verdict:

Go back and watch Hungama or the original story of Hungama 2, Minnaram, in Malayalam, for a better viewing and entertaining experience.