Golmaal Returns

The sequel to the successful Golmaal is filled with in-house jokes - for instance when Ajay Devgan weaves the titles of his films into the dialogues. Or the hilarious takeoff by that talented Ashwini Kalsekar on Rani Mukerji`s randy tart`s act from Sanjay Bhansali`s Saawariya... it`s a rare moment of genuine laughter in this comedy of earsplitting guffaws, all emanating from the screen rather than out of it.

Fast, furious and fatuous Golmaal Returns isn`t quite that Diwali blues-chaser you expect it to be. The comic timing, though skilled, is wasted by the actors in sequences that try to breathe fire into a burnt-out oven.

No wonder the comicality is half-baked and often repetitive. The jokes from the first film are extended to the second, often with far-from-funny results. Many large sections of satire just lack attractive attire.

What was Kareena Kapoor doing in this corny concoction? Playing a fan of the saas-bahu serials, she`s named Ekta, as a homage to the soap queen Ekta Kapoor whose brother incidentally plays Kareena`s brother in the movie.

Tusshar Kapoor is a howl. And a whine. And a whoop. And a snivel. Since he is mute, he sharpens his ability to emote through jungle calls. He`s a revelation.

The camaraderie among the cast is quite evident. The male actors bond with gusto and Shreyas Talpade, who is the new recruit to the revelry, joins in without skipping a beat. His comic timing is delightfully sinewy.

But what happened to Arshad Warsi? His quick entry and exit as cop begins to get on the nerves after a while.

But Tusshar and Shreyas whip up a wacky humour. Most of the material about a suspicious wife and several red herrings strewn across a path that`s self-consciously forged on the grounds of Hyderabad`s Ramoji Film City is very old-fashioned in its approach to slapstick humour. Crowds hover around studio-built malls and streets trying to look casual.

They provide a rough and random backdrop to what`s basically material for a sex comedy on stage.

The characters run in breathlessly, say their jokey lines, fall over each other in rituals of suggestive laughter and then fall out of the frames waiting for the next gag to beckon them. It`s all supposed to be hilariously funny. But is often just a pretext for more a pantomime of parody than the real thing.

At the end there`s a threat for a third segment of Golmaal.

It would all depend on how much money the part two manages to bring in.

Going by the audiences` riotous response, it seems no-brainers are eminently fashionable.

The Romance returns: Gopal is married to Ekta. She loves her husband but doesn`t trust him. Ekta`s brother Lucky is dump and he is loves Daisy, who doesn`t know that he can`t speak. ACP Madhav Ghai is in love with Gopal`s sister Esha. However Gopal and the ACP hate each other. Then there is Laxman Prasad Apte who is in love with Mira but will not be accepted by her family till he gets a job.

The Drama returns: A body is found at Blue Cross Street. And Gopal is the prime suspect for the murder, because he was heard treating to kill Subodha Mehra (the victim) because of his interfering ways. Although innocent, Gopal, is hard pressed for an alibi on the night of the murder. That night, he had saved a damsel in distress from a few goons. Both their cars were damaged in the flight and they had no option but to spend the night on a friend`s vacant yacht. Unless Gopal finds the girl, he cannot prove his innocence.

The Fun returns: As luck would have it, the inspector investigating the murder, ACP Madhav Singh Ghai, is Gopal`s archenemy. Gopal insulted him when he came to investigate a drug smuggling charge at Golden Fisheries, the company where both Gopal and the victim used to work. Now Gopal has two problems. Explaining to his very suspicious wife Ekta where he spent the night and explainig to the police that he is innocent. Meanwhile a jobless Laxman Prasad Apte requests Gopal to give him Subodh Mehra`s now vacant post. Gopal agrees to give him the job on one condition that he pretends to be Antony  Gonzales

Golmaal  Hai Bhai Sab Golmaal Hai.... While all this is happening Gopal`s brother -in-law Lucky is trying to helpGopal who he knows is innocent. No body knows who Anthony Gonzales is. And there is still no sign of the girl Gopal saved on the night of the murder. ACP Madhav is kicked that Gopal has managed to get him self into a mess that stinks to high heaven.