Review: Dhol, a nightmare in the name of comedy

NOT SO FUNNY: Of all the actors in this mangled mess of a film, it's only Rajpal Yadav who gets a few laughs out of you.

ibnlive.com is on mobile now. Read news, watch videos
be a Citizen Journalist. Log on to m.ibnlive.com NOW!

Top Headlines

Top Videos

Most Popular

• FM tunes Budget for taxpayers, mkts face the music 

• Udayan's View: Budget 2009, a game of patience 

• A study in comparison: Education budget up Rs 7K cr 

• Reform hopes dashed, market watchers feel let down  

• I-T exemption limit raised | FBT rolled back | Taxes and you 

• Pranab skips two paras of Budget speech, apologises 

• Bengal benefits, Mamata and Pranab budget for their state 

• Common man gets a treat, over 15 schemes | For women 

• Income tax limits raised; farmers, exporters get sops 

• Health budget up by Rs 4,000 cr, 6 new AIIMS in cities 

• Budget: Pranab's chance to create his own legacy 

• Mayawati's statues face heat from Environment Ministry 

• Budget to focus on social spend, growth 

• Education reform will be for all Indians: Sibal 

• The Budget That Isn't: Cyrus gears up for Budget 

• EVMs are tamper proof, says Election Commission 

• Watch: Railway exams disrupted in Mysore, Banglaore 

• Watch: Maneka writes to PM over threat to Varun's life 

• One-upmanship: Sonia, Pawar in foodgrain politics 

• Actress pens play on gays who helped her find life 

• Pranab focuses on rural India, hikes I-T limit 

• Income tax limits raised; farmers, exporters get sops 

• I-T exemption limit raised 

• Fringe Benefit Tax rolled back 

• Tax structure to be simplified: Mukherjee 

• Buy that big car: SUVs, petrol trucks to cost less 

• MJ was dating his kids' nanny: photographer 

• Life saving drugs, LCDs cheaper; Set-top-box costlier 

• Minimum Rs 30 lakh needed to be called wealthy 

• Defence budget unchanged; Army gets lion's share 

Photogallery

Find us on Facebook | Join IBNLive community

Stay ahead with G-Talk Buddy | Click now!

Cast: Sharman Joshi, Tusshar Kapoor, Kunal Khemu, Rajpal Yadav

Direction: Priyadarshan

Desperate to make some quick cash so they can repay a loan and set up a business of their own, four out-of-work buddies - Sharman Joshi, Tusshar Kapoor, Kunal Khemu and Rajpal Yadav - figure out that the only way they can get rich is if they're able to woo a richie-rich girl into marriage.

As if on cue, Tanushree Dutta moves into the house next door along with her elderly grandparents. Even as they vie for her attention, each trying to outdo the other, our frightfully foolish foursome find themselves inadvertently involved in a mystery of unexplained suicides and believe it or not, a missing drum, thus justifying the title of this mindless movie, Dhol.

Much like director Priyadarshan's last film Bhagam Bhag and to be honest, much like many of his recent films including Chup Chupke, Garam Masala and Hulchul, this one too is a nightmare in the name of comedy.

It's replete with double-meaning dialogues and pavement slang, so much so that you turn away your face in disgust every time they use lines like chaddi mein naag hai and the like.

Once again turning to familiar ground for inspiration, Priyadarshan steals the plot of Dhol from that rib-tickling Malayalam comedy In Harihar Nagar, but what he's unable to bring to his Hindi rip-off is the original film's consistent sense of fun.

Dhol does have its moments, but they're few and far between. For the most part, you're so parched for entertainment, you're willing to laugh at even the handful of slapstick moments this ridiculously complicated film offers up.

What's not funny however, is the loud, over-the-top style of delivering dialogues which seems to have become a trademark of Priyadarshan's films.