Humshakals Review

If you have opted to watch Sajid Khan’s Humshakals, you should know what you are getting into. It’s a Sajid Khan comedy that starts with ‘H’ and it is supposed to be filled with slapstick, illogical, in-your-face humour. You certainly don’t expect intelligent jokes and classy gags. The makers have already said that Humshakals is a nod to the Kishore Kumar and Jim Carrey brand of humour. So even if we were to take the films of these stalwarts as a standard for excellence, does Humshakals hold up? Let’s dissect.

Story: Ashok Singhania (Saif Ali Khan) is supposed to be the inheritor of a big empire in London but harbours a dream to be a stand up comedian instead. His best pal Kumar (Ritesh) is always beside him. However, Ashok’s Mamaji KANS (Ram Kapoor) hatches a plan to prove that both Ashok and Kumar are mentally ill. They end up going to a mental asylum. However, it is found out that Ashok and Kumar have evil dopplegangers in the mental asylum who are supposed to take up the places of the real Ashok and Kumar. It is also revealed to us there’s a third set of dopplegangers. And we are also made to believe that even Mamaji has two more dopplegangers. If that wasn’t confusing enough, we also have the three actresses in the film whose only job is to sing and dance, and to be a part of the planning and plotting commission.

Humshakals Review: While logic and story are not the mainstays of a Sajid Khan comedy, the dialogues and gags are certainly supposed to make the film infinitely funnier and better. However, Humshakals falls bad on its face because while watching the film it feels like the gags and dialogues were conjured up in the sets. After a bit of digging, I find out that Sajid and Ritesh recently joked about Humshakals not having a bound script. Little did anyone know that they were not even joking about it. The funny moments are few and far in between.

Humshakals Movie Review

If there’s anything which is of high standard in Humshakals, it is the technical aspects. The cinematography is stylish and makes Humshakals look grand. The sets and production design create a royal feel. The editing is lax. The music does not create much of an impact even though Sajid Khan has mentioned that Humshakals has the strongest music for any of his films.

Acting: The lead star of the film is Saif Ali Khan. But his performance doesn’t drive up confidence. If at all it makes the film worse because throughout the length of the film you can’t help but feel the uneasiness of the otherwise classy star. He feels misplaced and miscast, in a role that only Akshay Kumar would have done justice to. Very few actors in the industry can pull off lead characters in slapstick comedies. However, a mainstay in Sajid’s films Ritesh Deshmukh does well and enacts his roles with ease and humour. Ram Kapoor also hits the high notes with his rip-roaring comic performances. He is a revelation. Satish Shah does alright in his role. The three leading ladies don’t get much to do with Bipasha Basu shining amongst the trio. Esha Gupta and Tammanah Bhatia are awful.

Conclusion: Humshakals is annoyingly average and does not rise above the already low expectations. The lead actor is miscast in his role and cannot carry a slapstick comedy on his shoulders. It would be unfair to blame Humshakals for being illogical because the viewer should go in expecting such tropes. Humshakals is meant to work as a funny film and it is unable to do that wholly. Humshakals has a few funny moments and gags but the jokes fall flat. If you are really in the mood to spend your money on a movie this weekend, then Humshakals should be in your itinerary. If you value your money, resources, time and grey cells then steer clear.

Box Office: Humshakals will probably take an average to above average opening. The family audiences which made Sajid’s first three films such big hits can be expected to return to watch Humshakals.

Positives:

• Some funny moments and gags are really funny
• The sets and cinematography hold up well
• Ritesh and Ram Kapoor are good in their six roles
• The climax, despite its ludicrousness, is funny

Negatives:

• Has to be Saif Ali Khan’s worst performance
• The three leading ladies are disappointing
• The music of Humshakals is below average
• The dialogues are cheesy and not too humourous

Rating: