Akshay Kumar’s Housefull 5 generated decent buzz with its teaser, trailer, and songs. Backed by a powerhouse cast of comedy veterans—Riteish Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade, Chunky Pandey, Johnny Lever, and Nana Patekar—the film raised audience expectations sky-high. But the real question is: did Housefull 5 manage to deliver on the hype?
Bollywood often gets flak for launching its franchise films into storylines so bizarre, even science can’t track which meteorite they’ve crash-landed on between parts one and three. Housefull 5 is the fifth installment in this chaotic universe, and by now, expectations were buried so deep that any lower, and we might’ve struck oil under Delhi.
This is perhaps what happens when filmmakers prioritize mindless entertainment over meaningful content. Even with rock-bottom expectations, Housefull 5 still manages to disappoint. If there’s a threshold for audacity, then calling this film a “comedy” isn’t just crossing the line—it’s sprinting several hundred Kilometers past it.
But the real nerve lies in the fact that Housefull 5 has been released in two versions—each supposedly with a different ending. The version we endured was the ‘A’ cut. And after sitting through it, one might actually agree with the makers calling it a “killer comedy”—because it brutally murders comedy in cold blood.
Something like a story…
The chaos of Housefull 5 begins with the death of London’s seventh richest man, Ranjit Dobriyal—a man so wealthy, even his will comes with a plot twist. Ranjit’s empire is managed by a board of directors that includes Chitrangada Singh, Fardeen Khan, and Shreyas Talpade, all of whom expect a generous slice of the inheritance pie. But the will shatters those dreams—every penny is left to Ranjit’s long-lost son, Jolly, who’s mysteriously vanished from the face of the earth.
The catch? If Jolly doesn’t show up, the directors get everything.
Just when greed begins to take root, not one but Three Jollys arrive—played by Ritesh Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, and Akshay Kumar—each claiming to be the rightful heir. Naturally, they don’t arrive alone; their girlfriends tag along, each bringing their own brand of confusion to the circus. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s a murder thrown in too—Ranjit’s doctor is found dead, and now there’s a killer on the loose.
Top 5 things I liked about Housefull 5
-Akshay Kumar the comedian has made a legendary comeback.
-Riteish and Abhishek were like the perfect wingmen, nailing every scene with their spot-on chemistry.
-Jackie and Sanju Baba brought such epic vibes to the story! Their presence… pic.twitter.com/sVBxtajDLH
— Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) June 6, 2025
Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff step in as two down-on-their-luck cops hoping to make a name for themselves by cracking the absurd murder case at the film’s center. Hovering over them is their strict senior, played by Nana Patekar, whose presence adds more fuel to the already blazing fire of confusion. The chaotic concoction that brews after their arrival is what the makers proudly present as Housefull 5.
Adding extra garnish to this messy recipe are Chunky Pandey’s iconic Aakhri Pasta and Johnny Lever’s Batuk Patel—serving as the pickle and papad in this overcooked comedy thali.
House-full but comedy room empty
‘Housefull 5’ tries to blend chaos with crime by throwing in a murder mystery, dubbing itself a “killer comedy.” But if anything’s been killed here, it’s comedy itself. The film leans heavily on crude jokes, exaggerated facial expressions, and absurd character antics that are more annoying than amusing. It’s obvious that the script lacks genuinely funny situations—actors are simply instructed to “do something funny.” Among the chaos, only Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh, both veterans of the genre, manage to deliver occasional laughs. Their timing, expressions, and dialogue carry much of the film’s humor, especially in the first half, where they seem to be the only ones trying to keep the comedy alive.
God forbid any other actor suffers the same fate as Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, and Nana Patekar—three powerhouse performers utterly wasted here. Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, and Sonam Bajwa seem to have been brought in solely for glam outfits and double entendre-laced lines. As for Fardeen Khan, he appears completely out of place—like he mistakenly walked onto the set thinking he was shooting for ‘Race 4’.
At several points, it feels like no one on set had a clue what to do next. Whenever the story stalls, the fallback plan seems to be another round of bizarre antics from one of the actors. The songs are catchy, but they’re stretched out and shown in full—as if the film has nothing else to offer. Even the surprise cameo by a major star at the end fails to leave any impression in this already directionless mess.
The strangest part about ‘Housefull 5’ is that it actually has a credited writer. If anything, the film serves as a bizarre reminder of just how crucial good writing is—because if this is the result with a script, one shudders to imagine what it would’ve looked like without one. It’s a humbling argument for giving writers the respect they deserve. There’s a whole category of films so bizarrely bad that they become unintentionally entertaining. Sadly, Tarun Mansukhani’s direction doesn’t even allow ‘Housefull 5’ to qualify for that guilty-pleasure list.
Overall, if comedy is an art, then ‘Housefull 5’ is more like a chemistry experiment gone wrong. It’s the kind of film where you can shoot reels inside the theatre, catch up on five-year-old unread WhatsApp messages, return missed calls from every long-lost relative, and still have time to read your full yearly horoscope—without missing a single thing on screen. That’s how little the film demands your attention.
Once ‘Housefull 5’ ends, the behind-the-scenes footage shown during the credits turns out to be far more entertaining than the film itself. In fact, after sitting through the movie, you might just develop the stamina to happily watch three hours of its BTS clips without complaint. The first instinct after surviving ‘Housefull 5’ is to revisit the original film—if only to wash away the cinematic sins you’ve just endured.
