Will Akshay Kumar’s ‘Housefull 3’ mark the end of the slapstick comedy genre?

Slapstick comedy has been a genre that is one of the trickiest as far as mainstream commercial cinema is concerned. One film in this genre that has stood the test of time is Kundan Shah’s cult classic, ‘Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro,’ and it continues to be hilarious and relevant in today’s day and time. Very few filmmakers have the knack to make a slapstick film without either insulting the intellect of the audience, or be outright lame and boring. What is trickier is the fact that one can’t say what the audience will accept or reject. Classic case in point is director Rajkumar Santoshi’s ‘Andaaz Apna Apna’ – it sank without a trace when it released in 1994. Eventually it went on to gain the cult status like ‘JBDY’.

Few directors who have attempted and succeeded in this slapstick genre are David Dhawan, Priyadarshan, and Rohit Shetty. The director who created and almost reinvented this genre with his ‘Housefull’ series, Sajid Khan, is not a part of the franchise anymore – he has been replaced by erstwhile writers, Sajid-Farhad. The reviews for ‘Housefull 3’ are out, and none of the critics (including our own) found it one bit funny. Akshay Kumar has been a part of this franchise, and even he looked bored, almost sleepwalking through his role. Films like ‘Housefull 3’ are usually expected to be disliked by the critics, but the box office numbers have also been gradually taking a dip. Given the fact that the latest ‘Housefull’ is one of the most expensive films of 2016, it needs a massive opening weekend.

It is very likely that Sajid-Farhad’s multi-starrer will find takers, especially the single screen audience who lap up brainless fare like this. The question here is that if ‘Housefull 3’ tanks at the BO, will producers back such films? An even more important question is that do audience want to watch them? Please let us know in the comments if you are looking for more in the ‘Housefull’ franchise.

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