‘Total Dhamaal’ Movie Review: A painfully pedestrian experience that tries your patience

Directed By: Indra Kumar
Produced By: Indra Kumar, Ashok Thakeria
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi
Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes
Bollywood Bubble Rating: 2/5

Throughout most of ‘Total Dhamaal’, its characters are fighting death. Whether it is falling from a cliff or an under construction skyscraper, the characters miraculously stay alive. It’s an insult to your intelligence and the jokes packs no punch. If I had to give the movie a honest name, it would be renamed as ‘Total Torture’.

The movie begins with Ajay Devgn attempting a Rs. 50 crore heist. He succeeds, but loses the money to Manoj Pahwa’s character. After that, through several twists and turns, all the characters get involved in a race to recover the money which is buried in a zoo.

As for the performances, the less said about them, the better. Anil Kapoor, whose comic timing is usually so good, fails to tickle your funny bone because his dialogue delivery is way too loud. Madhuri Dixit seems to have forgotten acting, and Ajay Devgn seems like he is doing every scene after catching a nice nap. Riteish Deshmukh is acceptable, and Javed Jaffrey does give you a few funny moments. Still, a weak script and repetitive plot points fail to save the movie from being painfully pedestrian.

Sometimes, we have seen such bad movies do well at the box office, but I personally think this movie will tank because there were blank faces all around in the theatre. I was constantly checking my clock to see when this ordeal will end and I can escape the theatre (which felt like a torture chamber).

Final verdict:

The makers promised that this movie will help you reduce the stress in your life. It will not. Instead, it’ll make you feel suffocated at the thought that so much valuable money was blown away in making something so inane. Watch it at your own risk.

Watch trailer: