After ‘Himmatwala’ proved to be a box office disaster, if Sajid Khan meant to silence all his critics with ‘Humshakals’, he has surely managed to do that. The film had such a mind-numbing effect on my senses that I am finding it hard to come-up with a nuanced critique.
I understand that a movie like this one expects you to suspend logic and embark on an irrationally insane journey with the filmmakers. But the least expectation that you have from a film that promises to be a laughter riot is that every once in a while it will tickle your funny bone. However, there is no fun to be had here.
In fact, most of the gags fall flat like the PJs Ashok(Saif Ali Khan) relentlessly cracks in the film. More than once, I felt like pleading for a reprieve from the onslaught of humorless antics that the lead cast was up to, much like the other characters ask Ashok to spare them from his weekly dose of insufferable stand-up comedy.
Sajid Khan tries to pack in as many absurdities as possible – a serum that causes chromosomal alteration inducing dog-like behavior in humans, replication of facial molecular structure that can completely transform an individual’s appearance, a third stage OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) patient who goes crazy when anyone sneezes, cocaine and vodka parathas and other such inane situations. But none, of them are remotely funny.
For a film that aspires to be the comedy of the year, there isn’t much you can say about the cast’s comic timing. Satish Shah’s acting and Riteish Deshmukh’s mimicry make for some genuine laughs but that’s about it.
The heroes look good, for the most part(except, where they’re pretending to be dogs or are dressed as women waitresses) and our heroines are eye-candies like in the other films our director has made. And this is why he deserves this one star – he manages to convince big stars to take-up such flimsy plots all the time.
The best part of the film was when the end credits rolled – not only had I survived another Sajid Khan film but the behind-the-scenes videos made for a fun watch. Though I am still wondering why the cast was in splits every now and then, it most definitely couldn’t have been the script or the dialogues.