Review: Entertainment

Cast: Akshay Kumar (Akhil Lokhande), Junior (a Pet Dog – Entertainment), Tamannaah Bhatia (Saakshi), Mithun Chakraborty (Sakshi’s father), Johny Lever (Habibullah), Krushna Abhishek (Jugnoo), Prakash Raj (Karan), Sonu Sood (Arjun), Dalip Tahil (Pannalal Johri), Darshan Jariwala, Snigdha Gupta Mehta, Vrajesh Hirjee, Cameo – Riteish Deshmukh, Shreyas Talpade and Remo D’Souza

Genre: Comedy

Direction: Sajid - Farhad

Production: Tips Industries Limited, Ramesh S Taurani, Jayantilal Gada

Screenplay : Sajid - Farhad

Story: K Subhash

Music: Sachn - Jigar

Editor : Rameshwar S Bhagat

Distribution: Pen Movies

Release Date: 8^th August, 2014

Language: Hindi

Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes

Entertainment, a slapstick comedy by Sajid – Farhad, turns out to be a light entertainer. I could hear people bursting out into laughter inside the theatre and kept on wondering why the movie didn’t excite me enough. In spite of my personal dislike for this genre, let me put across my review without any bias. Can’t deny the fact that the movie’s tone is very light. The titular character of the movie is Entertainment – a dog which was named so since he was the only source of entertainment for his rich-but-lonely master. The title is even justified by one-liners having mention of the Bollywood Personalities, Bollywood Movies’ names and Television Serials / Personalities. Digs at various TV shows viz. Teleshopping of Weight Reduction Capsules, Serials with Family Melodrama are also taken. Emotional connect between human beings and pets, the need to take care of the pets, possessing the virtues of the pets viz. loyalty and courage are also projected. Logic, no room for the same in this movie since this is how, it is meant to be – Mindless Entertainment. This is definitely very much unlike the whole slew of comedy films which we have seen in the recent past. You may enjoy watching this movie, if you like comedy movies.  

The movie begins with Riteish Deshmukh as a host of TV show which is into teleshopping of Jagtap Capsules for miraculous weight reduction and showcases one of the beneficiary as Akhil Lokhande (Akshay Kumar). Akhil is working extra hours / odd jobs viz. dancing, modelling, umpiring for local cricket competition etc. and leaves no stones unturned for earning more so as to take care of his ailing father (Darshan Jariwala) who is hospitalized since one year. Jugnoo (Krushna Abhishek), Akhil’s friend, runs DVD parlour “Mere Paas CineMAA Hai” and he speaks dialogues with inane cross-references to Bollywood movie names, personalities. Jugnoo is completely filmy. Akhil’s romantic interest is soap-opera actress Sakshi (Tamannaah Bhatia). Sakshi’s stingy and greedy father (Mithun Chakraborty) challenges Akhil and tells him to earn atleast a crore to get Sakshi in his life.

Akhil learns that his biological father is Bangkok's Diamond King Pannalal Johri (Dalip Tahil), multi-billionaire. The happiness factor hasn’t even sinked in that a TV news flashes in regard to Pannalal’s death. Akhil flies to Bangkok for Pannalal's funeral and to claim his property. But his dreams get shattered, when he gets further shock from Pannalal’s  Urdu-spouting Manager Habibullah (Johny Lever) that the whole property has been inherited by Entertainment (Junior - a pet dog). An envious and agonized Akhil decides to stay back and compete with the dog to inherit 3000 crores. Akhil along with Jugnoo employs all sorts of wiles to keep Entertainment, the dog, at bay. They try various methods to annihilate Entertainment viz. electric shock, seduction, chloroform, poison etc.   

Villainous siblings Karan-Arjun (Prakash Raj and Sonu Sood), Dabbang 1 and Dabbang 2 villains, second cousins of Pannalal also enter the scene so as to claim the property of Pannalal. What happens thereafter ? Does Akhil keeps fighting with the dog or he starts fighting for the dog against Karan-Arjun? How does the drama unfold?

Undoubtedly the star of the show is Entertainment, the retriever dog. Akshay has done this in the past as well. Krushna is entertaining and is noticeable. Mithun da and Tamannah have less screen time. Johny Lever is good. Prakash Raj and Sonu Sood don’t generate hatred rather they are funny. Dalip Tahil is seen mostly in a framed garlanded portrait.

Screenplay is done in a total filmy style. Bollywood directors, actors, producers, TV shows, producers etc. are part of the dialogues which is mostly delivered by Krushna (Jugnoo). Certain examples: “I Rajni Can’t (Rajnikant) believe it”. Krushna asks Akshay: "Kahan Chale Sonakshi Sinha Taan ke?" Later, when Akshay escapes death, he says “Prabhu Deva ki Mahima Chaudhary thi jo tu bach gaya”. To cheer up gloomy Akshay, Krushana says: "Itna Pankaj Udhas mat ban”. Soap opera actress Tamanna’s one dialogue: “Humari Ekta humein Shobha nahi deti”. 60% of the dialogues are in this flavour. Akshay also has this habit of back answering in a unique form. One example of his conversation with Tamannah:

Tamannah: Mujhe line maaroge?

Akshay: Pencil hum, jo line maarunga?

Tamannah: Mujhse chipkoge?

Akshay: Fevikol hum, jo chipkunga?

Tamannah: Mujhe kiss karoge?

Akshay: Imran Hashmi hum, jo kiss karunga?

There is a scene, where Entertainment and various other dogs, ranging from Bulldogs, Pugs, Alsatians, German Shepherd etc. show up in great numbers and sit together in a luxurious car, is hilarious.

    

Entertainment can be a fun ride for you, if you like this genre. It is a clean movie taking dig at the very ‘Entertainment’ Industry in a light-hearted manner. Warning for those who don’t like comedy genre, this can be absolutely mindless!

Rating: 2.5/5 (Average+)