Be forewarned: GRAND MASTI is the most scandalous and outrageous film to come out of Bollywood…
The naughty boys are back! This time around, the MASTI team of Indra Kumar and the flirtatious boys take a flight of stairs, serving no-holds-barred adult humor to patrons. Sure, there have been comedies in the past — clean entertainers and those targeted at adults — but Indra Kumar seems to be the torchbearer of this genre, getting it right in a row [MASTI, DHAMAAL, DOUBLE DHAMAAL]. This time — you may have guessed it by now — it’s much more raunchy, explicit, wicked, zany… and much, much, much more scandalous!
The audience has had its share of adult content in the recent past. Films like DELHI BELLY and KYAA SUPER KOOL HAIN HUM were lapped up in a big way by those who relish this genre. GRAND MASTI arrives after almost a decade of MASTI, hence it’s much more wild now. The very first promo of GRAND MASTI prepared the spectator of what’s in store, but the jhalak was merely the tip of the iceberg. For, Indra Kumar and his team of writers, Milap Zaveri and Tushar Hiranandani, go out of control, delivering adult humor — in terms of visuals as well as double entendres — that’s sure to raise eyebrows.
Three married men, Meet [Vivek Oberoi], Prem [Aftab Shivdasani] and Amar [Riteish Deshmukh], are sexually frustrated in their marriage and decide to go for a college reunion for some no-strings-attached fun. However, the plans go kaput as they land up in a soup.
First things first! The title, GRAND MASTI, is a clear indicator of what to expect from the film. There’s a hidden innuendo in the word ‘Grand’ and if you remove a letter or two, the meaning can have severe ramifications. Although the team that delivered MASTI is back with GRAND MASTI, the new endeavor is by no means a sequel. The title is borrowed, but the plotline is distinctive. What remains similar is the intent of providing over the top humor, with dollops of adult jokes this time. The witticism, one-liners and comic situations — on which GRAND MASTI stands — is indeed insanely funny.
A film like GRAND MASTI isn’t plot-driven. Not at all. And don’t even expect a story here. It’s more about double entendres, [sexual] puns and gags and the writers go bananas to woo the spectator. There’s nothing left for imagination here, nor does it hinge on puerile or kiddish jokes, since the characters indulge in some really naughty play of words. The humor, let me add, may sound provocative, disgusting and offensive, but come on, what are you expecting from a film like GRAND MASTI?
It’s evident that Indra Kumar is at home directing comedies. In fact, his films are not subtle or subdued at all. The director knows his target audience and crams the film with just about everything that would make the hoi polloi grin from ear to ear. The writers, Tushar Hiranandani and Milap Zaveri, inject humor in every situation and the wit catches you by complete surprise [shock] on several occasions. In fact, the film boasts of several funny sequences, which should be a riot with youngsters.
Conversely, the film slips in the post-interval portions. Like I pointed out earlier, it hinges on a skeletal plot and relies on jokes and gags largely. The humor seems forced in the narrative, with the viewer getting fidgety despite the barrage of jokes continuing non-stop. In fact, the second half is not as entertaining as the first, but there’s so much cleavage and skin show, besides jokes, that its target audience — the youth and the masses in general — might overlook it all.
The soundtrack of the film is plain mediocre. Dialogue [Milap Zaveri] requires a really creative mind to come up with such ‘gems’.
The actors go all out to woo the entertainment-seeking viewers. Riteish has mastered the art of making people laugh and the confidence with which he goes about with his character catches your attention. Vivek is wonderful, shedding his gangster/negative on-screen image and enjoying the fun. Aftab is absolutely in sync with what his character demands. He’s loosened up quite a bit and the comic scenes bear testimony to the fact.
Sonalee Kulkarni [opp Riteish], Manjari Fadnis [opp Aftab] and Karishma Tanna [opp Vivek], the three wives, are appropriate. Maryam Zakaria [as Rose], Bruna Abdullah [as Mary] and Kainaat Arora [as Marlow] add a lot of glamour to the proceedings. Pradeep Rawat is effectual. Suresh Menon is very funny. Oh, by the way, there’s a cat and a crow to add to the amusement.
On the whole, GRAND MASTI crosses all limits and boundaries vis-a-vis adult humor. This one’s *strictly* for those who relish naughty jokes, outrageous lines and scandalous visuals.
Tags: Aftab Shivdasani Bruna Abdalah Grand Masti Indra Kumar Manjari Fadnis Maryam Zakaria Reviews Riteish Deshmukh Taran Adarsh Uncensored Vivek Oberoi
Horror Story Movie Review By Taran Adarsh
Vikram Bhatt’s filmography reads a fascinating mix of thrillers and horror fares. As a matter of fact, the maverick filmmaker has delivered several blood curdling, spine chilling horror films that have also worked with those who savor and relish this genre. This week, Vikram serves yet another spooky fare to the spectators - HORROR STORY.
Unlike Vikram’s previous endeavours, HORROR STORY doesn’t have space for romance, skin show and songs. Consequently, and rightly so, the run time is limited to a sharp 1.30 hours, so that the viewer stays focussed. The motive is to create a hardcore scarefest, focusing on seven youngsters and a haunted hotel. Perfect recipe for a horror film, indeed. But does HORROR STORY live up to its title and offer sufficient chills and thrills, let’s find out…
Paranormal phenomenon has a mix of believers and nonbelievers, as were these seven youngsters. They were friends from their school/college days and were meeting after many years to celebrate. One of them was leaving to pursue his goal and career abroad. The night of their reunion was supposed to be a farewell party, however it turned out to be something else.
A chance news announcement on the telly that was playing at the pub caught their attention which soon resulted in a drunken debate and before they knew it, they were gatecrashing into a hotel that was believed to be haunted. Their objective was to have some fun. Little did they know that this would turn out to be the most horrendous night of their life… rather, the last night of their life!
One fateful night. A haunted hotel. A ghost. Seven youngsters who don’t believe in the paranormal… Director Ayush Raina chooses the desirable ingredients to create a ghostly environ, but the true test lies in frightening the spectator with spine chilling moments. Several Hollywood fares have redefined the genre and the bar for horror films has been upped for this reason. HORROR STORY follows the set pattern, promising to give the audience goosebumps and an edge of the seat experience. Besides, by doing away with the mandatory song and dance routine, Ayush remains firmly focused on the subject material.
The film abounds in scares, shocks and screams, with the viewer clenching his teeth and sticking to the seat at several sequences. There are moments when you are truly terrified thanks to the scary mood and lighting, while the sound plays an integral part in startling the spectator in certain sequences. But what ails most horror films troubles HORROR STORY as well. The ghost goes on a killing spree for no valid reason whatsoever. Also, the re-emergence of the hotel owner in the climax, who had committed suicide, seems abrupt. I mean, if he was so concerned about saving the lives of the innocent, why didn’t he emerge earlier? The minor hiccups notwithstanding, you go with the flow because you get your share of chills and thrills right till the final act. Besides, like I pointed at the outset, the director and the team of writers stay true to the genre of providing a scarefest in those 1.30 hours, which needs to be appreciated.
The background music hits the high notes on varied occasions. Perhaps, it’s premeditated since after an eerie silence, a high-pitched musical note would only startle the spectator, thus enhancing the scare quotient. Cinematography is just perfect. In fact, the lighting of a few sequences, especially the pitch dark ones, deserves mention. The visual effects are appropriate.
The director experiments with new faces in HORROR STORY, since the plot doesn’t demand ‘stars’ or actors who carry the baggage of an image. Yet, there’s not much scope for the new talent to display histrionics here. Karan Kundra [as Neil] is efficient. Ravish Desai [as Mangesh] gets limited scope. Hassan Zaidi [as Samrat] is confident. Nishant Malkani [as Achint] gets his role spot on. Nandini Vaid [as Soniya] is alright. Aparna Bajpai [as Maggie] is perfect. Radhika Menon [as Neena] gets the meatiest role of the lot and does a fine job.
On the whole, HORROR STORY should be liked by horror film buffs and those who relish this genre. Most importantly, it lives up to its promise of providing chills and thrills in those crisp 1.30 hours, which should work with its target audience. Additionally, the low costs should ensure decent profits at the end of the day and help create a franchise in times to come.
Rating: 3.5/5
https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/moviemicro/criticreview/id/604237
Grand Masti Public Reviews
Just waiting to watch Grand Masti. I love Aftab Shivdasani. Wonder why he is not doing more movies. He is hilarious and also a great looker. Vivek Oberoi is always watchable in gangster role it will be interesting to see what he does in this movie. Ritesh is wonderful at comedy too. Three guys and their girls and all their Masti. So looking forward to it, desparately..
Grand Masti Movie Review by Rajeev Masand
You don’t go in to watch a sex comedy and come out complaining that it’s got too many dirty jokes. That’s like going to the beach and grumbling about the sand. Grand Masti, directed by Indra Kumar, is a smutty movie. And far from being embarrassed or apologetic about this, everyone involved wears it like a badge of honor.
Working around the same premise as 2004’s Masti, in which three friends decide to get some action on the side when they’re tired of begging their preoccupied wives, the sequel sees married desperados Meet (Vivek Oberoi), Amar (Ritesh Deshmukh) and Prem (Aftab Shivdasani) hit their college reunion to relieve their pent-up sexual frustrations. The difference between both films is that the earlier one banked on naughty sexual innuendo to inspire laughs, while this one is packed with vulgar sight gags. In fact, the humor in Grand Masti is relentlessly crude…there are so many close-ups of erections and cleavage that it stops being funny after a while.
Occasionally, you’ll find a clever line sandwiched between the lame jokes. Complaining that his wife Tulsi (Manjari Fadnis) never has time to satisfy him in the sack because she’s always attending to his demanding family, Aftab says: “Meri Tulsi mujhe chhodke poore aangan ki hai.” Another time, referring to Rose, Mary and Marlowe, the wife, daughter and sister of their college principal, one of our heroes says: “Aapke ghar ki auraton ke naam, naam kam invitation zyaada lagte hain.” My favorite joke in the film is one in which our protagonists run into an old college friend and his wife at an airport, and can’t remember their names. The joke works because it’s cheeky, and because it’s performed with perfect timing by each of the actors, even the secondary ones.
Alas, clever lines are few and far between in this bawdy film that makes repeated references to food items as body parts…nariyal, nimboo, aam and even doodh ki factory. It’s all consistently infantile; the kind of humor we grew out of in college. The gags too are mostly recycled from earlier hits. Jim Carrey’s famous ‘rhino birthing scene’ from Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is plagiarized completely, as is a sequence from Austin Powers in Goldmember involving a character on his fours, a woman searching for something in a bag, and the shadow it casts on a tent. From the same American film, the makers of Grand Masti also borrow a gag centered on a urinating fountain.
As many as six actresses are paired opposite our three heroes, but each is such an unmemorable stereotype, not one leaves an impression, except for all the wrong reasons…or perhaps the right reasons, given the nature of this film. Of the boys – or the men, playing college boys to be fair – Ritesh and Aftab have a natural flair for the funny, while Vivek makes a little too much effort. Credit to all three nevertheless for committing themselves unflinchingly to this puerile film. Such a shame they’re barely challenged.
The sad truth is that Grand Masti revels in making you cringe, not laugh. Adult humor tends to work best when some things are left to your imagination. But the makers of this film force-feed the audience images and dialogues and references so discomfiting, the only laughs you’ll hear are nervous chuckles.
I’m going with one-and-a-half out of five for Grand Masti. It’s vulgar, but too silly to qualify as an ‘adult comedy’.
Rating: 1.5/5
https://www.rajeevmasand.com/reviews/our-films/playing-dirty/