It's fun to write a review after weeks of the release of a movie. I don't worry about including spoilers. Those who care would have already watched it and the rest don't anyway care. Also, I know my writing is not biased by the sudden rush of emotions I was submerged into while coming out of the theater.
Mubarakan was one such accident which happened to me last weekend, which I am still trying to forget. I was left confused whether I should laugh or cry. Whether to feel sorry for the veterans who were part of the phenomenon or feel sorry for myself who spent a precious Saturday evening.
It felt like a been there, done that kind of experience. The plot is a mix of Bazmee's old movies and Priyadarshan's ensemble outings.
I have never been a fan of Arjun Kapoor, and a double dose became a little too much. It seemed to me that he is the Dhinchaak Pooja of the acting world. None likes him, he is irritating, still he keeps making movies and earn money. The last time I liked him was probably in the AIB roast.
And out of the three girls, I feel really sorry for Neha Sharma. The pretty lass could act a bit, but her half-baked character was completely sidelined with no logical sequences in her scenes. Illeana hams so much and counterbalances the beauty she is. I don't think she can claim anything apart from the Hawa Hawa song in the movie. And, for God's sake why would anyone cast Athiya Shetty. This skinny skeleton seems to be tailor-made for modelling and not for acting. Every time she says Babaji in the movie, it sounds like her dad saying 'Babu Bhaiya' !
Well, it is the veterans who make the movie watchable. Ratna Pathak Shah and Pawan Malhotra are perfect as estranged siblings with their ego bigger than the height of the Big Ben. Mr Bazmee could have given meatier dialogues to them than those given to the junior Kapoor. However, it is the senior Kapoor who carries the movie on his shoulders pretty much alone. At time, he creates a fool out of himself. However, he is still watchable.
In the end, it seemed like a family reunion when Sanjay Kapoor joins as the ghost brother, with the 'angels' parading in the background reminding me of Taher Shah.
The movie had its moments and at times it induced intentional and unintentional laughs. The music is average rated - peppy but forgettable. Probably a better casting of the lead, maybe Varun Dhavan, would have made it more enjoyable. I would rate it with two and half stars.
