After watching "Welcome Back'— the sequel to 2007-multistarer 'Welcome', all that crossed my mind is an English idiom mocking Bazmee's recent attempt- 'Camel going to seek horns, lost his ears'.
His 'Welcome' fame fizzles out with 'Welcome Back'.
Welcome Back is a dud- there I said it.
It is an utter nonsense and boring sans Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor. The film has nothing new to offer, just a few changes in the characters with John Abraham, Shruti Hassan and Naseeruddin Shah filling in for Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Feroz Khan respectively.
Underworld 'bhais' (dons) Uday (Nana Patekar) and Majnu (Anil Kapoor) are changed men now, running a decent business in Dubai. Despite at par with the saying 'Bhagwan ka diya huwa saab kuch hai...' (Blessed with everything by god), both dons are still bachelors and desperately looking for someone to get hitched with.
This is where our new girl, Ankita Srivastava, makes the bikini-entry with her mother Maharani played by Dimple Kapadiya—the duo disguised as the Princess and Maharani of Najafgarh. And then the chase for the girl begins, in a similar way the duo chased Mallika Sherawat in the prequel 'Welcome'.
However, in a fresh twist the bhais are introduced to their half-sister, Shruti Hassan, from their third mother, which was unknown earlier. Also, a bomb drops on Dr Ghungroo (Paresh Rawal) as he comes to know about his son Ajju Bhai (John), a gangster in Mumbai, out of his wedlock.
It is hilarious when a fuming Ghungroo says to his wife,'Jab maine chunaav me vote daala hi nahi toh mukhyamantri mera kaise ho gaya?'(How can the chief minister be mine if I have not cast a vote at all in the elections?)
Bhais' intention to tie knot with the new girl is initially thwarted as mother Dimple puts forth a condition— Get a groom for your sister before marrying my daughter—as all the mother-daughter wanted was the bachelor duo's property not heart.
"Dye karne ki umer mein, kamai karne nikle hai", says Dimple when Nana and Anil get into trouble. As the bhais' wedding wishes initially fall apart, they venture out in search of a humble groom. And guess who they end up with?? Well, no points there- none other than Dr Ghungroo!
Literally, this is nothing new. The first half is the repetition of the prequel. Bazmee is least bothered to make any changes in the prequel plot.
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Our high hopes of the sequel after watching the grandeur trailer end up with utter disappointment.
Thanks to one-liners from Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor that make audience laugh now and then, it gives space for 'Welcome Back' to be recognized as a slapstick comedy.
Naseeruddin Shah as 'Wanted Bhai' is oxymoronically unwanted and so is his drug-addict son 'Honey' (Shiney Ahuja). After almost all dialogue deliveries 'Wanted Bhai' says 'mazzak hai bhai, mazzak hai' (It's a joke oh dear, a joke), referring, somewhat, to the movie itself.
A few minutes' scenes in the graveyard and the one with Paresh Rawal threatening Nana-Anil duo is ribs-tickling. John tries his best to fill Akki's absence but falls down time and again. The only thing we definitely notice is his tinsel torso with many abs when he strips.
This is where Nana and Anil rescue the movie with their one-liners. To prove Paresh Rawal's decorousness, Nana says 'Dr Ghungroo ka khaandaan itna sharif hai ki inki ghar ki makhhiyaan bhi sar pe dupatta leke nikalti hain'.
The songs are sketched with 'weird' lyrics and the plot has been uselessly stretched. It is actually the plot that is the real culprit despite a great set of actors—Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal and Dimple Kapadia, who could not help the movie turning out to be a lackluster one.
Twitter: @bipul100