I’ve been a fan of comedy movies for years. Movies like Hera Pheri, Munna Bhai, and even the early Housefull films had that perfect balance of wit and slapstick. That’s why my experience walking into Housefull 5 was so unsettling.

I wasn’t just watching a comedy rather, it felt like I had entered a circus, which is loud, chaotic, and missing that spark that once made me laugh for all the right reasons.

Watch the trailer here:

The film boasts an ensemble cast that includes Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Shreyas Talpade, Nana Patekar, Jackie Shroff, Dino Morea, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Sonam Bajwa, Chunky Pandey, and Johnny Lever. But none of them could save the sinking ship.

From the start, Housefull 5 showcased everything over the top. Housefull 5 opened with a gruesome murder committed by a masked killer on a cruise ship that has set sail to celebrate the 100th birthday of the UK's seventh richest business tycoon. But the ship quickly derailed and could never found the shore quite literally. The plot became extremely dragged. The humour feels forced with dialogues, the ensemble cast hustles through gag after gag, and two alternate endings feel more like gimmicks than twists.

I found myself scanning the screenplay for witty lines or sharp timing, only to find that the jokes were grounded in double-meaning puns rather than comedy made with heart.

Scrolling through social media after the show, I wasn’t alone in this. One X user I came across nailed exactly what I felt:

Big budget, big stars, big banners, but all surrounded by double meaning comedy, eye candy actresses, no story, no baseline #Housefull5 disappointed.

Another user commented on Reddit:

What torture… flicked with too many double meaning jokes… movie doesn’t seem worth a watch.

That shared frustration hit hard. If you go in expecting comedy, then don't! All you will get is disappointment and boredom.

But here’s the odd thing! At the box office, this chaotic noise turned out to be music. Housefull 5 raked in close to ₹ 55 crore net in just two days and crossed ₹ 110 crore by Day 6. For me, this portrays the power of fandom because the franchise’s brand is so strong that even when the laughs fall flat, audiences still show up.

Akshay Kumar even made surprise theatre visits after the opening, jokingly inviting viewers by saying:

Catch the director if you didn’t like any scene.

That cheeky charm, while entertaining, couldn’t change the fact that the core of the film, which is comedy, still felt stale.

Yet here’s what really bothers me as a comedy lover is quality of laughs matters. A joke needs to land, not just be loud. A gag needs to surprise, not just be overplayed. Women characters are given enough space to play their part instead of just objectifying them. Housefull 5 dismisses all that.

So, did I have fun? At times, scattered smirks popped up during the more absurd scenes. But real laughter that lingers even after your jaws hurt? No. I walked out feeling like I had been part of a carnival act which is colourful, excessively loud, a little dizzy but ultimately empty. For me, Housefull 5 has officially crossed the line from comedy to circus, and not in a good way.

If your idea of comedy is spectacle and you’re okay with the script taking a backseat, you might give it a watch. But if you’re a fan of comedy crafted with care, where jokes land, characters matter, and wit entertains, this one’s not worth your time. I came for smart laughs and ended up at a circus. I left craving the real deal. As fans of this franchise, we deserved far better than what we were served!

What's your take on Housefull 5? Let us know in the comments!

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