Hungama

Anjali is a young woman looking for work who moves into a house as a tenant. Nandu wants to be a musician and lives in the same building. The two of them being in the same place at the same time builds a completely different story in the head of the landlord, Radheshyam Tiwari. There is also a faked kidnapping, a lost bag, and a businessman misrepresenting who he is. The misunderstanding grows; every character believes another story and they all gather in the same house. Priyadarshan directs. Akshaye Khanna, Aftab Shivdasani, Rimi Sen and Paresh Rawal are in the cast. It is an Indian production. Priyadarshan had filmed this story before in Malayalam; the film is a remake of that production. The matter it treats is a misunderstanding feeding itself; nobody stops to ask a question. The film uses the classic farce structure, built on entrances, doors and timing. The landlord played by Paresh Rawal carries the film and most of the comedy comes from him. The narrative gets thoroughly crowded in the second half and the plot goes out of control, which the film intends. The songs interrupt the story and add little to it. The film did well in India and a sequel was made years later. The ending resolves every misunderstanding in one scene. Its limit is the humour; the jokes rest on shouting, the pace is tiring, and some passages repeat. Who it is for: viewers who like Indian farce and comedies of mistaken identity. Who it is not for: it is loud, long, and the ending simple.