Welcome
to
the
crazy,
mad,
funny,
outlandish,
outrageous,
zany
world
of
Welcome,
directed
by
Anees
Bazmee,
who
gave
us
the
rib-tickling
No
entry.
Bazmee
is
a
veteran
when
it
comes
to
leave-your-brains-at-home
comic
capers,
having
penned
and
helmed
non-stop
laughathons
in
the
past.
The
question
is,
does
Welcome
make
you
break
into
guffaws?
The
question
is,
does
Welcome
measure
up
to
the
mammoth
expectations
surrounding
it?
The
question
is,
will
Welcome
be
as
big
a
hit
as
No
entry?
Welcome
follows
the
same
path
as
David
Dhawan
and
Priyadarshan
movies.
The
mantra
is
simple:
Lock
your
brains
at
home,
throw
your
worries
out
of
the
window
for
the
next
2
hours
and
get
ready
to
embrace
a
world
where
logic
and
sense
have
no
place…
In
short,
Welcome
remains
faithful
to
the
genre
from
start
to
end.
Bazmee
borrows
a
bit
from
the
likable
Hugh
Grant
starrer
Mickey
Blue
Eyes
[also
bears
an
uncanny
resemblance
to
Shaadi
Se
Pehle]
and
adds
loads
of
Indian
masala
to
make
the
proceedings
spicy
and
tangy.
Lo
and
behold!
Welcome
succeeds
in
tickling
your
funny
bone
at
most
places.
The
humour
is
basic
and
even
absurd,
but
it
works
well
in
a
film
like
this.
To
cut
a
long
story
short,
Welcome
is
one
of
those
entertainers
that
deliver
what
it
promises:
Funny
sequences,
super
performances
and
loads
and
loads
of
laughter.
Without
doubt,
Welcome
will
be
Welcomed
with
open
arms
by
the
aam
junta!
Uday
Shetty
[Nana
Patekar],
Majnu
[Anil
Kapoor]
and
their
boss,
Sikander
[Feroz
Khan],
are
basically
three
Hong
Kong-based
serio-comic
mobsters,
who
are
keen
to
get
Uday"s
sister
Sanjana
[Katrina
Kaif]
married
into
a
respectable
family.
Uday,
who
accidentally
meets
the
handsome
bachelor
Rajiv
[Akshay
Kumar],
gets
convinced
that
the
latter
would
be
an
appropriate
match
for
Sanjana.
Meanwhile,
Sanjana,
who
is
totally
unaware
of
her
brother"s
plans,
also
meets
Rajiv
separately
and
they
fall
in
love.
She
has
the
acceptance
of
Dr.
Ghunghroo
[Paresh
Rawal],
Rajiv"s
uncle,
who
is
unaware
of
the
fact
that
she
is
Uday"s
sister.
When
Dr.
Ghunghroo
realizes
his
faux
pas,
he
decides
against
the
marriage.
The
entire
plot
takes
a
U-turn
when
a
stunning
bombshell
[Mallika
Sherawat]
arrives
on
the
scene
and
claims
to
be
Rajiv"s
wedded
wife,
which
only
adds
to
the
hullabaloo
and
chaos.
You
realize
you
won"t
need
your
thinking
caps
at
the
very
outset.
Note
the
introductory
sequences
of
Nana
Patekar,
Paresh
Rawal
and
Anil
Kapoor.
They
set
the
mood
of
the
film.
Also,
the
first
hour
has
several
humorous
moments
and
you
enjoy
the
one-liners
that
the
characters
keep
delivering
every
now
and
then.
The
director
makes
sure
to
open
three
more
surprises
in
the
post-interval
hour
--
Feroz
Khan,
Mallika
Sherawat
and
Vijay
Raaz,
who
is
introduced
in
the
first
half,
but
gets
scope
only
in
the
second
half.
The
sequences
between
Nana
and
Mallika
and
also
between
Anil
and
Mallika
are
truly
funny.
Also,
the
marathon
portion
at
the
funeral
is
sure
to
bring
the
house
down.
Of
course,
there"re
loose
ends.
The
pace
dips
in
the
second
hour,
a
few
jokes
seem
repetitive
and
therefore,
don"t
evoke
the
required
mirth.
Also,
the
music
could"ve
been
better.
Only
two
songs
come
easy
on
your
lip
[the
ones
that
are
promoted],
but
the
chartbusting
quality
is
missing.
Bazmee"s
direction
does
justice
to
the
material.
The
director
and
his
team
of
writers
[Rajiv
Kaul,
Praful
Parekh]
don"t
deviate
from
the
core
issue
and
pack
the
script
with
inane
stuff,
but
the
impact
is
so
funny
that
you
break
into
a
hysterical
laughter
at
places.
The
Kaul
and
Parekh
jodi,
known
for
writing
a
number
of
David
Dhawan
and
Indra
Kumar
films
in
the
past,
are
back
in
true
form
after
a
long
time.
As
mentioned
earlier,
the
music
is
a
mixed
bag.
'Uncha
Lamba
Kadh" and
'Tera
Sarafa"
[Anand
Raaj
Anand]
are
the
best
tracks
of
the
enterprise
and
the
choreography
of
these
numbers
take
them
further,
but
the
remaining
songs
are
below
average.
Dialogues
are
laced
with
wit
and
enjoyable,
especially
those
delivered
by
Nana,
Paresh
and
Anil.
Sanjay
F.
Gupta"s
cinematography
is
striking.
The
locales
of
Dubai
and
South
Africa
give
the
film
a
grandiose
look.
The
effects
[especially
in
the
climax
--
the
house
collapse
sequence]
are
tacky.
Although
Welcome
boasts
of
a
formidable
star
cast
and
every
actor
handles
his/her
part
with
effortless
ease,
the
one
who
registers
the
maximum
impact
is
Nana
Patekar.
Nana
is
in
terrific
form,
the
real
scene-stealer.
It"s
a
treat
to
watch
this
accomplished
actor
essay
a
role
that"s
in
stark
contrast
to
the
ones
he"s
known
for
[intense,
hard-hitting
characters].
His
comic
timing
is
fantastic!
Akshay
is
equally
competent.
He
looks
every
inch
the
seedha-saadha
guy,
who
is
torn
between
his
lady
love
on
one
hand
and
the
two
factions
[Paresh
versus
Nana,
Anil&Co.]
on
the
other.
This
film
should
find
a
prominent
place
in
his
repertoire.
Anil
Kapoor
comes
up
with
yet
another
dhamaka.
The
actor
compliments
Nana
beautifully
and
handles
his
role
with
precision.
Paresh
Rawal
is
superb
yet
again.
He
continues
to
make
people
laugh,
even
though
he
has
consistently
starred
in
umpteen
funny
movies.
Although
the
meatier
scenes
are
reserved
for
the
men,
there"s
no
denying
that
Katrina
gives
her
role
the
freshness
that
it
demands.
Also,
she
looks
bewitching.
Mallika
Sherawat
is
electrifying.
Although
she
makes
an
appearance
in
the
second
half,
the
confidence
with
which
she
carries
her
part
is
what
works
in
her
favour.
Feroz
Khan
is
in
form.
Vijay
Raaz
is
first-rate
yet
again.
Supriya
Karnik,
Snehal
Dhabi,
Adi
Irani,
Mushtaq
Khan
and
Sherveer
Vakil
are
adequate.
Suniel
Shetty
is
there
for
a
scene
only;
he"s
okay.
On
the
whole,
Welcome
is
a
fun
ride
all
the
way.
The
tremendous
hype
for
the
film
has
resulted
in
a
tremendous
start
at
the
ticket
window
and
the
5-day
weekend
as
also
the
lack
of
biggies
in
the
subsequent
weeks
will
help
Welcome
reach
the
'Smash
Hit"
status
in
days
to
come.