Bollywood gives audiences choices with two versions of the same ending.
Bollywood, never shy of trying something new (even if it’s just old wine in a new bottle), has given us the first-ever Hindi film with two endings: Housefull 5A and Housefull 5B. This is correct; you do not need to spend your money. For the price of one ticket (or two, if you’re brave), you can watch the same movie twice—with only the last 20 minutes changed. The plot? It is a murder mystery set on a cruise ship, where a 99-year-old billionaire named Ranjeet (played by the original Ranjeet, because why not?) dies just before his 100th birthday.
Suddenly, three “Jollys” (Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, and Abhishek Bachchan) show up, each claiming to be the real heir. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s a string of murders, a parade of girlfriends, and a climax where Bobby Deol appears out of nowhere to marry Sonam Bajwa and distribute the inheritance—logic left the cruise at the first port!
With “interactive” storytelling, you are meant to be able to decide the ending.
Yet, the real option is just deciding if you want to watch the same recycled jokes for the second time. This is your golden ticket if you’re a glutton for punishment (or love Akshay Kumar’s wigs). But, after a while, you may feel like Bollywood is joking with its ideas. The only more confusing than the plot is figuring out which version (A or B) is running in your nearest cinema. Even though Version A has made more money at the movies, some might have left before it was over.
When Lip Sync and Acting Are Not Together
There is often a significant gap between actors’ performances and their lines of dialogue.
The dialogue will leave you scratching your head even if you get lost in the story. In other words, try to listen to what they say. Many stars in Housefull 5 try to read their parts from memory and keep making mistakes. Based on the film, only three actors, Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, and Chunky Pandey, can deliver a small joke, leaving their enemies standing. Abhishek Bachchan and the group of pretty women in the movie read their lines from a written script off the screen.
Occasionally, the dubbing is so out of place that you can’t understand how the actors could have known what film they were taking part in.
Sometimes, it’s as if the producers opted to fix up miscues with off-the-wall comments rather than redoing the filming. The result? Talk that doesn’t align with the actors’ movements, unfunny lines that fall flat, and the feeling that every actor wants to get out of there. The real question could be: Who ended the lively dialogue that used to be a part of Bollywood films?
This movie follows a star-powered cast through a shipwreck adventure.
Which characters are part of Housefull 5 Circus?
Since there are 19 actors, let’s go over the cast list, as it might be hard even for the director to keep track of them all:
- Akshay Kumar (Julius/Jolly): The anchor of the franchise, his comic timing is still sharp, but even he can’t save every sinking ship.
- Riteish Deshmukh (Jalabuddin): Another Housefull veteran, he tries his best, but the script gives him little to work with.
- Abhishek Bachchan (Jolly 2): Gets plenty of screen time but not a memorable laugh. Perhaps he didn’t show his comic side in this movie after putting it to good use in Bol Bachchan.
- Shreyas Talpade’s role is impressive early on, but he hardly shows up later. He could have taken a wrong turn while on the cruise.
- Chunky Pandey is back as Aakhri Pasta, offering his funny “so bad it’s good” actions again.
- Johnny Lever joins in when it’s time for laughter, but he’s just as puzzled about what is happening.
- Fardeen Khan (Dev): He is primarily an unnoticeable force in both light novels and anime.
- Chitrangda Singh (Maya): She doesn’t get too much screen time; like most other women in the cast, she is mainly meant to look good whenever she is.
- The actresses Nargis Fakhri, Sonam Bajwa, and Jacqueline Fernandez usually focus on their appearances and occasionally scream to add tension to the story.
- Sanjay Dutt (Bhidu), Jackie Shroff (Baba), Nana Patekar: The trio of bumbling cops who bring some laughs in the second half but primarily serve to remind you of better films they’ve been in.
- Soundarya Sharma and Dino Morea are so quick to show up that you might miss them. She barely has any role in the movie, so she didn’t sign up for it early on.
Character growth is absent in this book. Most of the cast is just there to fill space, deliver a few lines (badly), and pose for the camera. The only thing that puzzles me is why some of the most talented actors got trapped in this mix.
Change Does Not Happen Because Bollywood’s Old Ways Still Make Money
People always value glamour above everything else.
We have to face the trend of Bollywood constantly objectifying the women it depicts. The fifth Housefull movie lives up to the tradition as well. Most female roles are turned into attractive sets that mainly have them wear beautiful outfits, dance to appealing songs, and stand by their male counterparts. Women talk very little, have no notable roles, and primarily exist to act “sexy” during the film.
This situation has been around before. A long history in Indian cinema has drawn a connection between a woman’s importance and her attractiveness to men. The item number is usually required, and the scene focuses lovingly on every aspect of the singer’s body. At the same time, the script mostly calls for the women to act helpless or sexy. Such a structure is popular at the box office but promotes damaging stereotypes and wrong ideas for young audiences.
Why do Bollywood movies keep making these remakes? It works well and provides profits; nobody sees the need to change it. Change will not occur until the “masala” formula remains successful.
If the Story and Script are Taken Too Far
There are too many plot holes, the jokes are repeated, and creativity has left.
This movie doesn’t provide a well-written script or an engaging story. There are many complications involving mistaken identities, a lot of humorous physical gags, and several jokes copied from earlier movies. The murder mystery mainly brings many characters together on the cruise, leading to much trouble. The story’s first half is focused on making everything complex, as girlfriends end up as wives, and everyone hides their true selves. The final part turns into an attempted thriller, but you will only ask yourself if this movie is worth finishing.
Instead of authentic storytelling, the author jokes about dirty comedy, toilets, and innuendos. No effort is made to produce sharp suspense or surprising plots. The game’s endings come across as a cheap trick instead of a creative decision. Things that happen in the show come and go without notice. The writers ended the script early and allowed the actors to act without guidance.
How production houses in Bollywood adopt ‘Chalta Hai’ as their way of thinking
Game creators often deliver games before they are fully developed, causing delays.
From what I can see, Housefull 5 was made without anyone caring about producing a good movie. The film isn’t given much time to develop, the editing is very sloppy, and the primary impression is that this was just something to get done as quickly as possible. Movie production companies in Bollywood often focus on sequels, remakes, and other similar movies, usually without completing the script or making the product better.
Why? If people like the product, they’ll arrange it since the audience is guaranteed. Many flaws may be ignored through star power, stylish songs, and spending a lot on promotion. The outcome is a rom-com that feels empty, has scenes that fail to flow, has talk that’s out of sync, and actors who appear to have little effort. It serves up an incomplete movie that is almost guaranteed to go unnoticed.
Housefull 5 is an excellent case of this kind of movie. The filmmakers did not spend time making the comedy genuine; they just mixed every idea and hoped it would turn out funny. The movie tries to spice things up with two endings but takes no creative risks. The choice of actors is wasted, and the film looks like it was made without thought for a story, making the audience curious as to why they decided to watch.
Conclusion: Housefull 5A & 5B—Twice the Movie, Half the Fun
You’ll find the craziness down-to-earth if you love the Housefull movies. Even today, Akshay Kumar can make you laugh, though you might get bored with the same jokes that keep appearing. For most people, Housefull 5A and 5B show what occurs when Bollywood fails to pay attention to its script, story, or basic sense.
Having two endings sounds intriguing at first, but watching the film with them causes more confusion and less enjoyment. None of the actors are used properly, the women are treated like objects, and the poor delivery of the lines makes you think the dialogues were done by AI. In the future, Bollywood can focus on crafting much better scripts.
Despite that, Housefull 5 clarifies that less comedy is sometimes better. Enjoying two movies back-to-back can result in a headache more than once.
Also Read: From Goddesses to Accessories: Indian Cinema’s Masterclass in Making Women Disappear
You can connect with DNN24 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
