Mubarakan Movie Review: Anil Kapoor Takes The (Wedding) Cake

Anees Bazmee has been entertaining us with his whacky comedies revolving around hilarious situations about marriage since the 2005 hit movie No Entry and in his lates offering, Bazmee offers us the chacha-bhatija Jodi of Anil Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor for the very first time. But does this combo manage to make the film a hit? Let's find out... Set in Punjab and London, Mubarakan revolves around twins Karan and Charan (Arjun Kapoor), who grew up with the siblings of their deceased father. When the questions of their marriage arises, it leads to a comedy of errors, specially caused by their well-meaning uncle Kartar Singh (Anil Kapoor), whose ideas lead to hilarious misunderstandings. Will Karan and Charan manage to get married to Sweety (Ileana D'Cruz) and Binkle (Athiya Shetty) or will Kartar Singh royally mess this up too? Watch the film to find out... Arjun Kapoor, who made a promising debut with Ishaqzaade, is quite a disappointment in this film. The lad  has just two expressions- the smug look and the dumb look, which he consistently manages to maintain throughout the film, irrespective of the situation. Ileana is charming enough while Athiya doesn't bring anything to the table. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the film rides on the shoulders of two veteran performers- Anil Kapoor and Pavan Malhotra, who plays Charan's stern father. As Kartar Singh, the functional alcoholic uncle, Anil Kapoor is a sheer delight to watch and owns every scene that he is a part of. His screen presence and charm is so powerful that he effortlessly overshadows everyone else once he enters the frame. On his part, Pavan Malhotra, who has mostly played serious and intense roles in the past, delivers a stellar performance as the stern patriarch, whose temper is the cause of many funny situations. Ratna Pathak Shah and Rahul Dev are strictly okay. As for the film itself, Mubarakan may not be as good as Bazmee's No Entry or Welcome, but it does manage to provide wholesome entertainment for the entire family. The comedy is clean, the gags are laughable, the characters are crazy and the plot is well written. Bazmee deserves credit for coming up with yet another whacky plot with misunderstandings galore that will have you chuckling in your seats. Though there are parts, which stretch unnecessarily, you are ready to forgive the makers for it as Anil Kapoor compensates for it with his presence. I have been a big fan of Anil's sense of humour and his comic timing and the Mr. India doesn't disappoint one bit in this film. To use a much-abused phrase, Mubarakan is total 'paisa vasool' fare...