Movie Review - Welcome Back - Sets The Stage For Third In The Series With Anil-Nana-Paresh

Rating: ***

When it comes to multistarrer family entertainers, writer-director Anees Bazmee certainly knows how to handle a film. He has shown that earlier in Welcome, No Entry and Singh Is Kiing. Yes, he did falter in No Problem, but now with Welcome Back, he more than makes up for it. So out goes any melodrama or boring scenes, and in comes fast paced entertainment where there is something happening every 10 minutes. Yes, not all scenes may be consistently interesting. But no one can accuse Welcome Back of being boring. In the times when even that is a privilege than a core expectation, it is a big deal indeed.

This means that in true Manmohan Desai School of filmmaking, one scene transitions quickly to another and before you realise what was that all about, you move in to the next. You may have been entertained thoroughly in one scene and may have just smiled through in the next but never once do you get a moment where your attention is diverted to checking your cellphone. The very fact that Anees Bazmee manages that and that too for a duration of over two and a half hours is not an easy task. However, his team of writers give him good ammunition and that is offloaded further to his actors to make merry.

Talking about the actors, Welcome Back steps into the familiar territory and it helps that Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar and  Paresh Rawal are in great form all over again. Even more assured as Majnu bhai, Uday Shetty and Dr. Ghunghroo, they pick up their bitter sweet relationship from Welcome and take it well into the sequel. Together, the trio is a riot all over again and that's something which compensates well for Akshay Kumar's absence. Yes, John Abraham does step in as an integral part of the affair and the confusion element around his love story with Shruti Haasan is pretty much an offshoot of what Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif had gone through in Welcome. However, that part of the story takes a turn for good in the sequel as unlike first in the series, it is the hero who puts things in his favour at the interval point.

This is where it is particularly enjoyable to see Naseeruddin Shah come into the picture as Wanted bhai. Unlike the caricature that Firoz Khan had turned out as RDX in Welcome, Naseeruddin Shah has a much bigger and better role to play in the scheme of things here. Oh yes, he hams and does that big time but in the context of the film, it is actually quite entertaining. Also, his oft repeated line 'bhai, mazaak hai' would be picked up by the kids.

As for the oomph factor, it is taken care of by newcomer Ankita Srivastava who actually has a bigger part in the film when compared to Shruti Haasan. She is integral to the plot, acts well in tandem with Dimple Kapadia, looks good and wears some glamorous outfits that make for a fitting debut in a film that features so many veteran actors. Rest of the supporting cast, most of which returns from Welcome, fits in well too.

While the film manages a pacy narrative right through, the only point where one feels a little restless is the Mumbai portion in the middle of the first half. With so much action happening in Dubai, one just wishes John and Shruti to pack their bags pronto and join Anil and Nana. Also, too many songs cram up the scene though it has to be added that most of them are picturized on a lavish scale. As a matter of fact grandeur is pretty much visible right through the film and for that credit must go to producer Firoz Nadiadwala who never lost his conviction in the film despite its making taking two years. Whether it is indoors or outdoors, every scene makes for a lavish big screen outing.

While that by itself is a good enough reason to give the film a dekko in theaters instead of pirated copies or downloads, the graveyard sequence, the one featuring Rajpal Yadav (as PK with the transistor) as well as the grand climax in the desert with choppers and hummers in true Nadiadwala style (never mind some avoidable VFX!) coupled with the return of Anil-Nana-Paresh are reasons good enough to watch Welcome Back.

Rest assured, the trio has made this franchise their own and third in the series would most certainly be made.

Welcome Again?