ENTERTAINMENT

Tips Industries Ltd. and PEN India Pvt. Ltd.’s Entertainment (UA) is the story of a young man whose father has died after bequeathing all his property and assets to his pet dog.

Akhil Lokhande (Akshay Kumar) struggles to make two ends meet and also has a father (Darshan Jariwala) to tend for. Suddenly, one day, Akhil is told by his father that he is not his biological father. Akhil plans to meet his biological father (Dalip Tahhil) in Bangkok but gets the news that his father has just breathed his last.

Akhil, nevertheless, goes to Bangkok and is soon joined by his bosom pal (Krushna Abhishek). To his horror, he finds out that before dying, his multi-millionaire father had willed his entire property to his pet dog, Entertainment (Junior). Akhil now struggles to have the dog killed so that he can convince his dad’s lawyer, Abdullah (Johny Lever), to transfer all the properties and businesses in his name as he is the only surviving heir.

Even as Akhil and his friend are trying to kill Entertainment, they rea­lise that Entertainment is fond of them. Why, Entertainment actually ends up saving Akhil’s life at the very place Akhil and his friend wanted to eliminate Entertainment.

Akhil now becomes friends with Entertainment. Soon, Karan (Prakash Raj) and Arjun (Sonu Sood), who are relatives of Akhil’s late father and who had been serving time in jail, are released. They come to stake their claim in the property. But Akhil, his friend, dog Entertainment and Abdullah do all under their control to not let Karan and Arjun usurp the property.

Does Akhil Lokhande succeed in his mission to oust Karan and Arjun from his father’s palatial mansion? Or do Karan and Arjun prove to be one-up on Akhil?

K. Subhash’s story may not be high on logic but it is, nevertheless, entertaining even if it is very implausible. The whole concept of a dog inheriting property worth crores and crores of rupees, from his master is quite unusual and unpalatable. However, Farhad-Sajid have written an interesting and entertaining screenplay to complement the story. Again, the screenplay goes to ridiculous levels to keep the audience smiling and laughing and because it succeeds in creating fun and laughter, the masses and family audiences will not really mind the ridiculousness of it all. Yes, a size­ able section of the audience will smirk at the proceedings but even that section will enjoy some of the jokes. The writers have tried to infuse a dash of emotions and that will go down well with the audience. Here, special mention must be made of Akhil’s friend who speaks only by referring to names of actors and celebrities to convey his thoughts. The outcome is hilarious! Also, Akhil questioning people about their professions is an entertaining track. Similarly, the track of Abdullah is very funny. In short, several scenes will have the audience in splits because they are so comical! On the other hand, there are some dull moments too, when the scenes appear to have been stretched too much. But the boredom doesn’t last too long for the audience. Climax is entertaining though predictable. Farhad-Sajid have penned excellent dialogues which increase the entertainment value of the drama. In fact, the dialogues are better than the screenplay!

Akshay Kumar does a fine job as Akhil Lokhande. He plays to the gallery and evokes laughter at a number of places. Tamannaah Bhatia is fair. She gets limited scope but does what is required of her. Krushna Abhishek brings the house down with laughter with his crazy dialogues and acting. He is a highlight of the film. Johny Lever is first-rate as the lawyer of Akhil’s dad. He raises laughter at many places. Prakash Raj is terrific as Karan. In the role of Arjun, Sonu Sood is effective. The use of the ‘Yeh bandhan toh pyar ka bandhan hai’ song in the background whenever there is a burst of emotions between Karan and his step-brother, Arjun, is wonderful. Junior, the wonder dog, is cute, endearing and expressive. Mithun Chakraborty is outstanding in a special appearance. Dalip Tahhil is alright. Vrajesh Hirjee makes his mark in a bit role. Ritesh Deshmukh makes his presence amply felt in a guest appearance. Darshan Jariwala, in a brief role, contributes in making the viewers smile and laugh. Shreyas Talpade is alright in a tiny special appearance. Hiten Tejwani is natural in a small special appearance.

Directors Farhad-Sajid have made quite a laugh riot but having said that, it must be added that the drama remains implausible. Considering that this is the duo’s first attempt at direction, the two have handled the film with the ease of a seasoned player. Their narrative style caters to the masses and the family audiences, with special masala for the kids. Sachin-Jigar’s music is very good but the absence of a chartbusitng song is sorely felt. ‘Veere di wedding’ and ‘Johny Johny’ are already very popular songs and are enjoyable in the film. Of the other songs, ‘Tera naam’ is melodious. ‘Teri mahima aparampar’ is fast-paced. Lyrics (by Mayur Puri, Priya Panchal and Ashish Pandit) are in keeping with the film’s mood. Remo D’souza’s choreography is nice. White Noise Production’s background music is effective. Manoj Soni’s camerawork is very nice. Sham Kaushal’s action and stunt scenes are good. Vinod Guruji’s sets are appropriate. Steven Bernard’s editing is sharp.

On the whole, Entertainment is an entertaining fare but with sectional appeal only. Its ridiculous story-line is a major drawback and will make its appeal restricted. It will be enjoyed by the masses, families and kids. Although it will keep the target audience in splits, its business will be less than its merits because it has just a week-long window, what with eagerly awaited Singham Returns scheduled for release next week. The producers may have made their profit but some of the distributors, particularly those who have paid heavy prices, will not be as lucky.