Pagalpanti is the new slapstick comedy from Anees Bazmee. With the likes of Arshad Warsi, Saurabh Shukla, and others, it promised to entertain the audience. We take a look at the movie in our Pagalpanti film review.
There is not much of a story to speak of. In a nutshell, it revolves around the shenanigans of three friends who have been unlucky until now. When they happen to land in the lavish abode of two mafia dons, their lousy luck might bring misery to those around them as well. Can these hapless souls turn their fortunes? The rest of the plot pits them against a motley group of villains ranging from a wealthy businessman to rival goons.
The real stars of Pagalpanti are Arshad Warsi and Saurabh Shukla, whose impeccable comic timing saves the day. Were it not for these two, and Anil Kapoor to a lesser extent, Pagalpanti would have been unwatchable for pretty much all of its duration. Even with a shoddy script, Arshad Warsi and Saurabh Shukla manage to make us laugh. Not only that, but they also cover up for some of the other actors who are not particularly funny. John Abraham tries his best here. Still, his limited ability to emote comes in the way of him delivering a consistent performance. Likewise, Pulkit Samrat is just mediocre without ever thoroughly delighting us.
For most of its runtime, Pagalpanti is a drag. It has songs that add nothing to the story, and even some sequences in the movie are there for no evident reason. When compared with Anees Bazmee’s other films such as Welcome and No Entry, Pagalpanti does not have anything that distinguishes it from those. Hence, it comes away as a recycled and inferior product.
Pagapanti brings in a patriotic angle toward its finale that is rather pointless, given the nature of the movie. Also, for much of its second half, it appears to engage in bashing absconding Indian businessman Nirav Modi. And while that would be fine if it were done in a witty manner, here it seems half-baked and lacking consideration toward the end result.
Even though the first half of the film is chirpy enough to moderately entertain you, the last hour feels labored. It does not provide the laughs consistently to keep the viewers engaged.
Most filmgoers aware of Anees Bazmee’s previous endeavors will know precisely what to expect from this one. If you are willing to suspend disbelief and allow yourself to be amused by the antics of the crazy characters and scenes in Pagalpanti, you might find something to cheer over here.
Having said that, Pagalpanti is not among his better movies. Anees Bazmee loyalists might be the only audience that will get through this one feeling entertained. While I had a few laughs watching it, I would surely not recommend it to any discerning filmgoer.
Pagalpanti film review rates Pagalpanti 
(2 / 5)
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