Fukrey 3 Review: Richa Chadha, Varun Sharma Film Is Choochaa And Bholi’s Love Story We Didn’t Need!
This film tries too hard!
Remember when Richa Chadha, Pulkit Samrat, Varun Sharma, Manjot Singh, Pankaj Tripathi and Ali Fazal took the country by storm with their kickass 2013 comedy film Fukrey? The Fukrey ladke also made a comeback with Fukrey Returns in 2017. And now they’re back again. Directed by Mrighdeep Singh Lamba and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani under the banner of Excel Entertainment, Fukrey 3 was released in theatres across India on September 28. And if you’ve got a hot date with Fukrey 3 this long weekend, you don’t want to miss out on our review of this comedy drama. So, without further ado, dive right in to read this review of Fukrey 3.
The Plot Of Fukrey 3
In this instalment of the film, Hunny (Pulkit Samrat), Lali (Manjot Singh), Choochaa (Varun Sharma) and Pandit (Pankaj Tripathi) team up against Bholi Punjaban aka Phool Kumari (Richa Chadha). This time it’s in the Delhi legislative assembly to become the Minister of Water Resources. But Bholi has a trick up her sleeve to prevent the fukrey ladke from campaigning and making Choochaa stand against her in the elections. Especially after the public votes lean towards Choochaa for being genuine and caring. However, after Choochaa’s Deja Chuu, this time Hunny and Choochaa have a new “blessing” but will they be able to foil Bholi’s plan while Choochaa continues to be heads over heels for her? Well, you’ll find out if you watch it.
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Performances
Richa Chadha as Bholi Punjaban: There’s nothing not to love about Richa Chadha’s Bholi Punjaban. From expressions to dialogue delivery to her attitude, I’ve always loved the character for being this badass girl kicking ass. While Richa Chadha is still making us laugh with her sassy attitude and witty one-liners, her Bholi charm is missing. Looks like the makers decided to turn our favourite female don into a soft-hearted politician and it’s not funny anymore (Psst…I might be starting a petition to bring Bholi Punjaban back).
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Pulkit Samrat as Hunny: Pulkit Samrat’s Hunny is back just as he was before. The actor seems to have eased into his character as he continues being the beauty and the brains of the Fukrey film franchise. But I must add, it seemed like Hunny did not get enough screen time. Or maybe I just wanted to see Hunny play with his special power and display his acting prowess a little more. I just can’t get enough of him. The actor manages to grab eyeballs every time he’s on the screen and bringing us peace in Choochaa and Bholi’s chaos.
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Pankaj Tripathi as Pandit: No offence but no one can ace dialogue delivery like Pankaj Tripathi. The actor is one of the few elements of the film that makes it watchable. Pankaj Tripathi shines as Pandit and how!. I kid you not, the star will have you on you rolling on the floor with jaw-aching laughter and then some more. This breakout OTT actor has the power to keep all eyes on him in every scene no matter what. I mean, the man had us cracking up with laughter when the film had a little promotional scene for a food delivery app. Only Pankaj Tripathi can make one laugh while promoting a brand in a film in the most memorable manner. The actor also knows full well how to deliver the most hilarious one-liner or a punchline with a poker face and make it sound hilarious AF.
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Varun Sharma as Choochaa: Varun Sharma as Choochaa has been our one true love. His acting, dialogue delivery and the mannerism with which he embodies Choocha makes him special. Varun Sharma as Choochaa is not just an iconic Bollywood film character but he’s also our spirit animal. He gives us brainless comedy, allowing us to unplug. From how he says the most absurd, illogical, stupid thing to how he just says all the wrong things at the wrong time without a single thought, is what makes Choochaa appealing and he continues to be that way. But the writing is where the problem lies. It’s heartbreaking to see that the makers have decided to dumb Choocha down even more, to the point that his wrong pronouciation of things started getting unfunny and annoying.
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Manjot Singh as Lali: Manjot Singh’s Lali has grown during the Fukrey film franchise. I’d say the innocence is gone but we all know I’d be lying because while Lali continues to look innocent, he’s not naive anymore. What’s fun is that Manjot Singh manages to bring out all the sass and sarcasm in the most genuine way. You can feel his annoyance with Choochaa in your bones and that, my friends, is the sign of a great performance!
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I’d talk about the supporting cast but there isn’t much to say because this gang of five dominates the big screen which makes it really though to pay attention to the supporting cast. However, Manu Rishi Chadda has our attention. The actor played his part with honesty and the rest of the supporting cast does their bit to support the film to the best of their abilities.
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Verdict: Pankaj Tripathi Steals The Show In This Sluggish Comedy
There’s no denying that the Fukrey film franchise has all been an illogical, chaotic, comedy of errors and we’re not here looking for some logic in this third film of the franchise. And yet, this film manages to disappoint us. NGL but Fukrey 3 proves that the third time is not always a charm. Now, I have to agree that this film will eventually end up becoming a mass entertainer because our audience doesn’t care about how the plot is all over the place as long as the film helps them unplug and makes them laugh out loud.
Having said that, there are a lot of things that don’t work for this film starting with a very reigned in Bholi Punjaban. We’ve known this character to be a total badass who kicks ass but in Fukrey 3, the fire in Richa Chadha’s Bholi is merely a spark, which is a major disappointment. Speaking of disappointment, making Varun Sharma’s Choochaa even more dumb is not working for this film. To add to it, the whole Bholi-Choochaa love story was unnecessary. TBH, I loved the banter between Choochaa and Bholi every time he hits on her and she responds with her OG sass. But looks like we can bid adieu to that because Bholi is now Mrs. Choochaa or rather Choochaa is now Mr Bholi.
Even though all performances are great, Pankaj Tripathi is the only actor and Pandit is the only character who shines throughout the film. Overall, the film is extremely chaotic and not in a funny way. The OG boyish humor from the OG Fukrey continues while trying really hard to grow up as it makes a rather weak attempt to deal with a social issue but ends up falling flat. TBH, it looks like the film attempts to send a social message with comedy but the social issue it deals with remains shallow AF.
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The plot and the sub-plots are scattered throughout Fukrey 3. The weak writing leads to a lot of sub-plots and the MAIN plot of the film being left mid-way. The first half starts off with the political issue and then switches to the fukrey ladke looking for a diamond in the mines of South Africa. They eventually flee back to India with a diamond and end up contesting the elections but the result is forgotten because now they can make fuel with piss and sweat. While they figure out ways to make money, Bholi marries Choochaa after his new power sparks a not-so-sizzling romance between them.
Now before this plotline could be explored, Choochaa is kidnapped by water mafia boss Dhingra and then it all ends in mayhem with a crocodile who whines because it’s scared of too many humans. All this while preparing us for Fukrey 4! But dekho bhai, dialogues and punchlines could have been better. And what’s with this main plot having mood swings? Thoda ruko, bhai. It has the same energy as “waqt badal diye, jazbaat badal diye, zindagi badal di”. Also, Fukrey as a film franchise should not feel the need to take up social issues because not only is it unnecessary but there’s also the fact that not every film NEEDS to have a cause. Fukrey has always been about chaotic comedy and pointless humour and we hope it continues to be just that. FYI, the screenplay was a dragged, bumpy ride and not a wild ride. So, it’s no surprise that despite the amazing performances, I am giving this film 2.5 out of 5 stars.
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Fukrey 3 is currently playing in the theatres near you!
