When a comedy franchise reaches its fourth outing, audiences expect familiar faces along with something fresh to keep the fun alive. Dhamaal 4 certainly reunites its popular gang, but somewhere between chasing another hidden treasure and repeating old tricks, it forgets the one thing people actually came for—genuine laughter. The film leans heavily on nostalgia, hoping viewers will smile simply because the cast is back together. Sadly, nostalgia alone can’t carry a comedy when the jokes feel stuck in another era.
Director Indra Kumar once again gathers Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi and Javed Jaffrey for another adventure built around greed, chaos and slapstick confusion. The familiar formula is there from the opening scenes, but the freshness that made the first Dhamaal such an unexpected crowd-pleaser is nowhere to be found. Instead of building clever comic situations, the film keeps throwing loud dialogues and exaggerated reactions at the audience, expecting laughs to arrive automatically. They rarely do.
Another Treasure Hunt, Same Old Formula
The biggest problem with Dhamaal 4 begins with its story. Rather than taking the franchise in a different direction, it simply circles back to another treasure hunt. Fans of the original will instantly notice how closely this setup resembles the first film. Earlier the mystery revolved around treasure hidden under “W,” and now it simply shifts to “M.” Beyond that small change, the screenplay hardly attempts anything new, making the entire journey feel overly familiar from beginning to end.
Writer Paritosh Painter relies on repeated misunderstandings, loud arguments and constant shouting instead of creating situations that naturally become funny. New characters enter without much purpose, disappear just as quickly, and several scenes exist only to stretch the runtime rather than move the story ahead. Instead of building momentum, the screenplay keeps jumping from one chaotic situation to another, making the narrative feel scattered. The result is a film that becomes tiring much before it becomes entertaining.
Loud Comedy Replaces Clever Humour
Comedy has changed a lot over the years, but Dhamaal 4 behaves as though nothing has moved forward. Several jokes depend on body shaming, repeated insults and outdated punchlines that no longer land the way they probably once did. Dialogues like “Yeh toh bhootni ki Burj Khalifa hai” and “Tu aadmi nahi pajama hai, voh bhi fata hua” are delivered as major laugh lines, yet they mostly generate awkward silence instead of genuine amusement. The humour often mistakes volume for wit, leaving very little room for memorable comic writing.
The first half repeatedly throws chaos at the screen with characters yelling over one another in nearly every scene. Rather than allowing funny situations to develop naturally, the film rushes through one noisy sequence after another. By the interval, the repetition starts becoming predictable, making it difficult to stay invested in the treasure hunt itself. Ironically, the few jokes that actually have potential are quickly buried beneath the endless commotion.
The second half doesn’t improve matters either. It shifts more attention toward visual spectacle, relying on computer-generated effects that feel more polished than the comedy itself. The action grows bigger, the visuals become flashier, but the laughs remain surprisingly scarce. It almost feels like the filmmakers spent more time improving the CGI than sharpening the script.
Cast Tries Hard, Script Doesn’t Help
The returning cast shares enough chemistry to remind viewers why the franchise became popular in the first place. However, even experienced comic performers cannot rescue material that gives them so little to work with. Riteish Deshmukh emerges as the film’s strongest performer, bringing genuine energy whenever he’s on screen. His timing feels effortless, and he manages to create a few entertaining moments despite the uneven writing.
Ajay Devgn appears unusually restrained throughout the film, rarely finding opportunities to showcase his comic strengths. Arshad Warsi and Javed Jaffrey, whose pairing as Adi and Manav became one of the biggest highlights of the original movies, never quite recreate that effortless rhythm this time around. Their scenes carry flashes of old familiarity, but the screenplay doesn’t give them enough memorable material to leave a lasting impression.
Sanjay Mishra is limited to repetitive dialogue patterns that quickly lose their impact after being used several times. Meanwhile, Anjali Anand and Sanjeeda Shaikh receive characters with very little depth, often becoming the targets of body-shaming jokes or exaggerated physical comedy. Instead of giving its female characters meaningful participation in the story, the film repeatedly reduces them to easy comic targets, making the humour feel dated.
Even the music reflects the film’s dependence on familiarity. Rather than introducing a memorable soundtrack, Dhamaal 4 leans on songs like Gulaabi Saadi and Gilori Bina Chutney. While these tracks may already have popularity outside the film, they don’t create a fresh musical identity for this installment. Much like the screenplay, the soundtrack also carries a recycled feeling that never quite stands on its own.
The biggest disappointment is that the franchise already proved years ago that silly comedy can still be smart and endlessly entertaining. The original Dhamaal balanced absurd situations with memorable characters and genuinely funny writing, which is exactly why audiences continue revisiting it today. This latest installment seems convinced that repeating old ingredients is enough to recreate that magic. Unfortunately, comedy depends far more on fresh writing than familiar faces.
PopcornRealm Rating: 2/5
Dhamaal 4 banks almost entirely on nostalgia but forgets that audiences also expect evolution. The returning cast does whatever they can, with Riteish Deshmukh providing the film’s brightest moments, yet the screenplay rarely rewards their efforts. Recycled storytelling, outdated humour and an overreliance on loud comedy leave the film feeling far less entertaining than its title promises. Instead of discovering hidden treasure under “M,” viewers may find themselves searching for the spark that once made this franchise genuinely funny.
