Reviewed by: Dare Devil Kid (DDK)
Rating: 1.9/5 stars
Yet another adult-comedy emerges from Bollywood to try and titillate our senses. And with the kind of stuff on display in Great Grand Masti, courtesy the sensuous Urvashi Rautela, the target audience will certainly find plenty of reason to get titillated. But, what of the other section of the audience – the ones who look for actual comedy in an adult comedy. Does the movie have anything to offer in terms of genuine laughs or is it all crass humor, double-meaning jokes, and one shot after another of scantily clad women?
Well, the good news is that (at least to a moderate extent) the third installment in the super-successful Masti franchise (India's most-profitable adult-comedy series) has its genuinely funny moments. Hell, there are times when you'll actually burst out laughing both because of the well-scripted gags and the actor's belief in them. Scenes where the trio of Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi, and Aftab Shivdasani undress before one of their mother-in- laws to have a foursome with her or when they a man makes them * at gun point will makes even the biggest of prudes giggle.
The plot is completely bonkers, but that wouldn't have been the issue had the gags and jokes been constantly funny. Amar, Meet, and Prem played by Riteish, Vivek, and Aftab are as usual not getting enough of bedroom action from their wives, this time because of meddling in- laws. Amar has an ancient palace that he's just inherited, and Prem gets an idea (like always) to have "great grand masti" this time with village belles instead of stylish city gals. The problem is that the palace is inhabited by a spirit who died a virgin (bear with us) and now needs a one night stand to release her soul into heaven. However, there's a twist – the lucky bugger who'll sleep with her will unluckily have to travel with her to heaven.
The problem is that there's just a handful of truly funny scenes and way too much of the other titillating stuff that plagues most Bollywood adult comedies of late. Most of the other gags appear forced and many of the jokes are straight out of a college student's WhatsApp chat history. And while a sex-comedy does need to have sex, skimpiness, and spice, its time our Directors, who attempt to make such movies, need to realize that the story-arc should merit the sexy stuff and not the other way around. For this, they don't need to look any further than when the industry began making sex- comedies, when films like Masti and Kya Kool Hai Hum evoked belly- full of laughs for those who like their humor laced with naughtiness. Matter of fact, it was Director Indra Kumar who had started it all with Masti. How then he's wavered so far from his own brand? The unmelodious songs don't help either.
What makes Great Grand Masti pass muster is Urvashi Rautela (surprise, surprise). She's in complete form as the sex-crazed virgin ghost and her exaggerated expressions, which would have looked unnatural in a well-scripted movie, are totally in place here. She's backed well by our three mastikhor heroes, who can play these parts in their sleep now. Sadly, Pooja Bose, Mishti, and Shraddha Das, who play our heroes' wives, are painfully bad and mess up in delivering even simple lines.
Watching Great Grand Masti is similar to attending a buffet clogged with way too many extra-oily dishes and just two or three items to savor. After you're done with the experience, those items may not be savory enough to wash away the tastelessness of the other items.