Fukrey Returns Movie Review: Fukrey did return but with its heart all over the place.
Remember 2013 hit Fukrey? Of course, anyone would. The sleeper hit of that year was loved by millions. And why not? The relatable Dilli-wali lingo and the jobless four troublemakers did make an instant connect with the audience. The same old gang of Fukras are back with a sequel after four years. It’s been a long time, so it was predictable that Fukrey Returns is surely going to have that signature energy as its predecessor. But did it? Fukrey did return, but unfortunately, it left its heart behind in 2013.
Fukrey Returns Plot
The film continues where it was left back in 2013. The Bholi Punjaban has vouched to exact her revenge on the ‘chandaal chaukdi’ for putting her in the lockup for one year. The Fukras on the other hand, Honey, Chu Cha, Laali and Zafar, are into the same lottery business. Honey is happily dating Priya while Zafar decides to take the wedding vows with his ladylove Neetu. But when they thought that every good thing is coming in directly to them, they realise, they’re in the wrong lane. Bholi Punjaban cracks a deal with Babu Lal Bhatia to get her out of the jail in exchange of 10 crore rupees in 10 days. To get the money, she sets the Fukras against the law. They setup a fraud lottery company, promising the ‘Janta’ to double their money in few days.
But Delhi-based politician Babu Lal Bhatia cannot let that happen. He lays a trap and sabotages everything for Bholi Punjaban and Fukras. As an old adage says just when you think God has closed all the doors for you, you see a light. The weirdo of the gang Chu Cha is blessed with the power of premonition. He gets ‘Deja Chu’ (Deja Vu, but since its happening to Chu Cha, so its Deja Chu) of future happenings. And in one such Deja Chu he caught a sight of a hidden treasure somewhere beneath the Delhi zoo. The Fukras and Bholi Punjaban go on board to unveil the treasure. Will they find the treasure? Watch the movie to know what treasure lies beneath for the Fukras and their team.
Fukrey Returns Movie Review
The first few minutes of the film takes you back to the old Fukrey where the gang of four screws it up for lady don Bholi Punjaban and set her up behind the bar. It’s a familiar setup in the same picture as well. Right from the beginning, the film will set your hopes high (If you’re a Fukrey fan). You will expect the same ‘Purana wala magic’ in this sequel as well. It did succeed to some extent but falls drastically in many places. The element of innocence in Chu Cha’s crappy jokes is untouched, and thankfully the jokes didn’t sink below the standards of forwarded WhatsApp jokes. Honey and Chu Cha’s camaraderie is the only place where the film matches the standards of 2013 Fukrey. And that’s it!
The fact is that audience has been in that zone previously in Fukrey. They’ve seen their naive moves to launder money and shortcuts to easy success. They laughed at their antics thinking of them to be ‘Bhatka hua youth’. But now it gets tedious. Honey and Chu Cha should have grown up a morsel, citing that it’s been four years. Chu Cha is still rubbing his back with whatever firm thing he gets in the vicinity. The opening scene where the duo is defecating in the open fields will take you back to Toilet: Ek Prem Katha with Akshay Kumar giving sermons on open defecations and Swachh Bharat.
We can blame the success of the previous film for the ennui of this edition of Fukrey. It’s not that Fukrey was the greatest comedy film Bollywood has ever seen, but it was certainly a fresh one, to say the least. The audience enjoyed the typical neighbourhood comedy which promised nothing too grand right from the start. But when you’re coming out with a sequel of a superhit and that too after a gap of 4 years, expectations are bound to get higher. We hoped that this film lived up to our expectations. But instead, it added another name to the list of pointless Bollywood sequels.
The only two characters, who shine in this entire half-baked recipe, were Pandit Ji and Chu Cha. They didn’t get along well in the movie, but their sarcastic exchange of words every now and then did manage to initiate laughter, if not a roar per se. The part where Chu Cha is narrating the story which his father used to explain how he came to the world, did tickle a rib. Pandit Ji’s reaction to the entire narrative is priceless. Concisely, Pandit Ji and Chu Cha are the only saving grace of the movie.
Long story cut short, Fukrey Returns is basically a revamped version of Fukrey with few spices added here and there. But during it course, you will find the story and its heart all over the places. If you’re a die-hard Fukrey fan, you can survive the 141 minutes of this dim-witted dragged comedy. Otherwise, save yourself from a headache and refrain from watching Fukrey Returns. Janhit me jaari!