Housefull 5 (2025) [Movie Review] – A Chaotic Cruise of Comedy and Crime

Housefull 5 the Bollywood comedy thriller is set aboard a luxury cruise ship where a billionaire (actor Ranjeet) is murdered after naming his heir “Jolly.” Pandemonium ensues when three men – played by Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, and Riteish Deshmukh – all claim to be the heir Jolly. As these impostors and their girlfriends bicker and boast, a masked killer lurks on board. The film plays out as a whodunit blended with slapstick comedy. The identity of the murderer is kept secret until a twisty climax. Unusually, Housefull 5 was released in two versions – 5A and 5B – each with a different ending and killer. Both versions share the same first two hours, then diverge in the final 15–20 minutes. (One fan even noted being told “twist pe twist” in the climax.) This gimmick of dual climaxes has generated buzz, although most agree the choice makes “not much difference” to the overall story.

Performances

The three lead “Jolly” claimants drive most of the film’s humor. Critics agree that Riteish Deshmukh emerges as the stand-out, fully committing to the absurdity and often stealing scenes. Akshay Kumar brings his trademark high-energy goofiness, while Abhishek Bachchan is a “pleasant surprise,” fitting right into the chaotic mix. That said, some reviewers felt Akshay and Abhishek had relatively little to do beyond set pieces – as one put it, they “get little to play with as far as words are concerned”. The three leading ladies (Jacqueline Fernandez, Sonam Bajwa, and Nargis Fakhri) mostly serve as glam and comic foils, with few serious scenes of their own.

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The large ensemble of veteran actors adds color. Nana Patekar (in a dhoti‑clad Interpol cop role) arrives late but “is terrific and infuses life into this overloaded, derailed cruise”. Other cameos – Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Chunky Panday – draw chuckles at times but are mostly underused. One critic called it a pity to see stars like Dutt and Shroff reduced to “caricatures of their former glory” in small roles. Among the minor players, Sonam Bajwa, Fardeen Khan, and Dino Morea fare better with a bit of sensible acting, whereas Johnny Lever, Shreyas Talpade, and Chunky Panday are largely wasted. In short, the leads and veterans keep the energy up, but the sheer number of characters means many have little to do beyond cameo gags.

Direction and Humor

Tarun Mansukhani (of Dostana fame) directs this fifth Housefull outing. He tries to inject “fresh energy” into the franchise and deliver bigger, crazier set-pieces. The writing is packed with one-liners and slapstick gags – CGI monkeys, flying parrots, and outrageous catchphrases – in true Housefull style. Some reviewers praise this approach as a “paisa-vasool entertainer” full of madness and masala. Fans on social media agreed, calling it a “laugh riot” that delivers classic Bollywood comedy with a twist of thriller. Others, however, found the humor over-the-top and grating. One critic noted an “utter lack of humour” despite all the loud antics, while another wrote that its “pull-no-punches… humour works against its own well-being”. In practice, the first half is criticized as messy and overly long (the 2h45m runtime feels bloated), with random songs and juvenile gags that fail to generate genuine laughs.

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On the positive side, the film’s pace picks up by the climax: most agree that the last 15–20 minutes finally fulfill the Housefull promise. The murder mystery elements become tighter, and the jokes land more often. In the reviewers’ words, the closing act is “thrilling, unpredictable and funny,” and it’s bolstered by Nana Patekar’s energetic presence. Overall, Mansukhani’s direction maintains the expected chaos and visual extravagance, but the critical consensus is that better scripting was needed to balance the slapstick with a coherent whodunit.

Verdict

Housefull 5 has earned decidedly mixed reviews. Critics have mostly been underwhelmed – ratings cluster around 2 out of 5 – with praise and criticism roughly in balance. For example, the Times of India gave it 2.5/5 and called it a cruise gone off-track, while NDTV’s review was even harsher (1.5/5). They note that while the film delivers on noisy, crowd-pleasing Housefull-style craziness, it often “falls flat” on humor. On the flip side, fans and some critics enjoyed its silliness: one called it “awesome entertainment…full of laughter, energy, and classic Akshay Kumar. Taran Adarsh summed it up as a “crowd-pleaser”, fun and family-friendly.

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In the end, Housefull 5 is a film for viewers who embrace its madcap tone. If you go in ready to “surrender to the craziness” and enjoy slapstick without expecting logic, the movie can be an entertaining ride – especially the twisty ending(s). But those looking for clever humor or a tight narrative may find it disappointing. Its strengths – energetic performances (Riteish, Nana Patekar), an unpredictable climax, and catchy songs – stand out amid the weaknesses of a rambling script and crass gags. As one reviewer put it, it’s like “Housefull, Dhamaal, and [a] thriller” rolled into one fun-but-flawed package.