Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi, Aftab Shivdasani's 'Mastiii 4' Movie Review: Milap Zaveri's juvenile adult comedy makes 'Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat' look like a masterpiece

Cast: Riteish Deshmukh, Vivek Oberoi, Aftab Shivdasani, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kaooor, Ruhi Singh

Director: Milap Milan Zaveri

Language: Hindi

It was the 10th of April 2004. I was watching Govinda and Rani Mukerji’s 2002 dud Chalo Ishq Ladayen on TV. That was the day when I was going to watch the first Masti with my parents and first cousin. I was terribly excited as that was the time I watched almost all the films on the big screen. It was packed. I was laughing with second hand enjoyment and embarrassment in equal measure. The same thing happened when I saw the sequel on September 13 nine years later. This time, more prepared to witness the obscenity and obnoxiousness on display. GRAND was the key word in part two. And then came the hideously unfunny Great Grand Masti, an assault on senses and sex.

The makers have not given up. Now comes the fourth part. So what was it going to be? After Grand Masti and Great Grand Masti? They play a trick and call it Mastiii 4. So what do these three ‘I’s suggest? Maybe 3 idiots. Yes. Our three central characters, always married to different wives and being seduced by different bimbettes as the franchise progresses and regresses, are still the same. Only aging and looking visibly worn out lusting outside marriage. They thought tasteless parts by Arshad Warsi and Tusshar Kapoor would spice up the curiosities but it only makes it blander. It’s Milap Zaveri this time calling the shots, a filmmaker so gratified by box-office that he has long forgotten the thin line between mass and crass. What unfolds on the celluloid is more appalling than his last Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat.

What could possibly compel Riteish Deshmukh and Arshad Warsi to participate in this drivel? Aftab Shivdasani may have jumped into the balderdash due to his depleted coffers. The issue with Mastiii 4 is that it doesn’t even qualify as an adult comedy. The crassness of the enterprise never allows the supposed raunchiness to go beyond some pretentiously provocative visuals. And unlike the first two films in the franchise, which sailed through due to some inspired moments of lunacy, the next two were bogged down by limp writing and lame innuendoes. It’s never a good sign when you can’t tell whether you’re laughing with the film or at it. It’s more shocking when you see people walking out minutes after the film begins.

It’s also appalling how a material like this gets green lit and the limited number of people in the cinema sit with pin drop silence. How do you expect to laugh at lines like ‘Humare sapne poore ho sakte hain, hum kisi aur ke saath so sakte hain.’ This is a film that wants us to be entertained by the idea that three married men should be allowed to have fun outside marriage. Milap Zaveri has called this LOVE VISA. The WhatsApp forward-level writing makes this turd of a comedy much more exasperating than it should be. It’s preposterous and primitive. Only trust Bollywood to devolve with time. 2004 and 2013 suddenly feel far more gratifying.

If all the adult comedies decided to walk into a bar one fine night, only Delhi Belly and Go Goa Gone may be allowed inside. The rest may be denied entry despite them being 18 plus. No Masti for them! No puns here.

Rating: 0 (out of 5 stars)

Mastiii 4 is now playing in cinemas