Fukrey 3 movie review: Pankaj Tripathi, Richa Chadha star in meandering comedy that tries to deliver a social message

Fukrey 3 movie review: The Pulkit Samrat-Richa Chadha-Pankaj Tripathi film stays true to its slapstick tone that draws heavily from scatological humour. The gags, though downright silly, manages to elicit laughter.

When Fukrey released a decade ago, it followed the misadventures and triumphs of two good-for-nothing school students, Choochaa and Hunny, dreaming of stepping into college life. Their acquaintances got involved in their ill-conceived plans and the mayhem that ensued. With the third instalment of this franchise, the ambition of these fukras, a term used for idlers, as well as that of the movie has grown.

The film opens with a recap of previous two Fukrey movies, which are packed into a catchy song. A nice touch, the song plays in the background as the opening credit of Fukrey 3 rolls out. The core characters reappear with their now established traits. Choocha (Varun Sharma) is as goofy and asinine as before. Hunny (Pulkit Samrat) is the brain that steers him. Panditji (Pankaj Tripathi) keeps the gang together with his wisecracks while Bholi Panjaban (Richa Chadha) has bigger plans for herself. Lali Halwai (Manjot Singh) doesn’t have a well defined role but comes into his own when he tries to make the best masala chai. Fazal is missing from this group of bumbling daydreamers but makes a cute cameo appearance.

Leaving behind her criminal past, Bholi now hobnobs with powerful people. She aspires to win in the Delhi Assembly elections and become a minister. Her aspirations to walk the corridors of power are threatened when Choocha becomes a threat to her popularity and victory. This leads to power-tussle and one-upmanship between the fukras and Bholi, who struts around with two bulky bodyguards whose presence lends her an air of comic gravitas.

Tripathi, clearly the favourite of the audience, runs away with the best lines. Even when the dialogues lack punch, his comic flair is top notch. But it’s Choocha aka Dilip Singh, the key catalyst to the narrative, who enjoys maximum attention. The first half is an overload of gags with almost an equal number of hits and misses. However, just before the interval, a bend in the plot leaves the audience wondering if the story would now take a serious turn. Well, they are not altogether disappointed.

The second half, with comparatively fewer occasions of laughter, shifts gear to serious issues that affect the common people of Delhi. Though confined to the world of Fukrey, Delhi’s perennial water crisis and the struggle against the tanker mafia gets generous screen time. Certain poignant moments, like the bold move of a boy to block the path of a water tanker, and a desperate public storming the water amusement park with a resident alligator indicate a growing crisis in the national capital.

These intense scenes aside, Fukrey stays true to its slapstick tone that draws heavily from scatological humour. Is it lazy writing, taking the easy route to tickle the funny-bone? The occasional departures from logic and believability, though downright silly, curiously manages to elicit laughter.

The popular franchise which gave us a sassy, stylish and an intelligent female don should have added more meat to the character in this outing. Her badassery — such as pairing a scorpion-shaped maangtika with bridal wear — held great potential. Instead, the film is more about fukra-panti.

Fukrey 3 movie cast: Pulkit Samrat, Varun Sharma, Manjot Singh, Richa Chadha, Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal
Fukrey 3 movie director: Mrighdeep Singh Lamba
Fukrey 3 movie rating: 2 stars