Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Diana Penty, Jimmy Shergill, Jassi Gill
Director: Mudassar Aziz
The charming innocence of the key characters in Happy Bhag Jayegi (2016) was the prime reason behind its success. The film created a parallel world where even the most cynical characters appeared funny. They didn’t know what was happening, yet they whole-heartedly participated in it.
The sequel, Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi, takes a cue from there, but actors seem much more confident as if they know what the future has in store for them. The bigger canvas and addition of new actors add value to the film, but overall, the fun quotient has been diluted. That doesn’t mean Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi wouldn’t be able to entertain you at all. It has its own moments, thanks to actors like Jimmy Shergill and Piyush Mishra.
It a tale of two Happys (Sonakshi Sinha and Diana Penty) who land in Shanghai (China) at the same time. The original Happy (Penty) has a history with a prominent Pakistani politician, played by Abhay Deol in the first film. So, a Chinese businessman Adnan Chow (Denzil Smith) wants to kidnap her to pressurise the Pakistan government for money. He abducts the other Happy (Sinha) instead. After this, half of Amritsar lands in Shanghai and creates mayhem on its roads.
The director, Mudassar Aziz, tries to take the film forward through personality traits, and that works in his favour. Khushi’s (Jassi Gill) lack of a social life and occasional soliloquies will give you a reason to laugh. Then there is Jimmy Shergill’s Daman Singh Bagga, who is still desperate to get married. Repetitive, but Shergill has aced such a character arc by now, so you laugh. In fact, it’s his chemistry with Piyush Mishra’s Lahore cop Usman Afridi that you’ll cherish the most. The director has stretched their scenes though, but they manage to sail through.
The first film relied on situations, but the sequel is more about characters. There the spirit gets dampened a bit as the new Happy doesn’t get much to do. Sinha’s role is more like the binding thread than the core of the story itself.
Denzil Smith’s Urdu-speaking Chinese mobster evokes smile in the beginning, but recurrence takes away the sheen. He goes by the mood of the film though.
Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi is a feel good film which you’re not likely to remember much about after a while. That’s its major drawback. You’ll have a good time, but there isn't much to make you come back to it. Nevertheless, it’s 137-minute of sheer fun. Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi will lift your mood for sure, but that will also depend on the fact that whether you would like to forgive the makers for such an average recreation of the iconic Howrah Bridge song Mera naam Chin Chin Chu.
Rating: 3/5
Interact with Rohit Vats at Twitter/@nawabjha
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