The latest installment in the Dhamaal franchise attempts to revive Bollywood's long-running slapstick formula with exaggerated comedy, chaotic adventures, and a treasure hunt packed with visual spectacle. However, according to NDTV Movies, the film struggles to deliver consistent laughs despite its ambitious scale and energetic cast.
As NDTV Movies aptly puts it: "Nothing that Dhamaal 4 throws up (it does so more in hope than with conviction) stays afloat long enough to give the audience anything to crack up over."
The review opens with a pointed observation, asking how many sight gags a slapstick comedy requires to keep audiences entertained over a runtime of two and a half hours—especially when every joke seems to wear out almost immediately.
NDTV Movies notes that the answer comes through the screenplay crafted by writers Paritosh Painter, Vedd Prakash, Bunty Rathore, and Balvinder Singh Suri, who leave no stone unturned in filling the film with relentless absurdity.
According to NDTV Movies, despite throwing endless comic situations into the mix, Dhamaal 4 rarely succeeds in making any of them work. The film concludes by teasing yet another sequel, leaving the reviewer wondering whether audiences are still eager for another round of the franchise.
At the same time, NDTV Movies acknowledges that Bollywood's comedy franchises—including Dhamaal, Golmaal, Welcome, Housefull, and Masti—have enjoyed tremendous commercial success over the last two decades. Yet, the review suggests that the charm of these familiar formulas may finally be fading.
Supporting this argument, NDTV Movies points out that last year's Mastii 4 failed to impress at the box office, while Welcome to the Jungle also underperformed compared to expectations. Against that backdrop, the publication remarks that Dhamaal 4 spends much of its runtime scraping the bottom of the barrel and suggests that any commercial success would come as an unexpected surprise.
The story follows Guddu (Ajay Devgn), Lallan (Riteish Deshmukh), Adi (Arshad Warsi), Manav (Jaaved Jafferi), and the rest of the familiar gang as they find themselves caught in one bizarre disaster after another.
Throughout the film, the earth crumbles beneath them, rock formations collapse, and the characters repeatedly tumble into increasingly dangerous situations.
Reflecting on the overall experience, NDTV Movies reiterates: "Nothing that Dhamaal 4 throws up (it does so more in hope than with conviction) stays afloat long enough to give the audience anything to crack up over."
The review is particularly critical of the film's humour, describing it as unfunny, repetitive, and exhausting. According to NDTV Movies, the greed-driven adventures of the characters never become as entertaining as the numerous creative missteps that the film itself makes along the way.
One creative decision that receives particular attention is the use of the iconic protest anthem Bella Ciao, which the film transforms into its recurring "Paisa Lao" musical theme. NDTV Movies argues that while this is certainly a bold move, the screenplay lacks the imagination needed to justify such an unconventional choice.
The review also notes that despite extensive CGI and AI-generated visual effects, the film fails to create genuinely engaging comedy.
Like its predecessors, Dhamaal 4 revolves around a group of lovable yet incompetent fortune hunters whose greed repeatedly lands them in trouble.
The narrative begins with an AI-generated likeness of Jackie Shroff introducing audiences to pirate Shaitaan Singh and the legend of a massive hidden treasure buried beneath two mountain peaks shaped like the letter "M" on an unnamed island.
Within the story, one character claims that M stands for money, while another insists it symbolizes musibat (calamity). NDTV Movies cleverly observes that the film ultimately represents both—and perhaps even something worse.
The adventure then shifts to the high seas, where pirate leader Adhoora (Ravi Kishan) searches for a treasure map believed to be in the possession of Prithvi (Upendra Limaye).
Guddu also finds himself caught in the chaos aboard the pirate ship, eventually leading to a fiery confrontation that destroys the vessel.
Away from the pirate storyline, Guddu is romantically involved with Alia (Esha Gupta), a widow raising two children. Before he can become part of her family, he must earn the trust and approval of the youngsters.
Accompanied by his friend Johnny (Sanjay Mishra), Guddu embarks on the treasure hunt, hoping the shared adventure will strengthen their relationship.
However, the bonding trip quickly turns into another series of comic disasters, with Guddu's attempts to impress the children repeatedly backfiring.
Meanwhile, Lallan (Riteish Deshmukh) joins the expedition alongside his newlywed wife Paaro (Anjali Anand). NDTV Movies criticizes the screenplay for repeatedly using Paaro's body size as the basis for jokes, arguing that the writers mistakenly treat constant fat-shaming as comedy.
Another parallel storyline follows Adi, the accident-prone Manav, and Adi's estranged wife Rosy (Sanjeeda Shaikh). Their fractured relationships create additional emotional tension, although NDTV Movies suggests these moments receive little meaningful development amid the relentless chaos.
As the treasure hunt intensifies, hot air balloons encounter storms, boats struggle through rough waters, and the characters face one dangerous obstacle after another. According to NDTV Movies, while the film certainly maintains momentum, it rarely exercises restraint, allowing increasingly random events to dominate the narrative.
Eventually, every major character reaches the mysterious island and finally discovers the hidden treasure. Predictably, their success is short-lived, as pirate leader Adhoora and his crew arrive to seize the riches for themselves.
From that point onward, NDTV Movies argues that the film descends into another cycle of increasingly illogical action sequences. Every character has something at stake, yet the story becomes progressively more confusing as dangers multiply and the screenplay abandons any attempt at coherence.
As the film races toward its climactic showdown, NDTV Movies describes the overall presentation as overwhelmingly noisy and chaotic. The publication points to exaggerated performances, frantic one-liners, and loud comic situations that spiral out of control with little narrative discipline.
Ultimately, NDTV Movies concludes that while the filmmakers may believe there is still an audience eager for this brand of exaggerated slapstick, the execution falls well short of expectations. The review ends with a cautionary note for viewers, preserving its memorable closing advice:
"Go in with your eyes open and your brains on standby if you must!"