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When a Hindi film does well in Chennai, it's time to sit up and take notice, says A Ganesh Nadar.
You can't miss the fact that this is the fourth installment in the Golmaal series; the cast underlines it in Golmaal Again!!!'s very first song.
Rohit Shetty seems to have a fascination for all things Tamil, so Ajay Devgan is woken up with a popular Vijay song; to ensure you get the inference, he shows you the Tamil star's image as well.
The villains, just like in Rohit's Chennai Express, also speak in Tamil. Thankfully, after the first scene, they switch to Hindi.
I don't have any problem with using Tamil in a Hindi movie, but I always wonder how the rest of the audience understands what is going on.
Unless, of course, you make believe that whatever is in Tamil must be funny.
Then, you have a character who imitates Shatrughan Sinha, but, unlike the original, spells out his punch lines.
Parineeti Chopra has such a sweet smile -- watch out for the twist in her character.
Tabu -- as the story teller, ghost watcher and solver of all ghost-related problems -- is good, but she didn't have to stick to her stiff upper lip even when the scenes are supposed to be funny.
Johnny Lever's comic timing is totally off the mark, but it's a Rohit Shetty movie so it works.
The last 30 minutes tie up all the loose ends, in flashback mode.
The songs are forgettable and you feel you've heard most of the dialogues before.
Rohit Shetty has made additional money with in-movie advertising.
In one scene, when Ajay Devgn beats up the baddies, everything flies in different directions. But one billboard stands tall among the ruins. It is advertising Finolex, the a cable and wire manufacturer.
If you've missed this not-so-subtle hint, Devgn -- in another scene -- picks up a Finolex pipe to beat up the other heroes. Wah, wah! Shetty.
The film was housefull in Chennai and that speaks volumes for the Golmaal appeal.
What I love about watching a movie in Chennai is that the tickets are priced at about one-third the Mumbai rate.
So the most expensive ticket costs ₹225, including GST and the local entertainment tax.
When the theatre owners objected to the local tax, the government told them to increase the price of the tickets by 25 per cent. The government takes ₹10 and the theatre owner ₹15.
They embedded the entertainment tax in the cost of the ticket so they can say 'One Nation, One Tax' happily.
This is the golmaal behind the ₹225 price tag.
The mall, in which the theatre is located, is hosting an Andhra food festival. For ₹353, which includes GST, you can tuck into a vegetarian or non-vegetarian buffet.
You start with a soup.
The main course includes chicken and eggs for non-vegetarians and three different vegetables for the vegetarians.
Then there is parotha, ragi chapatti for the health-conscious, steamed rice, biryani, salad and curd rice.
The desserts include watermelon, poli and a delicious cake -- a steal for ₹353 after paying for a movie ticket price at ₹225.
The icing on the cake was the Uber discount. I drove home paying just ₹50.