Dhamaal 4 Review: Arshad Warsi & Jaaved Jaaferi Win Hearts, But Ajay Devgn Starrer Misses The Laughs

A Razor-Thin Plot Stretched to Its Limits

The narrative baseline of Dhamaal 4 is as simple as it gets. A chaotic group of eccentric characters heads deep into a dense jungle in a mad rush to uncover Shaitan Singh’s century-old hidden gold. While a straightforward, single-line plot is perfectly fine for a comedy vehicle, the script tries to stretch this premise well beyond its natural expiration date.

The first half of the film spends a massive chunk of its runtime indulging in drawn-out ghost shenanigans that offer very few genuine scares or laughs. By the time the intermission rolls around and the setting shifts deep inside a cave for the actual treasure hunt, the pacing slows down drastically. The sequence keeps going on and on, leaving audiences less interested in whether the characters find the gold and more hopeful that they simply find the exit.

The Good: The Effortless Magic of Arshad and Jaaved

If there is a definitive saving grace in Dhamaal 4, it is the spectacular camaraderie between Arshad Warsi and Jaaved Jaaferi. Their comic timing remains absolutely effortless, proving that their chemistry hasn't aged a day. Every single time the duo shares the screen, the movie instantly wakes up from its creative slumber. Their banter delivers the sharpest, most natural comedic beats of the entire film, leaving viewers wishing the producers would give these two their own dedicated spin-off project.

Additionally, Ajay Devgn shares a fun and incredibly easy chemistry with Sanjay Mishra. Their interactions provide a steady stream of pleasant moments that work in the film's favor, keeping the middle portion of the narrative watchable.

The Bad: Outdated Humour and Wasted Potential

Where Dhamaal 4 severely falters is in its reliance on lazy, outdated writing. In an era where comedy has evolved, the film heavily relies on physical gags, characters getting whacked over the head, and people dangling precariously off cliffs. In one bizarrely absurd sequence, a character even ends up with a knife placed in a highly uncomfortable, unspoken body part.

Reality is clearly on a permanent vacation here. In past movies, we saw Ajay Devgn balancing on two moving bikes; here, he upgrades to riding two dolphins through rough, turbulent waters. Later on, he casually squares up to a tiger as if it's just a regular Tuesday afternoon, leading to a weak punchline referencing his iconic Singham avatar.

Worse still is the film's reliance on cheap fat-shaming jokes targeting the character played by Anjali. Her weight becomes the repetitive butt of the joke across multiple scenes—where every jump, heavy breath, and physical movement is aggressively played for cheap laughs. It feels entirely dated, lazy, and completely unnecessary for a modern entertainer.

The supporting cast also faces a severe lack of breathing room. While some actors struggle with highly distracting and exaggerated regional accents, seasoned veterans like Ravi Kishan and Upendra Limaye are given barely any space to showcase their skills. The brief appearances by Esha Gupta and Sanjeeda Sheikh ultimately add very little value to the overall progression of the story.

Final Verdict: A Frustrating Treasure Hunt

The original Dhamaal succeeded because its silliness felt organic and incredibly high-energy. Dhamaal 4 mistakes excessive chaos, shouting, and random animal encounters for genuine humor. Much like its main characters relentlessly chasing an elusive treasure through the wilderness, the film spends its entire runtime searching for something that stays frustratingly out of its reach: good comedy.