Gulaebaghavali - A comedy which will give you a jolly good time

Kaushik LM

After tasting success with Devi, Prabhu Deva is back as the lead hero in Gulaebaghavali. The film is a madcap heist comedy set in the world of thieves and frauds, who are on a treasure hunt. Given the long festive weekend, Gulaebaghavali ought to work as a jolly timepass entertainer for the masses.

There are many comedians to add pep to the proceedings, like Yogi Babu, Munishkanth, Anandaraj, Sathyan, Motta Rajendran and Mansoor Ali Khan. Each of these actors contributes to the overall fun quotient, in varying degrees. Motta Rajendran's mother sentiment comedy in the 2nd half revives the film just when you fear it's about to sag and fall.

Prabhu Deva turns back the clock to the 90s. His styling and costumes are very trendy and his dance moves are effortlessly fabulous, needless to say. The first song 'Guleba' will be an electric experience in theaters. There are some action sequences too for Prabhu Deva, which don't work all that well. He is another actor, in his 40s, who is maintaining himself admirably!

Hansika looks absolutely glamorous. This is like her 2nd innings in Kollywood and she looks gorgeous. She gets more space in the first half and her hot costumes will get all your attention. She matches steps competently with Prabhu Deva in the fast-paced kuthu duet 'Heartukulla'.

In the first half, after a highly entertaining first 30 mins or so, when the film's premise and all the characters are established, the melodious 'Seramal Ponal' (involving flashy VFX work of animals) is a speed-breaker and the film's engaging quotient nosedives after that. That said, composer duo Vivek - Mervin have delivered the goods big time, with their songs.

It's veteran actress Revathy who is the film's biggest surprise package in a role which she definitely hasn't done so far in her long, celebrated career. She gives it her all in a space which Urvashi is actually owning of late.

Bottom Line:

The initial parts of the first half, with plenty of laugh aloud moments, set the bar pretty high. The film doesn't quite live up to it afterwards, as written earlier. But, there are enough fun moments sprinkled here and there for Gulaebaghavali to work for you as an undemanding entertainer.

Rating: 2.75/5