Film

Total Dhamaal

Name: Total Dhamaal
Genre: Comedy, Adventure
Released: 2019
Cast: Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Javed Jaffrey, Sanjay Mishra

Comedy
Crime
Light-hearted

A slapstick ensemble comedy about mismatched treasure hunters racing through a zoo to claim fifty crores in hidden cash. Total Dhamaal is pure mayhem: bright, loud, and unrelentingly silly, with pratfalls and physical gags stacked higher than plot logic. It's for anyone who wants to switch off their brain and watch capable comedians throw themselves at absurdity for two hours.

TMDb rating

2.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy ensemble farce where a crowd of mismatched schemers chases a ridiculous goal and the set-pieces keep escalating, much like the Dhamaal series that came before it.

Skip it if you want slapstick logic to hold together, since the plot is a loose excuse for chaos and the jokes lean heavily on loud, repetitive mugging for the camera.

What it asks of you: Around two hours and seven minutes of nonstop noise, so you'll need to switch off realism and go along with a fast, broad, cheerfully overstuffed rhythm.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Dhamaal2007

The original that started this franchise. Sharper writing, tighter pacing, and the same treasure-hunt-gone-wrong energy but with more cleverness underneath the chaos. A masterclass in ensemble comedy timing.

But It's nearly two decades old and the comedy sensibility feels dated now. Some of the humour lands awkwardly by modern standards.

Double Dhamaal2011

The middle child of the franchise, and oddly the most inventive. The gags are more elaborate, the locations more exotic, and it finds new ways to embarrass its cast without leaning on repetition.

But It gets stranger and more uneven as it goes. Some sequences go nowhere; it tests your patience for absurdity.

Welcome2007

Nana Patekar and Paresh Rawal in a crime comedy that's genuinely hilarious. Sharper writing than Total Dhamaal, with real characters hidden under the madness.

But Darker humour and some crude moments. It's less innocent fun and more cynical about human nature.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Total Dhamaal

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro1983

Both films deploy ensemble chaos as their engine, but this one uses it to say something about corruption and complicity; Total Dhamaal just wants to make you laugh. They're inverted: one is comedy disguising critique, one is spectacle disguising nothing.

A cult political satire that's technically a comedy-thriller, not a treasure hunt. But it has that same DNA: ordinary people, elaborate plans, bureaucratic absurdity, and genuine stakes underneath the jokes. Kundan Shah made something angry and hilarious at once.

But Shot in 1983, it looks and feels utterly of that era. The pacing is slow by modern standards and some references won't land. Requires patience.

Golmaal Again2017

Ajay Devgn leading an ensemble comedy with supernatural elements. Fun, properly silly, and Devgn proves he's got comic timing when he stops playing tough guys.

But The horror elements feel tacked on and tonally confused. It can't decide whether it's scary or funny and stumbles between both.

Hysteria2011

A clever comedy about faith and fraud with Paresh Rawal as a con artist. Sharp writing dressed up as silliness—it actually has something to say while making you laugh.

But More cerebral than you'd expect from the premise. Some will find it preachy; others want simpler fun.

Rangeela1995

Aamir Khan and Jackie Shroff in a light, colourful film about film-making and petty con artists. Breezy, affectionate, and utterly charming even when nothing much happens.

But It's deliberately low-stakes and slow. Nothing explodes, nobody's in danger, and there's no real tension—just hanging out.

It's Entertainment2014

Akshay Kumar and Tamannaah in a heist-comedy that doesn't take itself seriously for a second. Spectacular locations, impossible stunts, and committed silliness throughout.

But Aggressively dumb and proud of it. There's no depth, no wit, just escalating absurdity—if that sounds exhausting, it will be.

Housefull 22012

Akshay Kumar leading an massive ensemble through a comedy of errors. Well-constructed chaos with talented comedians given room to riff and play.

But Bloated and overstuffed. Too many characters, too many subplots, and it runs out of steam before the end.

Andaz Apna Apna1994

Both are unashamedly sketch-comedy films masquerading as stories. The difference: Andaz Apna Apna broke the form and knows it; Total Dhamaal is working within it. One is rebellion, one is tradition.

Aamir Khan and Salman Khan in what might be the purest expression of Bollywood comedy: absurd, self-aware, full of breaks in the fourth wall, and genuinely inventive. It's less a film than a series of bits building into beautiful chaos.

But The plot genuinely doesn't matter—it's an excuse for sketches. If you need narrative coherence or character arcs, this will frustrate you.

Hera Pheri2000

Both are ensemble comedies built on mistaken identity and escalating chaos, but Hera Pheri is a heist film that happens to be funny; Total Dhamaal is a funny film pretending to be a heist. One has an architecture, one has a pulse.

Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar, and Suniel Shetty as small-time crooks who answer a wrong phone call about a ransom. Tighter, smarter, and funnier than Total Dhamaal, with real emotional stakes underneath. Instantly rewatchable.

But It's specifically early-2000s Mumbai-cinema grammar. If you hate that era's sensibility, this won't convert you.