Hindi
Housefull 2 is a fair entertainer
MUMBAI: Housefull 2 can be called a crowded comedy in a sense that the screen is filled with multiple characters of various hues. Towards the end, the film creates a mini India on screen with twelve actors in the main roles portraying Marathi, Gujarati, Sindhi, Punjabi etc roles catering to all parts.
Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor are brothers who don‘t see eye-to-eye but both have one common aim – to find the son of some renowned and wealthy man for their respective daughters.
Mithun Chakraborty is a childhood friend of Boman Irani, an ex-police boss, on whose advice Mithun gives up his dark past, spends time in jail and travels to England to not only make his fortune but also be counted among one of the most respected names there. On the occasion of Chakraborty turning a new leaf, Boman Irani had sought a promise from him that they would turn their friendship into family relationship when their children grow up.
Both Randhir and Rishi Kapoor are both told by match maker Chunkey Pandey that Chakraborty‘s son, Reitesh Deshmukh would be an apt suitor for their daughters, Asin and Jacqueline Fernandez. The brothers vie for Deshmukh while making sure the other does not get the whiff on his intent.
Deshmukh loves Zarine Khan, a model, and is not in a position to tell Mithun Chakraborty. He also has to ward off Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor‘s daughters. As a result, Akshay Kumar, John Abraham and Shreyash Talpde each end up posing as Reitesh Deshmukh.
Meanwhile Talpade, Deshmukh‘s friend, is in love with Shahzan Khan. He is humiliated by her father Rishi Kapoor and plans revenge. What follows are the comic situations, romance, songs and dances.
Housefull 2 may not have much by way of a story but it does manage to create some really funny situations.
The film often loses pace in the first half, but manages to hold its own in the later part, which is also shorter. There is not much help from songs but the item number Anarkali…. is well choreographed.
The scenes between Chakraborty, Irani and Malaika Arora are stretched.
What works for the film is its multifaceted cast and the fact that yesteryear stars have been cast as fathers. Economic considerations can be seen in the casting of heroines with all four lacking mass following.
The film has been shot extensively on indoor locations, which helps keep the budget down. The film has just one real action scene with all four heroes involved; it is well executed.
While performances by all male artistes is good, if rated the order it would be Mithun Chakraborty, Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Reitesh Deshmukh and Shreyash Talpade.
Johny Lever is good but having seen the film with the audience in Uttar Pradesh, it looked like his native Marathi lingo was not going down well with the audience. All four female actors are passable.
Housefull 2 is a fair entertainer and due to its star cast and reasonable opening at multiplexes (the single screens opening is not the same) should be able to sail safe.
Hindi
Abundantia and invideo join hands for Rs 100 crore AI films
Studio Aion and global video tech leader join forces for 5 AI-driven films over 3 years.
When Hollywood meets artificial intelligence, the credits might soon read “Directed by Algorithm” but Abundantia Entertainment wants to keep the human spark in the frame. The Mumbai-based studio’s AI-powered division Aion has teamed up with generative-video pioneer invideo in a Rs 100 crore strategic partnership, billed as India’s largest structured commitment to AI-driven filmmaking to date.
Announced at the India AI Film Festival (IAFF) beside the historic Qutb Minar in New Delhi on the sidelines of the India AI Impact Summit 2026, the alliance pools Abundantia’s creative and production muscle with invideo’s cutting-edge AI video tech. The duo will channel the Rs 100 crore development and production corpus into a slate of five AI-driven films over the next three years, blending human imagination with machine-powered tools to craft stories that aim to be both emotionally rich and technologically bold.
Abundantia Entertainment founder & CEO Vikram Malhotra framed the move as cinema’s next big leap, “AI in film-making is now real! Every major leap in cinema from sound to colour to digital has expanded storytelling possibility. AI represents the next inflection point. With Abundantia Aion, we are building a future where AI strengthens and amplifies the filmmaker’s voice, not substitutes it.”
Invideo founder & CEO Sanket Shah echoed the sentiment: “At invideo our mission has always been to democratize high-quality video creation through AI. Partnering with a top-notch studio like Abundantia Entertainment enables us to extend this capability into the world of high-quality filmmaking by building tools and workflows that allow creators to move from idea to cinematic expression faster and more freely than ever before.”
The collaboration already has momentum. Abundantia Aion is developing India’s first AI-generated Hindi feature film, Chiranjeevi Hanuman, slated for release in 2026, alongside its next AI-powered project, Jai Santoshi Mata, as part of a broader slate. The partnership will explore OpenAI-style workflows, advanced generative pipelines (bolstered by invideo’s recent Google Cloud tie-up), and new ways to accelerate everything from concept to final cut.
Backed by Tiger Global and Peak XV, invideo brings deep generative-video expertise to the table, while Abundantia’s track record in storytelling ensures the tech serves the narrative rather than stealing the show. In a year when AI is rewriting rules across industries, this Rs 100 crore bet signals India’s ambition to shape not just follow the future of cinema. Lights, camera, algorithm… action.
