104. Dhilluku Dhuddu 2; movie review

DHILLIKU DHUDDU 2
Cert 15
119 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong supernatural threat

Slapstick and horror are two genres which have Indian audiences scuttling to the box office, especially when they are merged as in Dhilliku Dhuddu 2.
I struggle with both - although I do have soft spots for Laurel & Hardy and Norman Wisdom and have been known to appreciate a very good horror.
Unfortunately, Rambhala's movie is not the latter - it is out of the same mould as last year's awful Iruttu Araiyil Murattu Kuththu.
Indeed, it has in common the familiar bald-headed figure of Rajendran who is being spooked by a ghost again.
This time he is the uncle of the film's central character, Viji (Santhanam) and the two go around getting drunk and plaguing their local neighbourhood.
Meanwhile, a curse on a nurse (Shritha Sivadas) means that every time a potential suitor says they love her, a malevolent spirit sets about them.
Yep, you've guessed it - the village idiot is awoken from his alcoholic haze by the beauty of the aforementioned nurse and their romance is deliberately encouraged by the locals so he will be a victim of the ghost.
Of course, it doesn't pan out quite that way and there is a crazy role for a guru of witchcraft (Bipin) and a guru-ess (Urvashi) as Viji closes in on the ghosts.
Frankly, it is all utterly bonkers.
Inevitably, there is mockery of the disabled, jokes about toilet activities, people tripping up and lots of screwed up faces.
And behind it all, there is a love match between an unsavoury drunkard and a girl who is seen so little that I didn't care about her.
That's it. Audiences have been lapping it up, critics have shown their appreciation and I will have more of these type of movies to watch in the future as a result. Lucky me.

Reasons to watch: Ghosts and comedy is a regular Indian cinema mix
Reasons to avoid: I just didn't find it funny

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 4/10

Did you know? Nearly 2,000 people across India, mostly women, were killed for alleged witchcraft between 2005 and 2015, the most recent numbers available from India’s National Crime Records Bureau.

The final word. Rambhala: "I believe no one can recreate the magic of legends like Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Norman Wilson, and Jerry Lewis. Slipping off the floor, accidentally banging the head on the door… these ideas have been done to death. So, we’ve tried our best to employ it economically." new indian express

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