Welcome - Another Akshay Kumar hit

Akshay and Katrina have already done 2 movies together - Humko Diwana Kar Gaye and Namastey London. Namastey London was a hit, and the pair did feel good on-screen. Welcome just takes the pair to their best hit so far, and does so in style. The movie is styled as an out and out comedy, the kind that you go and watch, and whether you like it or not, you really don't think too much about it afterwards. Welcome must have been difficult to put together, what with so many different stars, different locales, and the need to put so many gags into one movie, but director Aneez Bazmi seems to have managed that. And Welcome has been a big hit, more so overseas.
I was very enthused about the movie when I went in, but a trifle disappointed with the movie when I came out. It could have been far better in my opinion. I liked another comedy from the same producers (Nadiadwalas) much better, which was Mujhse Shaadi Karoge ? That was an all out comedy in which the comic bits never flagged, while in this movie there were times when I was not laughing, it seemed so forced.
Ok, so maybe it was not so bad. The 4 main other characters of Paresh Rawal, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar and Feroz Khan were great in their roles. They seemed natural. For example, I loved the way that Paresh Rawal meets a family when hunting for a bride for his nephew, and the way that his encounter with Ranjeet's family goes. Similarly, the way that Nana Patekar goes ballistic, and then says 'Control'; and also the time when he has to become emotional in front of Paresh Rawal (while faking it) was great. And Feroz Khan just acted naturally, and overall was great. It's just that the storyline and direction seemed to become much weaker in the second half.
The story of the movie is about the auctioneer Rajeev (Akshay) for whom his uncle Dr. Paresh Rawal is hunting for a bride, but she has to be from a honest family. And this is the main issue. Akshay meets Katrina and falls for her (literally ! She has to carry him away from a fire), and things seem to start moving. But her brother Nana Patekar and fellow don Anil Kapoor are the biggest dons in Hong Kong, and so Paresh refuses. Much threatening and comedy later, he agrees. But Paresh brings in Mallika to try and break up the marriage; she is actually a family friend. To try and break the impasse, Akshay tries to turn them honest (and this was very weak, since how would getting both of them to dally with Mallika in different roles - a wanna be movie actor and an artist work, since when the truth would come out, they are unlikely to remain honest). And then there is the head, Feroz Khan, and when accidentally Katrina shoots Feroz's son dead, there is hell to pay. Eventually, after a lot of drama and cliff-hangers, things work out. But the movie could have been far better.
Music for the movie is by 3 music directors: Himesh Reshammiya, Anand Raj Anand and Sajid-Wajid


Videos of songs

Welcome title song:



Uncha Lamba Kad