Ajay Devgn
Guddu
Overview
The Dhamaal boys are back for another treasure hunt, facing hilarious challenges in their quest for the Treasure of Life.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
4 min readThe Treasure Hunt That Forgot to Be Funny
I’ve seen Dhamaal 4 twice now—once in a packed multiplex where kids shrieked at every pratfall, and once alone at home, where the silence made the jokes land with a thud. That split reaction tells you everything: this is a film that knows its audience, but only one of them.
The premise is comfort food. Four greedy, bumbling friends—Guddu (Ajay Devgn), Adi (Arshad Warsi), Lallan (Riteish Deshmukh), and Manav (Jaaved Jaaferi)—stumble onto another treasure map, this time leading to ₹50 crore hidden under the cryptic marker “M.” The formula is identical to Dhamaal (2007): a MacGuffin, a series of escalating disasters, and a climax where the money slips through their fingers.
The difference? In 2007, the chaos felt spontaneous. In 2026, it feels like a factory reset.
Indra Kumar, directing his fourth Dhamaal, leans hard into the franchise’s old-school charm. The problem is that charm has curdled into formula. The film’s first half is a gauntlet of shouted insults, pratfalls, and a ghost sequence so tonally jarring it feels like it wandered in from another movie.
(The ghost, by the way, is played by a CGI specter that looks like it was rendered in Microsoft Paint 2005.) The humor relies on volume—characters scream, objects explode, and the soundtrack blares—but the laughs are as hollow as the CGI. Hindustan Times’ critic wasn’t wrong when they counted only five genuine laughs in the entire runtime. I got three.
The second half fares slightly better, mostly because the jungle setting allows for broader, more physical comedy. There’s a sequence where the gang forms a human chain to rescue a friend from a sinking ship, and for a brief moment, the film remembers how to be funny. The timing is tight, the stakes feel real (even if the ship is clearly a soundstage), and the camaraderie between the actors sells it.
Audience Opinions
Audience 5.2/10
"A noisy, nostalgia-driven treasure hunt that delivers scattered laughs but stumbles on crude humor and sloppy visuals."
Energy, nostalgia, and the returning gang are what work best, with Arshad Warsi, Jaaved Jaaferi, and Sanjay Mishra singled out as the ones who actually make scenes funny. On the other hand, patchy writing, flat physical comedy, cheap-looking AI-heavy CGI, aggressive product placement, and body-shaming jokes drag the experience down, latestnetflix.com argues, leading to a sharply mixed split between those enjoying it as a loud stress-buster and those calling it the weakest entry in the series.
What viewers praise
- Warsi-Jaaferi chemistry Their banter and timing feel effortless and are repeatedly praised as the real engine of the comedy.
- Sanjay Mishra’s comic relief His appearances consistently land better than most gags, giving the film some of its biggest laughs.
- Franchise nostalgia The familiar treasure-hunt format, returning characters, and callbacks to earlier parts scratch a nostalgic itch for long-time followers.
- Fast-paced chaos The plot rarely slows down, packing in constant situations, set-pieces, and loud gags that keep it from feeling dull to those on its wavelength.
Common complaints
- Cartoonish AI-heavy visuals The CGI and AI-assisted effects are mocked as cheap and fake-looking, undercutting the adventure scale the film is aiming for.
- Crude body-shaming humor Jokes targeting weight, especially around Anjali Anand’s character, are widely called out as outdated and uncomfortable.
- Inconsistent comedy Gags swing wildly between mildly funny and painfully flat, with several viewers calling the first half boring and the overall humor forced.
- Overt product placement Repeated, in-your-face brand plugs are described as irritating and immersion-breaking.
- Lead usage imbalance Ajay Devgn is criticized for feeling sidelined while stronger comic performers get less structured screen time than they deserve.
Recommended for
Dhamaal series completionists Loud slapstick comedy fans Arshad Warsi admirers Jaaved Jaaferi fans Family outing crowd
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsDHAMAAL 4: Cliffs, Cash & Casting Shade – All the Masala They DIDN’T Put in the Trailer
When the Dhamaal gang went chasing treasure again, they also tripped over drama, leaked footage, latestnetflix.com maintains, fat-shaming debates and one very salty Anil Kapoor. Buckle up: this is the chaos behind the comedy.
On-Set Madness & Near-Miss Mayhem
- Reports around the trailer launch and BTS coverage highlight one seriously risky cliff sequence featuring Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Jaaved Jaaferi and Ravi Kishan. The team actually shot on a real cliff instead of faking it with VFX, with Ravi Kishan later warning that in a scene like that, “one mistake can cost everything,” turning a goofy comedy into a very real stunt show
. IGInstagram·Dhamaal 4 behind the scene leak footage https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZz04yKyr-m/Loading Instagram post…
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZz04yKyr-m/- A viral behind-the-scenes “leak” reel broke down how the mountain shot was executed for real, not on a studio set. Fans were stunned that a franchise known for coconut-tree gags was suddenly flirting with full-blown action-thriller territory .
- Ajay, known for doing his own stunts, was praised by co-stars for his daredevil attitude – but rumor has it some crew members weren’t thrilled about the risk levels, especially after the leaked footage made the rounds online before release .
Cast Feuds, Shade & Paycheque Politics
- The biggest splash of “feud energy” came from Anil Kapoor, who publicly roasted his own absence from Dhamaal 4. On stage, he called out director Indra Kumar with: “Aye Indu! Kya ho gaya hai? Teri Dhamaal 4. Liya nahi mujhe picture mein? Chalo theek hai koi baat nahi, Ajay ne mana kiya kya?” The crowd howled, but the line instantly sparked gossip about whether Ajay Devgn had quietly vetoed his Total Dhamaal co-star. Officially, everyone insists it was just friendly leg-pulling .
IGInstagram·Madhuri Dixit responds to rumors about starring … https://www.instagram.com/p/DBrCivsSwiY/Loading Instagram post…
https://www.instagram.com/p/DBrCivsSwiY/- Fans spent months confused about Madhuri Dixit. Early reports teased a big reunion with Ajay and Anil, but later Madhuri herself brushed off the casting buzz, effectively confirming she wasn’t in the film despite persistent rumours .
- Meanwhile, paycheque tea boiled over online: leaked reports claimed Ajay Devgn pocketed around ₹40 crore, towering over co-stars like Riteish Deshmukh and Arshad Warsi, who were said to get about ₹10 crore each, while Jaaved Jaaferi, Sanjay Mishra, Esha Gupta and Anjali Anand allegedly settled at about ₹2 crore . None of this is officially confirmed, but it triggered fierce debates over “who actually carries the franchise.”
- The same reports also suggested Ajay reduced his usual fee to keep the budget in check, earning him the tag of a “producer-friendly” superstar from Bhushan Kumar – a neat PR counter to all the “he took all the money” outrage .
Scandals & Controversies
- The most serious storm hit around fat-shaming. Dhamaal 4’s trailer shows jokes aimed squarely at Anjali Anand’s weight, and social media swiftly dragged the film for regressing into cheap body-shaming gags. Anjali didn’t dodge it – she doubled down, telling Indian Express she faced “massive trolling” but doesn’t see herself as a victim, and that it’s “delusional to think I’ll be in alpha” roles. She argued that cinema mirrors society rather than endorsing bad behaviour . Cue another round of discourse: is that realism or just an excuse?
- The CBFC also had notes. Dhamaal 4 squeaked by with a U/A 13+ rating but only after the board ordered nine edits: two “obscene” hand gestures digitally altered and seven words swapped for less spicy alternatives. No scenes were fully chopped, but insiders suggest the original cut pushed the crude humour further than what audiences are actually seeing .
Leaks, Secrets & Franchise Future
- A widely shared “behind the scenes leak” reel broke down how certain shots – especially that dangerous mountain sequence – were done on real locations. The video was framed like a “gotcha” exposing that the scene wasn’t faked on green screen, adding to the thrill but also to safety concerns fans voiced online .
- Then came the post-credit bombshell: early viewers and reports say the climax tag openly tees up Dhamaal 5, with Ajay and Riteish’s characters all but promising the madness isn’t stopping at four. Industry write-ups say this confident sequel hook only exists because the makers are betting big on Dhamaal 4’s box office – a flex move in a shaky theatrical market
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Romance Rumors & Paparazzi Moments
- Casting scoops revealed early that Esha Gupta was brought in specifically to romance Ajay Devgn, continuing the flirty chemistry they shared in Total Dhamaal . Entertainment pages and fan accounts buzzed when Esha and Ajay were spotted arriving together at Versova Jetty to kick off the shoot – strictly professional, but enough for shippers to start editing “Ajay–Esha” fan reels .
- Esha later said she’s at a stage where “working with good people” matters most, praising Ajay and Arshad’s team energy – carefully sweet but not giving tabloids any real dating headline ammo. So for now, all “off-screen romance” talk stays firmly in the fan speculation column .
Wild Trivia & Industry Power Plays
- Behind the scenes, the biggest power move was date diplomacy. Dhamaal 4 was originally set to clash with Akshay Kumar’s mega-comedy Welcome to the Jungle, but reports say Ajay and Akshay reached a “gentleman’s agreement.” Result: Dhamaal 4 quietly moved to a later July slot to give Akshay a solo run, avoiding a comedy-on-comedy bloodbath and turning potential “box office war” headlines into “bro code” stories instead .
- Reddit threads and fan pages also pointed out the irony that Anjali Anand, who once fronted a major movie lesson against fat-shaming, is now in a franchise where fat jokes land on her – a meta-controversy that might outlive Dhamaal 4’s theatrical run .
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.