Happy Bhag Jayegi Movie Reviews

Director Mudassar Aziz has handled a complex issue with so much conviction, given considering a cross border run-com theme.

The family comedy manages to pull the right strings and change the present (if not the history) of Indo-Pak relations for the two hours that it lasts. Buckle up and enjoy the ride, Janaab!

An India-Pakistan encounter that does not involve terrorists or silly politicians or bad-mouthing ‘them’? Never thought it was possible. But writer-director Mudassar Aziz manages that and offers us a funny story on a runaway bride, harried cops, silly cops, ambitious fathers, arranged marriages, and so much more… Mostly predictable, but delightful nonetheless.

‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ will be happily acceptable by the people who love feel-good types of films, despite of its flaws and weakness. The fun elements associated with this movie will keep you engaged and smiling throughout the film.

Happy Bhag Jayegi is a feel-good, light-hearted drama that does not need to be taken seriously.

…is a non-stop entertainer, an absolute laugh riot, from start to finish, but, in order to fully enjoy the film, one needs to be credulous enough to believe anything and everything that’s on offer. In other words, the viewer must be willing to suspend the disbelief concerning the implausibility of the narrative. Once the viewer makes this compromise, Happy Bhag Jayegi will prove to be a rollercoaster of a ride. Aanand L Rai and team have done it again. Here is a family entertainer that just cannot to be missed!

Clocking in at a little over two hours, Happy Bhag Jayegi is mostly fun despite its shortcomings, because the humor is earned. The jokes are mined from the characters and the scenarios they find themselves in; they’re never merely slapped onto the narrative like in so many films. It’s far from perfect, but it’s unlikely you’ll be bored.

Director Mudassar Aziz’s film is a good watch. The supply of situational comedy won’t end till you leave the theatre.

Happy Bhag Jayegi is an inoffensive family entertainer. If you don’t like your history with flying crocodiles or with patriotism forced down the throat, this inconspicuous film might appeal to you.

…comes across as a feel good film that will make you happy. At the Box-Office, its prospects will be rewarding for its makers.

All-in-all, the film is a genuine attempt at a family entertainer and would surely make you smile throughout.

HBJ has glaring flaws like Ali we are told is a musician but we never see him sing, is predictable and is a missed opportunity to turn itself into a laugh riot going by its premise and settings in Lahore with a couple of good punches on ‘urdu’ but still in totality it’s an harmless feel good fun that successfully puts a smile on your face when you come out. Go for it.

Happy Bhag Jayegi suffers from an average writing in the second half. However, thanks to several light moments and fantastic performances, it turns out to be a decent watch that has the potential to surprise you.

It would be a stretch to say this one redefines romcoms or is like none other in recent times. In fact, the climax sequence has the entire cast in a loony fit, much like an average Priyadarshan film. Director Mudassar Aziz’s last, Dulha Mil Gaya (2010), wasn’t exactly path-breaking and only helped us walk into this one with zero expectations, which were exceeded by this breezy watch. So, if you’re in for a mild entertainer which won’t make or ruin your mood, bhaag to a multiplex near you.

The only reason we recommend you watch this film is because it is a breezy romantic comedy that keeps melodrama at bay. It is a rare movie that only wants you to leave the theatre with a smile and does a sincere job at it. Are we happy? Well, yes almost.  

The flaws and loose ends are quite minor and can be completely overlooked in this super enjoyable fun fest. For me, producer Aanand L. Rai and Eros have scored a distinguished hat-trick after “Tanu Weds Manu Returns” and “Nil Battey Sannata.”

Happy Bhag Jayegi isn’t the kind of film that will have audiences rolling in the aisles. But it might occasionally induce faint smiles on some faces.

Happy Bhag Jayegi is a breezy entertainer that has its moments. This the kind of film one enjoys as a Tv-watch at best.

This Diana Penty, Abhay Deol film is good for a few laughs but then falls victim to weak writing and never realises its full potential.

If Happy Bhag Jayegi succeeds in delivering a few laughs, it’s entirely to the credit of the actors…It’s silly but this is the most humour you can expect.

This is the sort of desperate comedy that basically takes the Keystone Cops’ style of ‘everybody is running around each other’ kinda humour a bit too far. To be fair, one can still see how this must have read well on paper. Some lines are absolutely first-rate. A few funny scenes really hold your attention.

Happy Bhag Jayegi is worth a watch for Jimmy Shergill and Abhay Deol. Consider this Diana Penty film this weekend only if you have already watched last week’s releases, Rustom and Mohenjo Daro, and are not keen on Hollywood films such as Ben Hur or Pete’s Dragon.

If you want to lighten your day and have a good laugh then Happy Bhag Jayegi is the movie for you! It has all the elements of love, romance and comedy peppered into it which will make you forget all your worries and provide full on masala entertainment.

A few dialogue do make us laugh and make us hopeful that the film might pick up but it completely tanks off in the second half. Technically, as produced b Aanand L Rai and Krishika Lulla, it is sound. But plot is where is gives off.  

The movie is well-edited as well (Ninad Khanolkar), and that partially lifts it out of its drab writing. Nevertheless, HBJ is still a small-town saga lacking in novelty, romance and adventure, and less than a riveting watch. You can safely skip this one.

Happy Bhag Jayegi does make the funny bones tickle as Bilal’s father constantly reminds that his son is good enough to “change the history of Pakistan”. Unfortunately, the film will not change the fate of its actors, rather change the history of its makers for worse.

Aziz obviously has a flair for comedy but he needs to work on it. What he desperately needed here was either more time and thought, or a co-writer to help him build on the starting blocks he set up. Happy Bhag Jayegi is fun and funny in large parts, but the second half is also bogged down by how insubstantial and consequently forgettable it is.

Happy Bhag Jayegi is good in parts only, but the contrived screenplay will do the film in. In the final tally, it will not be able to do much at the box-office.

It entertains abundantly in the first half, but sadly the second half doesn’t quite manage to maintain the same pace and seems to fizzle out. The film has some great laugh-out-loud scenes that have been intelligently written, devoid of any slapstick humor.

India-Pakistan unity and other tropes aside, “Happy Bhag Jayegi” is a mildly funny comedy that doesn’t try too hard to push the boundaries, but does enough to entertain you.

Shergill is fast turning into one of Hindi cinema’s great sad sacks, and Mishra into one of its finest mutterers. Their collective enthusiasm renders the film’s lack of subtlety endearing and its gaps in narrative logic inconsequential. I’m having a hard time remembering the last time I watched a Hindi film this silly but still found myself laughing.

Of course, there are gaping plot-holes and slapdash contrivances galore but some genuine fun and many smart lines to balance things in favour of this Indo-Pak interaction of a different kind. If you come laughing out of this one you know there’s “padosi mulk ka haath” in it. A good handshake all the way.

Mutual tensions, politics and conflict are shoved out of view for a rom-com utopia in which, if only for 126 minutes, Indians and Pakistanis are on the same side. All they want is a barreful of laughs, and at least on that score, the movie doesn’t let them down.