Housefull 5 A

🎬 Housefull 5A (2025) – Full Story & Overview

This movie is the fifth installment in the bollywood comedy franchise ‘Housefull’, with Tarun Mansukhani as the director and Farhad Samji as the co-writer. Following a different direction from the previous installments, the film incorporates a dual release format with two versions Housefull 5A and Housefull 5B. Each version differs in its climax for its respective Housefull installment yielding separate murder mysteries for viewers to joy as an added treat.

🧩 Plot Summary

As the film opens, viewers are treated to an international cruise ship. The setting for the theme of the wedding and its reception revolves around several eccentric couples fighting for attention during the variety filled wedding lavish vacation. In the middle of all the mischief, a terrible event unfolds and that is the murder of Ranjeet Dobriyal, a billion dollar business tycoon. The plot encompasses several fictional self-decepting stories filled with intense comedy, parody clashes and a great deal of confusion with directly opposite characters gets fused.

We meet the one and only “Jollys” consisting of Julius, played by Akshay Kumar (Jolly 3), Jalbhushan (Jolly 2) played by Abhishek Bachchan, Jameel (Jolly 1) played by Riteish Deshmukh. With growing suspicions towards these three, they must solve the perplexing problem which will thrun them into a waterfall of secrets, rivalry, and odd adventures tangled in mystery.

As the events are taken up a notch, love triangles, betrayal, and family drama unfolds on the deck with the climax being both the A and B versions of the film and is distinctly different.

⭐ Main Cast & Characters

Akshay Kumar as Julius a.k.a. Jolly 3 – A man cursed with perpetual bad luck seeking to exonerate himself.

Abhishek Bachchan as Jalbhushan (Jolly 2) – An character of dubious and goal-oriented persuasions.

Riteish Deshmukh as Jameel (Jolly 1) – The eccentric and somewhat bizarre yet sharp-witted character providing laughter.

Jacqueline Fernandez as Kiara, Julius’s fiery and suspicious wife-to-be.

Nargis Fakhri, Sonam Bajwa, Chitrangda Singh, and Soundarya Sharma as the fashionably dressed and mysterious ladies aboard the ship, each having her own sob story.

Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, and Nana Patekar portray elder relatives and potential murder suspects.

Chunky Panday returns as Aakhri Pasta, the ship manager who’s always dazed and lost.

Fardeen Khan plays Dev, whose character is dictated by the version of the movie, A or B.

Star and comic power is also provided by Johnny Lever, Dino Morea, Ranjeet and even Bobby Deol in a cameo.

🎥 Production Details

Filming happened on a real cruise liner that was traveling from London to Spain, with sets built to reflect lavish ballrooms, cabins, and sun decks. Additional work had to be done in post production to complete some of the sequences as filming experienced numerous delays because of harsh weather conditions. Choreography ranges from energetic ensemble dance sequences to solely lavishly masqueraded individual dancer showcases, all in keeping with the franchise’s trademark extravagance.

The movie was filmed in two formats, 5A and 5B. Both had the same premise but different third acts. In the 5A version, Dev (Fardeen Khan) is unmasked as the secret antagonist, while in 5B a different accomplice unfurls his deeds.

🧠 The Dual Ending Twist: An Analysis

What makes Housefull 5A so different is how candid the production was with shocking its die-hard followers. In 5A, Jalbhushan (Abhishek) gets unveiled as the slaughter’s pawn who had been under the control of Dev (Fardeen) the whole time. In 5B, Jalbhushan is still the killer but for wholly new reasoning and fresh accomplice. They made the decision to shed the veil and let the viewers decide which ending resonated more with them: from smart to idiotic reasoning.

📊 Reception & Box Office

Housefull 5A gukked fairly strong box office numbers, reportedly raking in ₹22–24 crore net on its first day and surpassing ₹50 crore in first weekend. It maintained impressively high footfall in cinemas despite mixed reviews, most likely due to the novelty of two versions.

Critics were split:

Praised: The ensemble cast’s energetic performance, along with Abhishek’s darker turn, and Akshay Kumar’s perfect comic timing.

Criticized: Weak plot cohesiveness. Excessive reliance on double entendres and slapstick during serious moments.

Most audience reception was overwhelmingly positive, particularly among those who delight in the stunningly wild yet chaotic world that Housefull represents.

✅ Final Verdict

Housefull 5A epitomizes the quintessential Bollywood masala caper filled with lavish visuals, a massive ensemble cast, and an infrequently experimental format. Despite not transforming the genre, it undeniably adds mystery and much-needed novelty to the franchise. For die-hard fans and anyone wanting a comic murder mystery set aboard a cruise ship, the film is brimming with entertainment.

• Run time: 165 minutes
• Genre: Comedy, Thriller, Mystery
• Language: Hindi
• Release Date: 6 June 2025