Here is the movie review for 'Happy New Year': Ratings:3.5/5 Review By: Subhash K Jha
HNY is the kind of film that doesn’t allow us to dwell on the crimes of excesses, of which there is plenty in this stretched-out plot . The carnival-like flavour of presentation is not quite the aesthetic experience that one expects from a film with such a classy line-up of actors and technicians. Instead what we get in abundance are in-house jokes where Shah Rukh Khan does dialogue take-offs with his co-stars from his own famous films.
Speaking of take-offs, there is an excess of shirtless scenes featuring Mr Khan and Sonu Sood who seem to enjoy dropping their shirts for no other reason but to become instant eye-candy for the ladies in the audience. For most of the playing time the main actors play graceless dancers masquerading as wannabe winners at an international dance contest whose owner Jackie Shroff(scowling constantly) has a strange aversion to all things Indian.
Ratings:2.5/5 Review By: Rajeev Masand Site:CNN IBN
You'll find yourself chuckling and cringing alternately while watching Happy New Year, in which director Farah Khan skillfully sets up a heist plot against an international dance competition scenario. It's a curious premise, and Farah brings many of the same elements that she applied to good use in Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om, namely lots of self-referencing, affectionate nods to 70s Bollywood, and the ability to occasionally laugh at oneself. But there are also tiring revenge clichés, a shrewdly devised patriotic track, and that formidable length - a full 2 hours and 59 minutes!
Ratings:2/5 Review By: Raja Sen Site:Rediff
Happy New Year, alas, isn't the sharpest tool in her shed, and while there is some good ol' fun to be had in being thwacked on the head by a blunt instrument, it loses its novelty in the third hour. Yessir, ladies and gents, this is a three-hour film, and -- for a film that shares more of its DNA with an episode of Scooby Doo than it dies with Ocean's Eleven -- that's way, way too much to bear. Not to mention Abhishek Bachchan whose superpower is barfing.
Ratings:3/5 Review By: Troy Ribeiro Site:IANS
Packed with humour and fluff, “Happy New Year” is a buoyant revenge saga that revolves around a predictable heist drama, where every character is emotionally blackmailed to be a part of the plan, for the sake of their “maa”, “mama”, “papa” or “dad”. A mix of heist and dance, which is formulaic in nature, the story unfolds with “no motivation, no crime” as its theme. There is an ample dose of patriotism
Ratings:2/5 Review By: Saibal Chatterjee Site:NDTV
Unabashedly bad movies that mop up obscenely big bucks are director Farah Khan's forte. She was however third time unlucky with Tees Maar Khan. It was put down by many to the fact that the film did not have her proven good luck charm, SRK, on board. So for her fourth directorial outing, the choreographer has brought back her Main Hoon Na and Om Shanti Om star, complete with gym-toned abs, a host of dog-eared tricks and a familiar set of talismanic mannerisms, to foist more of the same on the audience.
Ratings:-- Review By: Sneha May Francis Site:Emirates247
Low on logic, and high on opulence, her movies flourish on song and dance, and rides purely on Shah Rukh Khan’s shoulders, or might we add abs! Her ‘Happy New Year’, however, is her weakest dance link, or should we say the “worst” yet. It’s never about the dance but about comedy of the lowest rank and over-the-top patriotism. Armed with no real story and dialogues and scenes borrowed from SRK’s earlier films, ‘Happy New Year’s exposes Farah’s deep desire to impress SRK.
Ratings:2/5 Review By: Manjusha Radhakrishnan Site:Gulfnews
The robbery and its build-up should have been water-tight, but their clowning around takes up a lot of screen time making it a tedious watch. You may find yourself laughing at some of their antics, but HNY proves that nothing spectacular comes out of mixing gang robbery with grinding hips.It’s got a few silly jokes, but they are too few to transform HNY into an engaging watch.
Ratings:2.5/5 Review By: Kavita Sriniavasan Site:Masala
Strange moments aside, there were glimpses of Farah’s brilliant humour and not a dull (illogical and strange, yes) moment in the movie. In Happy New Year, like her previous flicks, the best is saved for the last as the entire cast and crew take part in a “Worst Dance Competition” when the credits roll. It all ends with a svelte Gauri and a cherubic AbRam playing with his besotted dad SRK. Is sitting through the entire movie worth it just to get to the end? In this case, YES! The final word: Happy New Year is worth a watch this festive season. You will, like me, laugh throughout the movie – whether at, or with them! Dear readers, you decide.
Ratings:2/5 Review By:Mohar Basu Site:Koimoi
Happy New Year is two distinct films rolled in one. While the first hour is breezy, fun and pretty watchable, the second hour is a convoluted mess with a heist angle that doesn’t work, a romantic track that seems forced, the vivaciousness lacking from the camaraderie of the characters and the sappyness of a dukhbhari daastan of a backstory. It is a half baked film that uses all the regular formulaic heist tools and naturally offers nothing unseen or unexpected. The predictability of the climax was the most fatal blow for the film. It isn’t unwatchable but horridly disappointing.
Ratings:4/5 Review By:Rohit Khilnani Site:India Today
Shah Rukh Khan has worked hard on his body for this film and he does a fine job of flaunting it. Extremely full of energy most of the times, he entertains. Deepika puts in sincere efforts but is limited because of the writing. Boman Irani plays a Parsi and is the funniest of the lot. Sonu Sood is brilliant. Abhishek Bachchan performs well too and so does Vivaan Shah. The challenge is to entertain and Happy New Year falls short in entertaining, it's long length of over three hours being the weakest point. There is no doubt that Farah Khan knows the craft well but she is yet to give an entertainer like Om Shanti Om. If you go and watch Happy New Year, you will surely sit through it but will you walk out smiling? I can't take that guarantee.
Ratings:/5 Review By:Paloma Sharma Site:Rediff
The film relies more on the two-minute noodle brand of patriotism than it does on common sense in order to further the plot. Featuring some adorable cameos from Anurag Kashyap and Vishal Dadlani and (yes, you’re reading this right) Sajid Khan. This could have been a much better film if only it had dared to move out of its comfort zone. Happy New Year is a film that’s bound to make you feel good, but trust me, the feeling won’t last.
Ratings:4/5 Review By:Sarita Tanwar Site:DNA India
Despite having everything going for it, you wonder why they didn’t fine-tune the screenplay a bit more. There are logic issues; there are sensibility issues and in a heist film, you can’t have that. Fortunately for Farah, she pulls out a trick every time you begin to look at your phone screen. I wish Boman Irani would stop playing the lonesome Parsi guy – he’s better than that. Make this Diwali even more special with Happy New Year. One of the best entertainers of 2014.
Ratings:/5 Review By:Aparna Mudi Site:Zee News
One sure hopes that Farah had spent a little more time on the movie itself than on the promotions, because even though it is sure that the movie will ride the wave of a Diwali weekend and Shah Rukh's popularity, therefore do good business, this is her flimsiest movie yet. The spectacular entertainment that is expected out of her is all but a fizz. It may be entertaining in parts, but at best it is a one time watch. Watch the movie if you are a Shah Rukh Khan fan – but the movie has nothing more than his fabulous body to offer.
Ratings:4.5/5 Review By:Bollywood Hungama News Network Site:Bollywood Hungama
It is Shah Rukh Khan, who leads the film on his able shoulders right from the word go. In this film, he has been portrayed more as an action hero who can sing and dance, which again, the King Khan has done full justice to. Deepika Padukone, on the other hand, does full justice to her character Marathi bar dancer. Deepika has definitely evolved a lot as an actress and she proves that yet again with her comic role in this film. Sonu Sood excels in his role and looks convincingly funny. Abhishek Bachchan is back to doing loud comedy in this film after BOL BACHCHAN. In this film, be ready for a double dose of Abhishek as he is seen in a double role.The ever-versatile Boman Irani, yet again proves that he is a bankable actor and such roles are tailor made for him. Vivaan Shah also performs well with so many experienced actors around him. All in all, HAPPY NEW YEAR is definitely a smash hit film, which has blockbuster written all over it. The film will set new records in the days to come. Go for it!
Ratings:2/5 Review By:Shubhra Gupta Site:Indian Express
Deepika Padukone is the one that manages to stand out a little, and that could be because there is no other female competition. It helps that she is an excellent dancer, and has grown by leaps and bounds, both in the moving-and-acting departments, from her first film ‘Om Shanti Om’, in which she starred opposite SRK. A few riffs in the song-and-dance numbers remind you of Farah’s original talent as a choreographer, and Padukone is twinkly-toed enough, most times, to keep slackness momentarily at bay. As is Shah Rukh’s sexy-weary schtick, when it gets a chance to come to the fore.
Ratings:2.5/5 Review By:Rohit Vats Site:Hindustan Times
It’s entertaining for sure but it would have been easier for the viewer to form a positive opinion about the film if it would have been edited by at least 20 more minutes. The ‘close to three hours’ duration makes one uneasy and also induces repetition. Happy New Year is a film which the crowd will force you to see as it has all the elements of the popular Bollywood. The presence of a big starcast will only add to its charm but then your opinion about it will be mostly dependent on the kind of cinema you want to see in future. As far as a final verdict is concerned, there is nothing wrong with Happy New Year if all that you are looking for is a good timepass and entertainment.