Dhamaal 4 (2026): Familiar Laughs, Bigger Ensemble, Same Old Formula

The opening-day numbers are in, Rs 13.75 crore nett in India and Rs 21.50 crore worldwide, per GoodReturns citing Sacnilk and trade reporting, and the Dhamaal machine clearly still has commercial pull. But pull toward what, exactly, is the question that lingers across this 2h 23m comedy-adventure that reunites the franchise’s core chaos crew under Indra Kumar’s direction once more.

This is comfort food cinema, engineered for audiences who know exactly what they’re buying before the trailers even finish. Whether that’s enough in 2026 is another matter entirely.

Ajay Devgn’s Guddu Remains the Franchise’s Straight-Man Anchor

Devgn returns as Guddu Rastogi, playing the exasperated everyman caught between his own ambitions and the idiocy orbiting him. He’s the calm eye in this storm of comic chaos, and his timing remains dependable even when the material around him isn’t.

What’s striking is how effortlessly he slips back into a register he’s perfected over four films now. The deadpan reactions, the weary sighs, the controlled exasperation, it’s a performance built on repetition, but Devgn sells it with enough craft that familiarity never quite curdles into boredom.

Indra Kumar’s Direction Prioritizes Volume Over Precision

Kumar’s strength has always been marshaling large ensembles into overlapping comic rhythms, and that skill remains intact here. The adventure framing gives the narrative a propulsive structure that the earlier films occasionally lacked.

But there’s a looseness to the screenplay, credited to Paritosh Painter, Balvinder Singh Suri, Vedd Prakash, and Bunty Rathore, that suggests script approval meetings were shorter than the runtime. Gags land, then overstay; setups arrive, then dissipate without payoff.

The film’s pacing suffers from a second half that seems to be making up its structure as it goes along. A tighter edit and a more disciplined screenplay could have elevated this from serviceable to genuinely sharp.

The Comedy Relies on Group Dynamics Rather Than Individual Brilliance

This is ensemble comedy in its purest form, the humor emerges from how these characters bounce off each other, not from any single performance. Misunderstandings, chases, and group dynamics drive the franchise identity, and Dhamaal 4 doubles down on that formula with a larger cast and broader set-pieces.

The adventure framing suggests movement across multiple locations and scenarios, giving Kumar room to intercut between various comic subplots. It’s a structure that works when the writing is sharp, but here the gags often feel like variations on jokes the franchise has already told better.

The UA13+ certification signals family-accessible positioning, which means the comedy stays clean and broad. That’s a commercial calculation that makes sense, even if it occasionally neuters the edgier instincts that made the original Dhamaal feel fresher.

Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, and Jaaved Jaaferi Reunite With Familiar Energy

Warsi’s Adi Srivastav brings the manic energy that’s been his comic trademark since the franchise began. He and Jaaved Jaaferi, playing Manav, share a sibling dynamic that remains one of the series’ more reliable sources of humor, their bickering has the rhythm of a well-rehearsed act.

Deshmukh’s Lallan operates in his signature mode of wide-eyed gullibility, a character who’s perpetually one step behind everyone else’s schemes. It’s a one-note approach, but Deshmukh commits to it with enough enthusiasm to keep it watchable.

Sanjay Mishra’s Johnny and Upendra Limaye’s Prithvi add texture to the supporting roster, while Ravi Kishan’s antagonist Adhoora provides the threat that propels the adventure forward. Kishan brings his characteristic intensity to a role that could easily have been cartoonish.

The Franchise Question: Comfort or Complacency?

No controversies surround this release, which is almost notable in itself, the film exists purely as commercial entertainment without any political baggage. That’s fine, but it also means there’s no friction generating conversation around the film.

Taran Adarsh’s 3.5/5 rating, cited in trade coverage, reflects the general critical posture: this is a film that works for what it is, even if it never aspires to be more. Opening-day footfall suggests the audience appetite for this specific brand of comedy remains undiminished.

The larger question is whether franchise familiarity can sustain itself indefinitely without meaningful evolution. The ensemble generates marketable comic energy, but the law of diminishing returns is real, and Dhamaal 4 feels closer to that curve than its predecessors.

If you’re in the mood for undemanding comedy with a cast that knows exactly how to deliver it, there’s genuine value here. Watch it in a regular cinema screening with an audience that’s ready to laugh, this is the rare film where crowd energy genuinely enhances the experience.

For franchise devotees, this delivers exactly what the poster promises, no more and no less. It’s a 3/5 experience, perfectly adequate weekend entertainment that never threatens to become anything more.

For more Hindi comedy reviews, browse our extensive coverage of similar releases.

If the chaotic ensemble energy appeals to you, I Nobody review offers a different take on star-led filmmaking.

Dhamaal 4 is a knowingly familiar ride, enjoyable in the moment, forgettable by the time you reach the parking lot, and deserving of a modest 3 out of 5 stars.

For another take on ensemble-driven Hindi cinema, Hum Angrezon verdict explores similar territory with different ambitions.