Year of Production: 2008
Direction: Ganesh Archaya
Cast: Govinda, Hansika Motwani, Manoj Bajpai, Upen Patel, Celina Jaitley, Ravi Kissen, Prem Chopra, Javed Sheikh, Aftab Shivdasani, Ketaki Dave

A dream comes true with Money Hai Toh Honey Hai for Ganesh Archaya. Finally he was to direct Govinda, whom he already wanted to have in his directorial debut Swami. Unlike the latter, Money Hai Toh Honey Hai is said to be a comedy - I still wonder why.

Synopsis: Six losers - runaway rich guy Bobby (Govinda), failed businessman Lala (Manoj Bajpai), small time model Manik (Upen Patel), sacked copywriter Gaurav (Aftab Shivdasani), out of work actress Ashima (Hansika) and jobless designer Shruti (Celina Jaitley) - are randomly chosen by eccentric industrialist Jaiswal (Prem Chopra) to inherit his wealth. But when they get to the resort where they have been summoned, they find that they have to actually pay back a huge sum of money to the bank, and deal with Jaiswal’s villainous manager Batra (Ravi Kissen).

Review: In the beginning I felt that certain sting which tells you “Oh please, pull the plug!” I think it was Prem Chopra. The start of Money Hai Toh Honey Hai is not bad at all, it’s completely taken up by the introduction of the characters, but far too long for a good start. And after the introduction the movie could be well over – there’s nothing more to tell from this point on. It changes into an aimless spin around boredom and rarely there’s something to laugh at all!

Lucky No.1 – Upen Patel as Manik
I can’t stand Upen at all yet I have to admit he’s the secret star of this movie! The only actor whose introduction and story is funny. He got me really surprised by his performance though he’s running around half-naked in 60 % of the time.

Lucky No.2 – Manoj Bajpai as Lala Bhai
He’s wasted on this one. I feel sorry for the energy he invested in the project and his role had no substance at all. Sorry Manoj, you’re not made for mainstream cinema.

Lucky No.3 – Celina Jaitley as Shruti
I know that she can be good – if they let her. And they won’t let her here. That Shruti girl is a pain in the neck, absolutely boring but, at least once, I have to say that Celina was not showing her usual acting, it was way better.

Lucky No.4 – Aftab Shivdasani as Gaurav
He was nearly kept out of the promotion and likewise out of the movie. Just a few scenes with Aftab and they are nothing great though I believe he could have saved at least a little bit.

Lucky No.5 – Govinda as Bobby
Yes, so here we are. He looks great in the movie. But that’s it. The role of Bobby was designed for a 20 something happy-go guy, Govinda’s not like that. There’s one thing I liked about Bobby and the whole movie – his parents! Played by Javed Sheikh and Ketaki Dave they were very funny characters altogether. Ketaki – besides Upen Patel – made me laugh out, made me feel like it’s a comedy. Still the picture of Bobby does not fit into this family.

Lucky No.6 – Hansika Motwani as Ashima
I still wonder why she was casted here. All her co-star are older by years and more experienced by movies and that’s what you see at first glance. Ashima’s story is not funny either – this whole thing “No Big Deal”!

The songs were a bit strange, too. OK, Ta Na Na is nearly perfect (though I wondered about the windmills and the colors). Esha managed not to look stupid next to dancer Govinda and the two of them really turned this song into quite something. Meanwhile Churiyaan is a complete mess, you get to see itemgirl Ganesh Archaya and Hansika whose cloth style changes from classy to mongrel and all you wish for is the end of the song! Likewise Rangeeli Raat and Awaara Dil are not nice to watch. It’s no good idea to put all these different dancers into one picture – nearly perfect Govinda, jumping-jack Upen Patel and that Manoj Bajpai who looks like he’s accidentally swallowed a cane. Really no good and not at all funny either. No Big Deal marks one of the best moments of this whole movie. Finally they are not trying to be funny!

Rating: 2/10 points

Labels: esha deol, ganesh archaya, govinda, hansikaa motwani, manoj bajpai, money hai toh honey hai, review, upen patel