Starring
The story
Dhamaal 4 is the fourth outing of Indra Kumar's beloved ensemble comedy franchise, and it sticks faithfully to the template that made the series a household name: a pack of greedy, bickering misfits stumble onto word of a mythical fortune and go tearing after it, tripping over one another the whole way. This time the treasure is hidden on a remote island, and the gang's frantic race is complicated by a crew of bumbling modern-day pirates chasing the same loot. Narrated in the franchise's trademark tongue-in-cheek style (by Vijay Raaz), the film is pure slapstick screwball comedy aimed squarely at families and holiday audiences.
The Dhamaal universe began with Dhamaal (2007), itself an Indianised riff on Stanley Kramer's Hollywood classic It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), and grew through Double Dhamaal (2011) and the franchise's biggest hit, Total Dhamaal (2019). Dhamaal 4 continues that mad-scramble-for-money DNA rather than telling a fresh story, leaning hard on nostalgia, ensemble chaos and a series of set-piece gags.
The ensemble
The comedy rests, as always, on its cast. Ajay Devgn returns as the scheming Guddu Rastogi, with Riteish Deshmukh as Deshbandhu 'Lallan' Roy, Arshad Warsi as Aditya 'Adi' Srivastav and Jaaved Jaaferi as Manav Srivastav — the quartet whose squabbling chemistry has anchored the series for nearly two decades. Around them the makers assemble a deep bench of comic character actors: Ravi Kishan, Sanjay Mishra, Upendra Limaye, Anjali Anand, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Esha Gupta all join the treasure hunt.
Critical opinion on the performances was split. Reviewers who enjoyed the film praised the easy, lived-in rapport of the returning leads and the manic energy of the supporting players; less charitable critics felt the actors were stranded by thin writing and gags that were over-explained. Either way, the film sells itself on the familiarity and comic timing of a troupe the audience already knows well.
Making of the film
Indra Kumar, the franchise's founding director, returned to helm Dhamaal 4, which was mounted by a heavyweight combine of producers — T-Series Films (Bhushan Kumar), Ajay Devgn's Devgn Films, Panorama Studios, Maruti International and Anand Pandit Motion Pictures among them. Principal photography ran from April to September 2025, largely around Mumbai and Madh Island, the latter standing in for the film's treasure-island setting. After being shuffled through several dates, the film finally opened theatrically on 10 July 2026 with a runtime of about 143 minutes.
One of the film's most talked-about elements arrived before the plot even got going: an opening tribute to the late Satish Kaushik, who died in 2023. The makers used CGI and AI to recreate his popular Bata Bhai character from Double Dhamaal (2011), and thanked his wife, Shashi Kaushik, in the credits. Jackie Shroff also turns up in a special appearance, his second in the franchise. The digital resurrection sparked debate — some read it as an affectionate homage, others as a queasy new-age gimmick.
Music
Keeping with Bollywood custom, Dhamaal 4 was promoted heavily on its songs, with the soundtrack released on 9 July 2026, a day before the film. The lead singles were the party number 'Chatni', the Guru Randhawa track 'Qeher' (featuring Ketika Sharma), and 'Saree', a Hindi recreation of Sanju Rathod's 2024 Marathi viral smash 'Gulabi Sadi'.
In the film itself the music is used sparingly — 'Saree' is the main in-narrative dance number, with 'Chatni' and 'Qeher' largely playing over the end credits — but the tracks were designed as standalone promotional hooks, and the recreated 'Saree' in particular rode the pre-existing popularity of its Marathi original.
Reception and what's next
Dhamaal 4 opened to a mixed-to-poor critical response. Ratings ran the full spectrum, from a generous 3 out of 5 at Bollywood Hungama, which called it 'a decent, clean entertainer' for families and kids, down to 1.5 stars at Hindustan Times and India Today and a single star from The Indian Express, whose critics complained that the film recycles its own story, music and humour and that Indra Kumar's brand of comedy feels stuck in an earlier era. The most common charge was that every joke is explained and every beat underlined.
At the box office the film opened modestly for a franchise of this size — roughly ₹13–14 crore net in India on day one, crossing the ₹20 crore mark worldwide but falling short of Total Dhamaal's bigger start. Undeterred, the makers used the closing moments to tease the next chapter, Dhamaal 5, all but guaranteeing that the treasure hunt will continue.
Key details
| Release year | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Language | Hindi |
| Director | Indra Kumar |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Starring | Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi |
Did you know?
- The franchise's original film, Dhamaal (2007), was an Indianised adaptation of Stanley Kramer's Hollywood comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) — the treasure-chasing, everyone-double-crossing-everyone formula that Dhamaal 4 still runs on.
- Dhamaal 4 opens with a tribute to the late Satish Kaushik, who died in 2023: his popular Bata Bhai character from Double Dhamaal (2011) was recreated using CGI and AI, and his wife Shashi Kaushik is thanked in the opening credits.
- Jackie Shroff makes a special appearance in the film — his second cameo across the Dhamaal franchise.
- The song 'Saree' is a Hindi recreation of Sanju Rathod's 2024 Marathi viral hit 'Gulabi Sadi', while 'Qeher' features Guru Randhawa alongside Ketika Sharma.
- The release was pushed several times — from an initial March 2026 date, then June, before finally landing in theatres on 10 July 2026 to avoid clashing with other films.
- The end credits tease a fifth film, Dhamaal 5, keeping the ensemble-comedy series alive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dhamaal 4 a sequel, and where does it fit in the series?
Yes. Dhamaal 4 is the fourth film in the Dhamaal franchise, following Dhamaal (2007), Double Dhamaal (2011) and Total Dhamaal (2019). It is a standalone treasure-hunt comedy rather than a direct continuation of one earlier plot, carrying forward the series' signature formula of greedy misfits racing after a hidden fortune.
Who stars in Dhamaal 4?
The film is led by Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi and Jaaved Jaaferi as the core comic quartet. The supporting ensemble includes Ravi Kishan, Sanjay Mishra, Upendra Limaye, Anjali Anand, Sanjeeda Sheikh and Esha Gupta, with Indra Kumar returning as director.
Are Sanjay Dutt and Anil Kapoor in Dhamaal 4?
No. Sanjay Dutt and Anil Kapoor played the antagonists in the previous film, Total Dhamaal (2019), but they are not part of Dhamaal 4. The 2026 film is built around the returning quartet of Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi and Jaaved Jaaferi plus a new supporting cast.
What is the Satish Kaushik AI cameo in Dhamaal 4?
Satish Kaushik, who played the comic character Bata Bhai in Double Dhamaal (2011), died in 2023. For Dhamaal 4, the makers recreated his Bata Bhai character on screen using CGI and AI as a tribute in the film's opening, and thanked his wife Shashi Kaushik in the credits. The digital recreation drew both praise as a homage and criticism as a gimmick.
How did Dhamaal 4 do at the box office?
It opened modestly for a big franchise, collecting roughly ₹13–14 crore net in India on its first day and crossing about ₹20 crore worldwide on day one. That start was solid but below Total Dhamaal's bigger opening, and reviews were largely mixed to negative.
Will there be a Dhamaal 5?
The makers teased Dhamaal 5 in the closing moments of Dhamaal 4, signalling that the franchise intends to continue. As of the film's July 2026 release, that fifth installment had been announced as a tease rather than confirmed with a cast or release date.