Advance booking is now open for both versions of Housefull 5, the latest instalment in the popular comedy franchise, production banner Nadiadwala Grandson announced on Tuesday, dropping a video featuring actors Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh.
“Housefull 5A vs. 5B? Why pick one when you can laugh through both! Let the madness begin. In cinemas on June 6th. Advance Booking Open. Book your tickets now,” wrote the makers on Instagram.
Recently, producer Sajid Nadiadwala had revealed that the upcoming comedy drama will release in two versions, 5A and 5B, each with a different ending.
In the latest promotional video, Akshay and Riteish reiterate that although the jokes, cast and storyline remain the same in both the versions, the identity of the killer is different in each of them.
Directed by Tarun Mansukhani, Housefull 5 reunites franchise regulars Akshay Kumar and Riteish Deshmukh with Abhishek Bachchan. The cast also includes Nargis Fakhri, Sonam Bajwa and Jacqueline Fernandez, alongside veterans like Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar and Chunky Panday.
The film follows three impostors, all claiming to be the heir to a deceased billionaire, as they jostle for inheritance aboard a 20-storey luxury cruise. A murder on board makes matters worse for the trio as they become prime suspects in the case.
Shreyas Talpade, Chitrangada Singh, Dino Morea, Soundarya Sharma, Nikitin Dheer and Akashdeep Sabir round off the cast of Housefull 5, set to hit screens on June 6.
The multiple ending format was once famously attempted by the 1985 Hollywood whodunit Clue. The model has since been abandoned by Western studios. However, Nadiadwala sees potential in it.
According to BookMyShow, over 1,46,000 users have shown interest in the film. At the time of reporting on Tuesday, more than 1,060 tickets had been booked in Kolkata within an hour of advance booking going live. The platform allows users to select either Housefull 5A or 5B when purchasing tickets.
The first Housefull movie, directed by Sajid Khan, was released in 2010. It features Akshay Kumar alongside Jiah Khan, Arjun Rampal, Jacqueline Fernandez, Lara Dutta and Chunky Panday.
The sequel, also directed by Sajid Khan, came out in 2012, followed by Sajid-Farhad-helmed Housefull 3 in 2016, and Farhad Samji’s Housefull 4 in 2019.