Husbands in Goa

Husbands in Goa is a 2012 Malayalam comedy film directed by Saji Surendran and written by Krishna Poojapura, starring Jayasurya, Indrajith, Asif Ali, Lal, Rima Kallingal, Bhama, Remya Nambeesan and Praveena.

The film follows the journey of three young men, who flee from their wives, for a vacation to the international tourist-destination Goa. During the trip, they become friends with an immature youthful older man, who is on the verge of a divorce. The film explores their time in Goa, the people they meet and a turn of events occur when they encounter their wives. The film is the second production of UTV Motion Pictures in Malayalam cinema. It features music composed by M. G. Sreekumar, whilst cinematography is handled by Anil Nair and is edited by Manoj. The film's plot was heavily inspired by the 2004 Hindi film Masti.

Plot
Three husbands Govind, Jerry and Arjun are on a trip to Goa to take a break from their messy married lives with their dominating wives Teena, Abhirami and Veena. During the trip, they meet a husband Sunny who is on the verge of a divorce, which becomes a turning point in their lives. Their vacation in Goa, how they hook up with three young ladies and how their wives come to know about it, forms the rest of the movie.

Cast

 * Jayasurya as Murali Govind, a chartered accountant
 * Indrajith as Jerry Thomas, a family lawyer
 * Asif Ali as Arjun, an interior designer
 * Lal as Sunny Abraham, a film cinematographer
 * Bhama as Abhirami, Govind's wife
 * Rima Kallingal as Tina, Jerry's wife
 * Remya Nambeesan as Veena, Arjun's wife
 * Praveena as Annie, Sunny's estranged wife
 * Kalabhavan Mani as Imran Khalid, a police officer
 * Innocent as Nadar (TTE)
 * Amaeya Sivadas
 * Suraj Venjaramoodu as Vasu Kollanjampally (Vasco)
 * Sarayu Mohan as Saniya
 * Divya Padmini as Rita
 * Unni Maya as Jessica
 * Leena Maria Paul as Jennifer
 * Noby Marcose, of Vodafone Comedy stars Fame, as himself
 * Nelson Sooranadu of Vodafone Comedy stars Fame, as a waiter in a hotel

Actor Innocent reprises his role as Nadar (TTE) from the 1990 movie No.20 Madras Mail. Events of the movie are briefly referenced. The song "Pichakappoonkaavukal" from the movie is also reused.

Development
Even before the release of his fourth directorial venture Kunjaliyan, director Saji Surendran mentioned that he was going to direct his next project very soon: Husbands in Goa. He also revealed that it would be produced by the famous production company UTV Motion Pictures. The film was known to be the sequel of Happy Husbands but the director said himself this is not a sequel but a similar fun-filled film. It had been announced that the film will be produced by UTV Motion Pictures because the production company wanted to expand and produce a second well made film in Malayalam after Grandmaster.

Casting
The director had announced that Jayasurya, Indrajith and Asif Ali will be the official confirmed cast. Biju Menon was originally chosen to play Lal role, but couldn't because of a date-clash. Also Bhavana, and Samvritha Sunil were announced to be part of the cast, but could not do so because of a date-clash. Then they had later decided to cast Bhama, Rima Kallingal, Remya Nambeesan and Praveena to play the wives. Newcomers, Leena Maria and Sarayu were chosen to play the girls that distract the husbands.

Critical reception
The movie opened to positive and mixed response from both critics and audiences. Theatre Balcony gave an overall rating of 66% and praised the comedy scenes and the performances while disliking the not so engaging story and script. Metromatinee gave a positive review and said " If you are one of those who watch mimicry and comedy shows on TV, this movie will help you relive those moments that you spent in front of TV." The Times of India gave a very positive review and rated 3 stars out of 5. But added that "The film evokes hilarity, but the humour fails to generate the rip-roaring laugh one associates with a comedy." Kerala Films welcomed the movie giving 2.5 stars out of 5 and said "Husbands in Goa really deserves a one time watch, especially for the exceptional lead performances, great comedy scenes, racy direction, and the song 'Pichakal poomkavukal'." Critics have noted actor Jayasurya's performance to be the best, also stating he is the show stealer in the film because of him having perfect comic timing and getting many positive replies from audiences. However, the film also got some negative reviews from the critics. Sify gave a negative review and gave 2 stars out of 5 and added "You need real skills to find humour in 'Husbands in Goa'. Go for this one, if you are ready to take such pains." Paresh C Palicha of Rediff.com said that Husbands in Goa is a typical 'husbands escaping from their wives' attempt at comedy which elicits a few laughs.

Box office
The film collected US$10,135 from UK box office.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack features four songs composed by M. G. Sreekumar with lyrics by Shibu Chakravarthy and Rajeev Alunkal. The songs had nothing much to offer but the remake song "Pichaka Poonkavukal" that was a part of Joshiy's No.20 Madras Mail, rocked the charts.