When the son of Vilasrao Deshmukh, the former union minister of Mumbai, put his career as an architect on hold to become an actor, his family and friends were supportive but sceptical. But while Riteish Deshmukh may not have had the same stronghold in Bollywood as the star kids born into the worlds of celebrity parents, his political connections and talent ensured he got a foot in the door.
Although his first two films – 2003's Tujhe Meri Kasam and Out of Control – didn't fare well, Deshmukh struck it big with his third, Indra Kumar's 2004 multi-starrer Masti, a comedy-thriller that earned him three awards and the tag of Bollywood's most-promising comic talent.
It's a label that has stuck. Deshmukh is now best known for comedies such as Kyaa Kool Hai Hum, Housefull and Dhamaal – which have had successful sequels – and has won multiple gongs at top Indian awards shows.
Ahead of the actor's next movie, the Farhan Akhtar-produced Bangistan, we look at five of Deshmukh's most memorable comic roles.
Kyaa Kool Hai Hum (2005)
While Deshmukh's role in Masti earned him several nominations and awards, his first successful lead role didn't come until a year later in the adult comedy Kyaa Kool Hain Hum. Alongside Tusshar Kapoor, he delivered a performance that earned him praise from critics who slammed the film as a whole. The film achieved only average success at the box office, but the popularity of Deshmukh's character spawned the 2012 sequel Kyaa Super Kool Hai Hum.
Apna Sapna Money Money (2006)
Deshmukh (pictured with Koena Mitra) won accolades for his hilarious role in this comedy, as a con man from Goa whose use of disguises is his go-to trick of the trade.
Housefull (2010)
In 2010, Deshmukh appeared on screen with Bollywood bigwigs Akshay Kumar (pictured) and Deepika Padukone, along with Lara Dutta, Arjun Rampal and Jiah Khan in Sajid Khan's Housefull. Though slammed by critics, audiences loved the mad comedy, propelling it to blockbuster status – and so, of course, a sequel was inevitable. Housefull 2, which was released in 2012, was also a huge success and is said to be Deshmukh's biggest commercial success to date. In fact, a third instalment is in production.
Double Dhamaal (2011)
A sequel to 2007's Dhamaal, in Double Dhamaal Deshmukh (pictured with, from left, Javed Jaffrey, Arshad Warsi and Ashish Chaudhary) shared the screen with leading ladies Mallika Sherawat and Kangana Ranaut. Though this film was also dismissed by critics, just like many of Deshmukh's previous films, it earned twice its budget at the box office (US$11 million; Dh40.4m) and also won Deshmukh a gong at IIFA for Best Performance in a Comic Role.
Grand Masti (2013)
Deshmukh's success in the 2004's Masti led to the sequel Grand Masti, where he, Vivek Oberoi and Aftab Shivdasani reprised their roles from the original film. Despite yet another negative response from the critics, it was a box-office success and remains the highest-grossing film in India with an "adult" rating. In May, Deshmukh (pictured with Bruna Abdullah) tweeted a selfie with Oberoi and Shivdasani, announcing the third part of the Masti series, which is scheduled to be released in November.
artslife@thenational.ae
