Housefull 5 Criticized for Turning Animal Cruelty into Comedy
In “Housefull 5,” a computer-generated parrot is repeatedly abused and battered for cheesy laughs. When did hitting a parrot turn into a comedy, though? At what point did we find it humorous?
It was expected that it would be a comedy with crude jokes and spooky dudes staring at ladies. However, it was novel that it would also mock animal abuse. ‘Housefull 5’ is, if anything, an anti-comedy in which amusement is wrung out of an animated parrot who is there to be repeatedly thrashed to death.
One of its most unpleasant and heartless moments shows Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, and Akshay Kumar battling a parrot. Gucci is a bright, conversant, and imitative digital parrot. In a ‘Om Shanti Om’-style cliche, the filmmakers reveal that he is a parrot that appeared in one of the earlier ‘Housefull’ films and is here to exact revenge on Akshay’s Julius. Even though it sounds ridiculous, it would have been okay until the producers threw in a brutal fight scene between the parrot and three prominent guys in an effort to make an even more ridiculous plot point amusing.
When the parrot tries to attack Julius, he is caught, dragged into a hoover, beaten with a frying pan, thrashed against the walls and nearly hung to burn. All of that doesn’t make you laugh, but it does help you appreciate the type of humour that makes the creators laugh—the kind that finds humour in violence, especially when it involves animals. The fact that the parrot is artificial intelligence (AI) created does not lessen its cruelty; rather, it highlights their goal and what they are prepared to display for petty amusement.
The scene is notable for its unsettling effect. It’s more about normalising brutality as humour, which makes you wonder why you’ve gone to this length to find humour in cruelty. This scenario must also be viewed in a broader context, since the most well-known actors from the Indian film industry are shown helping to desensitise people to animal abuse in a nation where such incidents are frequently ignored or go unreported.
By performing the violent sequence with a computer-generated bird, the filmmakers have further demonstrated their disregard for the fact that they are promoting the notion that cruelty is acceptable. This isn’t an instance of something escaping their control. Given that the show features a digitally produced bird, the creators actually appear to have complete discretion over what they are allowed to animate, plot, and exalt.
The act of brutalising a parrot for amusement, with no regard for the suffering of the audience, stems from a humorous instinct that is incredibly misguided and callous. If their gags don’t work in a movie, you can forgive them, but how can you forgive them if they make you sit in your chair and shield your face while you watch a parrot on a giant screen be exposed to constant violence?
‘Housefull 5’ is a tone-deaf portrayal of the worst kind of comedy, especially since it was produced by a big production company and heavily supported by prominent figures in the business. Its startling disregard for the cultural ramifications of its material is worrisome and indicative of the lack of responsibility mainstream film requires of itself.
Putting aside the audience’s tolerance for crude humour, it’s time to reconsider how we all perceive the price of comedy when cruelty turns into money.
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