Dhamaal 4 Expectations: Will Ajay Devgn’s Treasure-Hunt Comedy Live Up to the Franchise’s Legacy?

Director: Indra Kumar | Cast: Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Jaaved Jaaferi, Ravi Kishan, Sanjay Mishra, Upendra Limaye, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Esha Gupta, Anjali Anand | Genre: Adventure Comedy | Release Date: July 10, 2026 | Certification: U/A 13+

Nearly two decades after the original Dhamaal turned a low-key slapstick comedy into a franchise, Indra Kumar’s gang is back for a fourth round of chaos. With Dhamaal 4 releasing in theatres tomorrow, here’s a complete look at what’s building up the hype, and what fans can realistically expect from India’s most anticipated comedy of 2026.

The Story This Time

The franchise sticks to its winning formula: a treasure hunt gone spectacularly wrong. This time, four greedy but hopelessly unlucky friends catch wind of ₹50 crore hidden somewhere, with the only clue being a mysterious letter that looks like an upside-down “W” — or is it an “M”? Ajay Devgn plays an investigating officer who gets pulled into the madness against his better judgment, adding a new layer of tension the earlier films didn’t really have: someone on the “inside” who’s supposed to be stopping the chaos instead of causing it.

Why Expectations Are High

1. The full gang is finally back. Total Dhamaal (2019) brought Ajay Devgn into the franchise and became its biggest hit, but this is the first time in years that Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Jaaved Jaaferi, and Sanjay Mishra are reuniting on this scale alongside him. Their comic chemistry across the earlier films remains the franchise’s single biggest asset, and trailers suggest the writing leans hard into that dynamic again.

2. Scale. With a reported budget upward of ₹200 crore, this is the most expensive Dhamaal film yet, and one of the largest ensemble casts ever assembled for a Hindi comedy — folding in newer names like Ravi Kishan, Esha Gupta, Sanjeeda Shaikh, and Anjali Anand alongside the veterans.

3. Timing. The film lands right in the middle of summer school holidays, historically a sweet spot for big, loud, all-ages family entertainers. It also follows close on the heels of Akshay Kumar’s Welcome to the Jungle, whose strong theatrical run has renewed confidence in ensemble comedies as a genre right now — trade analysts see that goodwill spilling over into Dhamaal 4‘s favour.

4. Franchise track record. Every Dhamaal film has grown bigger than the last — from ₹32 crore net for the original in 2007, to ₹45 crore for Double Dhamaal, to a massive ₹155 crore for Total Dhamaal in 2019. That trajectory alone puts real pressure — and real optimism — on this installment.

What Could Work Against It

It’s worth tempering the hype a little. The Dhamaal franchise has always been what trade insiders call “critic-proof” — reviews have rarely mattered to its box office fortunes, and this one is unlikely to be an exception. The bigger question mark is whether the humour still lands the way it did in 2019, especially with a cast this large; ensemble comedies can dilute individual actors’ comic timing if the screenplay doesn’t balance them well. The CBFC also flagged a couple of scenes for “obscene” gestures and language ahead of certification, which suggests the humour pushes into edgier territory than previous entries — a gamble for a franchise that has built its identity on being a clean, family-friendly outing.

Box Office Predictions

Trade trackers are largely aligned on a solid, if not spectacular, opening. Pinkvilla’s final forecast puts day-one collections at around ₹14 crore net, while Koimoi’s estimates hover in the similar ₹13–15 crore range. If the film clears roughly ₹14.10 crore, it would enter Ajay Devgn’s personal top-10 opening days at the Indian box office. Advance bookings picked up steadily in the final 48 hours before release, which trade watchers say is typical for a mass-appeal, non-holiday comedy release rather than a sign of weak buzz.

The Verdict — Before the Verdict

Nostalgia, star power, and a genuinely rare theatrical slot for big-ticket Hindi comedies are all working in Dhamaal 4‘s favour. Whether it becomes another Total Dhamaal-sized success or just a decent extension of the brand will come down to one thing the trailers can’t fully reveal: whether the jokes actually land for two hours straight. We’ll know for certain once the film opens on July 10 — check back for our full review and OTT streaming guide right after release.

Quick Facts

• Previous film: Total Dhamaal (2019) — ₹155 crore net, franchise’s biggest hit
• Director: Indra Kumar (has helmed every Dhamaal film since 2007)
• Runtime/Rating: U/A 13+, certified by CBFC on July 2, 2026
• Production: T-Series Films, Panorama Studios, Devgn Films, Maruti International
• Where to watch: In theatres nationwide from July 10, 2026. No OTT date has been announced yet.