‘Housefull 5A’ vs ‘Housefull 5B’ Ending(s) Explained: Breaking Down Who the Real Killers Are and That Surprise Cameo in Akshay Kumar’s Comic Whodunnit (SPOILER ALERT)

Housefull 5 marks an interesting shift for the Housefull franchise - this time, the comedy is paired with a murder mystery. Set aboard a cruise liner, the film revolves around a murder, three men claiming to be the son of a deceased billionaire (all named Jolly), and a colourful cast of characters, each with a motive to commit the crime. ‘Housefull 5’ Movie Review: Akshay Kumar Overshadows All in This Sleazier, Sillier Comic Murder Mystery.

Directed by Tarun Mansukhani - best known for the enjoyable (if not aged well) Dostana and the messy Drive - Housefull 5 is only his second theatrical release in 17 years (with Drive having gone straight to OTT). The film features a sprawling ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Shreyas Talpade, Nana Patekar, Jackie Shroff, Dino Morea, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nargis Fakhri, Chitrangda Singh, Sonam Bajwa, Soundarya Sharma, Chunky Pandey, Nikitin Dheer, and Johnny Lever. And yes, there’s a surprise cameo too.

At the trailer launch, producer Sajid Nadiadwala - who also wrote the story - revealed that Housefull 5 would release in two versions, each featuring a different killer while retaining the same plot. Now that both versions (Housefull 5A and Housefull 5B) are out, and assuming you’ve seen one (and aren’t keen to watch the other - which is understandable), we’re diving into SPOILERS. Read on at your own risk.

The Plot of 'Housefull 5'

Most of the film takes place aboard a luxury cruise liner owned by the sleazy billionaire Ranjeet (Ranjeet), who is hosting his birthday party on board. Among the guests are his stepson Dev (Fardeen Khan, also a board member), other board members Shiraz (Shreyas Talpade), Bedi (Dino Morea) and Maya (Chitrangda Singh), Ranjeet’s personal doctor (Akashdeep Sabir) and lawyer Lucy (Soundarya Sharma), the cruise’s head chef Aakhri Pasta (Chunky Panday), security officer Batuk Patel (Johnny Lever), and the ship’s captain, Sameer (Nikitin Dheer).

Before the party kicks off, Ranjeet dies of a heart attack. Prior to his death, however, he records a holographic will revealing he has an illegitimate son named Jolly, to whom he has left his entire fortune. Soon after, three men arrive, each claiming to be Jolly - Jalabuddin (Riteish), Jalbhushan (Abhishek), and Julius (Akshay) - accompanied by their respective partners, Zara (Sonam Bajwa), Sasikala (Jacqueline) and Kaanchi (Nargis).

Dev orders a DNA test to determine the real heir, but the doctor is murdered by a masked figure before the results can be confirmed. Suspicion falls on the three Jollys. When another person is killed, two London cops  - Baba (Jackie Shroff) and Bhidu (Sanjay Dutt) - are brought in to investigate. As the case deepens, their boss Dhagdu (Nana Patekar) drops in to crack the mystery once and for all.

The film builds toward two central mysteries: the killer’s identity, and who the real Jolly is. Major SPOILERS ahead!

The Common Killer in Both 'Housefull 5A' and 'Housefull 5B'

Both Housefull 5A and 5B reveal that there are two killers, with one common killer between the two versions. The motives remain the same across both — greed and covering up crimes. The common killer is...

Jalbhushan.

Yes, Abhishek Bachchan’s character is the shared killer in both versions. But he isn’t the main mastermind. He arrives as a fake Jolly and strikes a deal with the real killer to split the inheritance. The plan was for the other killer to tamper with the blood samples to make Jalbhushan appear as the legitimate heir. However, when the doctor catches on, he’s murdered. Bedi later uncovers clues while examining the doctor’s body, prompting his own murder. Jalbhushan personally kills only Sameer, who had witnessed the doctor’s murder and was blackmailing him. This conveniently shifts suspicion away from the other killer, who had already been jailed. ‘Housefull 5’: Fact Check – Is Akshay Kumar’s ‘Housefull’ Really India’s First Five-Film Franchise? Bengali, Malayalam and Even Bollywood Cinema Say Otherwise!

Interestingly, the film even playfully teases Jalbhushan’s dark past during an interrogation scene. A news channel airs a report about a serial killer who looks just like him, but for some bizarre reason, it suddenly pivots to a gag about Jagga Daaku - Mithun’s character from Housefull 2.

Still, Jalbhushan, despite the 'shocking' reveal, isn’t the primary killer - he only commits one murder, while the other killer is responsible for the doctor's murder that begins the whole mystery, as well as Bedi.

The Main Killer in 'Housefull 5A'

In this version, Dev is the main killer. He murders the doctor and Bedi, who had discovered Dev’s pen in the doctor’s pocket - how it got there, and why Bedi even bothered to check, is never explained.

Bhidu and Baba were right to arrest Dev in this version, then. However, when Jalbhushan murders Sameer, it has a dual effect: eliminating the blackmailer and diverting suspicion away from Dev.

Later, when Dev tries to kill Dhagdu - falling into a trap set by Dhagdu and Julius - he claims he acted to prevent Dhagdu from releasing footage of a past hit-and-run case. Presumably, Dev’s actions stem from his desire to secure half of Ranjeet’s wealth without it going to the real Jolly.

The Main Killer in 'Housefull 5B'

In this version, Maya is the main killer. She’s deep in debt and partners with Jalbhushan to solve her financial woes.

However, this twist makes less narrative sense than the one in 5A. Though it makes more sense for Jalbhushan to approach Dev (like in 5A) than her, he must have gotten an idea about her debts and realised that she would be more desperate to associate in his sinister plan.

The film then has to establish that Maya has a similar pen to Dev’s — a weak plot device used to justify Bedi’s suspicion and subsequent murder. Jalbhushan killing Sameer also feels unnecessary here, since Maya was never under suspicion and could have done it herself. Dev, who is innocent in this version, still ends up jailed anyway (and later released because he had no hand in any of the murders).

Also Maya being Baba’s ex-wife adds no emotional weight to the reveal to the cop - it’s just another twist for the sake of it. That said, it does give Chitrangda Singh more to do in this film than just be a pretty red herring. She performs all the same actions Dev does in 5A, including attempting to activate a giant fan in the boiler room to kill everyone, and tussling with Dhagdu. Fact Check: Akshay Kumar’s ‘Housefull 5’ Is NOT the First Movie in World To Have Multiple Endings in Theatres – There Are Others!

In both versions, Jalbhushan and Dev/Maya are arrested and sentenced to life in prison, mostly because Jalbhushan’s narcolepsy causes him to fall asleep during his own court hearings.

P.S. Fardeen Khan’s character suspiciously vanishes from the background during the boiler room standoff in 5B. Also, in both versions, Dev or Maya call Dhagdu to solve the doctor’s murder — a strange move if they were guilty. Why trap themselves?

Another puzzling inconsistency emerges in both versions of the story: Dev is the one to call the Interpol officer to investigate the doctor's murder, while Maya summons her ex-husband for the same purpose. This raises an obvious question - if they were the actual killers, why would they orchestrate an investigation that could ultimately expose their own guilt?

Who’s the Real Jolly?

It doesn’t take long for the film to reveal that the three initial Jollys are all frauds - conmen trying their luck at claiming Ranjeet’s fortune. The real Jolly is played by Bobby Deol, one of the leads in Housefull 4. Deol also had an extended cameo in Mansukhani's directorial debut, Dostana.

He appears just in time to save the gang from being shredded by the massive fan, and then introduces himself as Jalal. He even mimics Ranjeet’s iconic "Aieee" (with the veteran actor dubbing the line), confirming he’s the true heir. Turns out, Jalal is even wealthier than his father and never wanted the inheritance in the first place. He generously splits the money among everyone, except Jalbhushan and Dev/Maya, who realise too late that they could have had it all by doing... absolutely nothing.

Zara, whose real boyfriend was Jalbhushan, is later seen having married Jalal, though we wonder what happened to his foreigner wife. Wasn't one of his identifying traits established earlier that the real Jolly had a wife who was not Indian? That's a mystery the movie never solves!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 09, 2025 12:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).