‘Dhamaal 4’ opens with an AI-recreated tribute to late actor Satish Kaushik as Bata Bhai, thanking wife Shashi Kaushik in credits. Jackie Shroff also cameos. Directed by Indra Kumar, the film reunites Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi and others, and features “Paisa Lao,” a reimagined “Bella Ciao,” teasing Dhamaal 5.

‘Dhamaal 4’ hit theatres today, drawing huge anticipation thanks to its cast, an entertaining trailer, and the franchise’s long-standing popularity. The film wraps up by teasing a follow-up, ‘Dhamaal 5’. But there’s another surprise tucked right at the start: the movie opens with an animated sequence bringing back the iconic late actor Satish Kaushik as Bata Bhai.

Satish Kaushik’s Bata Bhai recreated with CGI and AI

Kaushik had first brought the character to life in the franchise’s second film, ‘Double Dhamaal’ (2011), where his comic antics struck a chord with audiences. Since the veteran actor passed away in 2023, the makers turned to CGI and AI to recreate him on screen for this sequence. In recognition of that, the opening credits also carry a note of thanks to his wife, Shashi Kaushik.

Jackie Shroff‘s second special appearance

Jackie Shroff also appears in this animated sequence, marking his second special turn in the ‘Dhamaal’ universe. He’d previously lent his voice to a GPS system in the franchise’s third instalment, ‘Total Dhamaal’ (2019), a tapori-style device guiding Ajay Devgn‘s character toward the fastest route, which had audiences in splits.

Cast and crew of ‘Dhamaal 4’

Helmed by Indra Kumar, ‘Dhamaal 4’ reunites the franchise’s core cast Ajay Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi, Sanjay Mishra, and Jaaved Jaaferi. Rounding out the ensemble are newer additions to the comedy series, including Esha Gupta, Sanjeeda Shaikh, Anjali Anand, Upendra Limaye, Vijay Patkar, and Ravi Kishan.‘Dhamaal 4’ is presented by Gulshan Kumar and T-Series in association with Devgn Films, and produced under the banners of T-Series Films, Maruti International, and Panorama Studios. The film is directed by Indra Kumar, with production credits going to Ajay Devgn, Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Ashok Thakeria, Indra Kumar, Anand Pandit, and Kumar Mangat Pathak.

‘Paisa Lao’: A recreated Bella Ciao

Another highlight of the film is the track “Paisa Lao,” a fresh rendition of the Italian song “Bella Ciao,” which shot to global fame after being featured in the cult series ‘Money Heist’. This version has been composed by Tanishk Bagchi and features vocals by Neeraj Shridhar.