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Movie Reviews |
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Bunty Aur Babli |
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Producer: |
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Yashraj Films |
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Director |
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Shaad Ali
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Starring |
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Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, Amitabh
Bachchan |
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Music |
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Shankar-Eshan-Loy |
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Lyrics |
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Gulzar |
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 Some
of the best masala films were churned out by the dream merchants in the 1970s
and 1980s. Films such as SHOLAY, NASEEB, AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY, PARVARISH,
LAAWARIS, TRISHUL… had the audience flocking the cinema halls.
In these fast-changing times, when film-makers rarely attempt typical masala
films, since the emphasis is more towards realistic cinema in a commercial
format, comes BUNTY AUR BABLI from the house of Yash Raj.
Every Yash Raj film is special. And rightly so!
The Numero Uno production house, with an impressive and enviable track record,
now comes up with a masala fare, BUNTY AUR BABLI, reminiscent of the
non-stop entertainers of the 1970s and 1980s.
Unfortunately, BUNTY AUR BABLI is half as convincing as the masala entertainers
of yore. Despite some of the biggest names involved in this film, BUNTY AUR
BABLI fails to transport you to a world of make-believe. The problem lies in its
screenplay, which shows promise initially, but drops alarmingly in the
post-interval portions.In short, BUNTY AUR BABLI is a golden opportunity gone
waste! Bunty and Babli are two avid dreamers. Two free souls born into caged
small town realities. They grow weary of being two specks on the horizon. They
desire the horizon itself.
And so they pack their aspirations in worn out bags, whip a scarf of confidence
around their proud necks and set forth. On a journey across the length and
breadth of the country, spinning circles around the people they meet.
 Rakesh
aka Bunty [Abhishek Bachchan] wants to be amongst the richest in the world. He
wants to be in jacuzzis. He wants to be in limousines. He wants to be a big blip
on the radar of history. He wants to be the big black typo in newspaper
headlines.
Vimmi aka Babli [Rani Mukerji] faces a similar situation. Does she follow
the course every other young marriageable girl does? Or does she carve new
fatelines on her soft-as-butter palms? In her mind, she's the foxiest thing to
ever have hit a ramp. She's the hottie the world can just gape at, but never
touch. So she too decides to fly the coop.
Somewhere, along their individual journeys, Rakesh and Vimmi meet,
flogged by circumstances but unwilling to concede.
Bunty and Babli meet shaadi bandwallahs, millionaires, investors, ministers,
hoteliers and one very, very upset policeman, Dashrath [Amitabh Bachchan]!
The world sits up and takes wide-eyed notice of this pair…
Hollywood has often produced capers that depict characters on the run. Having
shades of BONNIE AND CLYDE [a trailblazing motion picture that started a trend
in Hollywood], BUNTY AUR BABLI steps into a territory that very few Indian films
have ventured into. In a way, BUNTY AUR BABLI defies the stereotype, but the
format is akin to those by-now-famous entertainers that movie enthusiasts still
remember vividly.
BUNTY AUR BABLI starts off pretty well and the story about two ambitious souls
is laid out in a fashion that the common man can identify with. Their
background, the two strangers meeting at a point when both have tasted failure,
their first petty crime, their subsequent antics… the screenplay has its
interesting moments.
The first half is breezy, though not completely engaging. The narrative moves at
a sluggish pace, but a few sequences in this half are worth a mention. These
include:
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- The
confrontation between Raj Babbar and his errant
son Abhishek.
- Rani's
interaction with her parents, Kiran Joneja
Sippy-Puneet Issar.
- A clerk
seeking sexual favors from Rani to include her
name in the Miss India contestants' list.
-
Abhishek-Rani's first crime at the hotel bar.
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The
Big B makes a dramatic entry at the intermission and
you expect the film to scale dizzy heights.
 Alas!
That doesn't happen. BUNTY AUR BABLI falls to an
all-time low in the latter part. Yes, there are a
few skillfully executed sequences, like the Taj
Mahal sell-out and the one involving the robbery of
the gold from the aircraft.
But the problem with the post-interval portions is
that it lacks the meat to keep the viewer's interest
alive. Everyone eagerly awaits fireworks when the
two Bachchans come face to face, but their first
scene together [the drunken act!] is boring and
long-drawn-out and even the song that follows, with
Aishwarya Rai, doesn't set the screen ablaze or work
any kind of a magic. In fact, this song is a mere
prop to enhance the star-value of the film.
The pre-climax, when the Big B finally uncovers the
identity of Bunty and Babli, is expertly handled,
but from thereon, again, the film stands on a shaky
stool. The conclusion, when the Big B has a change
of heart and lets off the two robbers, only goes to
show that in Hindi cinema, the hero is always a
hero, with a heart of gold. Irrespective of the fact
that Bunty and Babli have created a nationwide stir
with their robberies, the honest lawman pardons them
simply because he realizes that the husband-wife con
team are sorry about the crimes they had committed.
Bizarre!
Shaad Ali's direction is efficient at places, but
he is letdown, and terribly at that, by a
screenplay of convenience [penned by Jaideep Sahni].
The ease with which both Bunty and Babli commit
crimes, that too at an alarming rate, only goes to
show that the writer is completely clueless about
the law and order situation in the country or
perhaps, he's under the impression that lawbreakers
and conmen rule this nation! |
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's
music is another drawback. In view of the fact
that every Yash Raj product is embellished with a
sparkling musical score, the music of BUNTY AUR
BABLI is a complete downer. 'Dhadak Dhadak…
Tujhe Bulaye Re' [at the very start of the film] is
the sole track that you wish to hum after the show
has ended. The songs are well filmed, no doubt, but
none have those mesmerizing qualities that Yash Raj
products always boast of.
Cinematography [Abhik Mukhopadhyay] is of a
high quality. The sound design [Anuj Mathur] is
appropriate.
Despite the fact that BUNTY AUR BABLI doesn't really
demand histrionics from any of the actors, it must
be said that the three principal characters, Amitabh
Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji,
deliver topnotch performances.
 Amitabh
is convincing in a role that suits him to the T.
However, the hardcore fans of the veteran may feel
disappointed since he doesn't really get much scope
in terms of screen-time. Abhishek Bachchan is
wonderful. The actor is getting better with every
release. He handles the light moments with the same
sincerity with which he handles the emotional ones.
Rani Mukerji is superb. The actor sinks her teeth
into this role and comes out with flying colors.
The film has a number of characters, but the ones
who register the maximum impact are Raj Babbar,
Punit Issar, Kiran Joneja Sippy and Rameshwari. Prem
Chopra and Pratima Kazmi are alright.
On the whole, BUNTY AUR BABLI just doesn't have the
meat to enthrall the moviegoers. At the box-office,
the film has taken an excellent start due to two
reasons -- the Yash Raj brand and the fact that the
two Bachchans have been teamed for the first
time. While the first weekend will witness
'House Full' boards outside the single screens as
well as the multiplexes, the film doesn't have the
power to sustain after the initial curiosity
subsides. Monday onwards, the collections should
come crashing down. Disappointing! |
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