E-Paper
Bunty Aur Babli
Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Raj Babbar
Time to return to the masala mode. Even as Bollywood’s tryst with ‘experimentation’ continues, here’s a film that reiterates definitive kitsch with no apologies. Coming as it is as the summer's first real serious shot at box-office bullseye, that’s where the test of Bunty Aur Babli (BAB) lies.
BAB is an out and out irreverent attempt at reviving the vintage seventies blockbuster. Quite apt that at the helm of the cast should be Amitabh Bachchan (don’t go by footage — he is the best part of the film) and the producer is none other than Yash Raj Films. And if you can accept the fact that a solid storyline isn’t really the priority here (quite in line with what good old masala used to be), you won’t exactly mind director Shaad Ali’s second venture.
That last bit also becomes a double-edged sword for BAB. In an era when the audience is harking for novelty by way of content and treatment (Page 3 and Black being 2005’s only hits affirms this point), treading the stereotyped domain does become a peculiar ‘difference’ that may or may not find takers.
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| Rani Mukerji in Bunty Aur Babli |
BAB begins as a tale of dreams gone sour, inherent in the plights of smalltowners Rakesh (Abhishek Bachchan), whose business ideas are stolen by the manipulative investor, and Vimmy (Rani Mukerji), whose dreams of participating in the Miss India contest go kaput. Pushed against the wall, the two — with starry dreams in their eyes — take to crime. They pass themselves off as
Bunty and Babli
, pulling off one con job after another. The narrative trails the protagonists and their antics, even as they are chased by the smart cop Dasrath Singh (Amitabh Bachchan).
Given its almost three-hour runtime, BAB hardly has enough script, and that becomes the biggest hurdle for the film in its bid to be a perfect entertainer. The second half especially, despite a few brilliant sequences (Bunty and Babli selling the Taj Mahal to a billionaire foreigner particularly stands out), seems stretched. If the script itself lacked enough to provide fireworks, you’d expect it to be made up by a few sparkling Bachchan vs Bachchan clashes. Yet, the screenplay hardly offers any such moment.
If the Big B towers over all, Abhishek Bachchan doesn’t let down his fans. With BAB, Chhota B proves that given a good role he does have it in himself to pull a film on his own steam. About Rani, what can one say. Just give her a role and watch her go.
