Bunty Aur Babli



If only the world were filled with fun-loving, attractive and good-hearted criminals! I was eager to watch this film (based solely on the soundtrack), and I wasn't let down. Rakesh Trivedi (Abhishek Bachchan) comes from a small village and has big dreams; he is forever coming up with new business plans and is convinced he will make it big one day. He adamantly refuses any notion that he will one day work in a 9-to-5 environment (I hear that! Rakesh!). Vimmi Saluja (Rani Mukerji) is the daughter of a Punjabi family in another small village; she spends her hours watching films and studying supermodels, and dreams of becoming Miss India one day. When each of them is faced with a crossroads in their life, they meet. Deciding crime does pay, they outwit their targets into yielding profit and goods, and, in typical Robin Hood style, return large portions of their gains to the common people, making them respected and idolized on the streets and in the press. Enter DCP Dashrath Singh (Amitabh Bachchan), the man who MUST catch them, but is foiled at every turn.



I thought Abhishek and Rani both gave credibility to their characters. They were fun to watch and I found my self rooting for them, schemes and all. Abhishek's acting ability is a tribute to the legends his parents are, and he is succeeding in dramatic roles with comic variation that makes him nearly match-up to greats like SRK (I said nearly!). Rani is getting more and more reliable in her brilliant and diverse performances. I loved the chemistry between these two and they proved they could do it successfully by winning a Star Screen Award for Jodi No. 1.



Amitabh is the cop with a mission, whose assignment is to capture the two con-artists who have made it big yet remain elusive to the long arm of the law. What makes Amitabh different is just that, he is unconventional in his approach, somewhat rough yet caring, with purpose in his actions (though what was with shooting out the store front window! Geez!)



If not for the great comedy that ties in well, watch out for the brilliant soundtrack including the always brilliant Udit Narayn's Dhadhak Dhadak, the train song Chup Chup Ke with Sonu Nigam, my two favorites in the movie. One could argue the best is the Ashwaria Ria number, Kajra Re, but I tend to prefer songs that move a story further than are put in purely for attraction.



So, fun is the word and this movie worked for me. A Bonnie & Clyde-esque comedy caper that aims to please on all levels and pulls it off successfully! It goes far beyond what a normal light romantic comedy would like to achieve, and it accomplishes a cult status of its own in unique ways. The brilliant camera work that makes you feel you are a part of the roller coaster journey through all those lovely locales and the infectious music that refuses to leave your mind far after it has left your car stereo all compose what is so far, for me, one of the better comedies I've seen.

4 Response to "Bunty Aur Babli"

  1. bollywooddeewana says:
    April 24, 2009 at 7:44 PM

    I would have loved this movie if not for that airport scene, i was screaming at my Tv 'Turn off your phone' but i do like all the songs

  2. Shellie says:
    April 25, 2009 at 7:24 AM

    Bollywooddeewana - Thanks for stoppin by. I totally agree with you on the phone thing. Would have been so terribly hard for her to hit cancel? I suppose they had to create some circumstance where DCP Singh discovers them, but they could have been a little more clever about it.

  3. Anonymous Says:
    July 26, 2009 at 8:09 PM

    Agree with you about the Kajra Re song that has been inserted for commercial reasons rather than move the story along. Of course the song fetched the producers millions coz it became a rage.

    The movie is good coz of its contemporary story - Indian economy and society is changing at a rapid pace. Many young guys want to become rich in a flash and upto schemes like what Abhishek does in the movie - plus with many indian women winning the Miss World and Miss Universe titles, many young women want to enter beauty pagents and enter into modelling and films.

  4. Shellie says:
    July 27, 2009 at 1:34 PM

    Hi Anon,
    I didn't fully appreciate Kajra Re until months after I saw the movie, now I listen to it constantly, so I can see how it would have done well for the producers.

    I thought it was a very fun film. Thanks for your comments.