The poor script initiates a domino effect shattering everything else in the film.
Bunty Aur Babli 2:
Star Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Sharvari Wagh, Pankaj Tripathi, Rajiv Gupta
Director: Varun V. Sharma
What’s Good: The title (minus the 2 at its end)
What’s Bad: The title (with the 2 in the end)
Loo Break: Only if makers could’ve taken one while creating this
Watch or Not?: I didn’t like this week’s other release, Kartik Aaryan’s Dhamaka as well but I could watch that two times back to back instead of this
Available On: Theatrical Release
Runtime: 138 minutes
User Rating:
It’s been 16 years since Rakesh’s Bunty (not Abishek Bachchan) & Vimmi’s Babli (still Rani Mukerji) haven’t looted anyone living a happy family life. Until one day, YRF got the idea of remaking its classic and now we’ve Bunty, Babli 2.0 in Kunal (Siddhant Chaturvedi), Sonia (Sharvari Wagh) to trap & rob people. It must’ve been a gloomy childhood for them as from the thousands of inspiring figures worldwide, they choose to follow con-artists Bunty & Babli.
Jatayu (straight out of Ludo Pankaj Tripathi) replaces Bachchan’s Dashrath as the inspector & he does what anyone at his post would do, abduct Bunty & Babli and tie them to chairs placing on the railway track. When the (half) OG pair get to know about some newbies tarnishing their ‘brand image’, they decide to help the police in catching them red-handed. What happens next? You wouldn’t want to know.
Bunty Aur Babli 2 Movie Review: Script Analysis
Director Varun V. Sharma has also penned the story as well and it’s the classic case of “Sometimes I’ll start a sentence (read: movie), and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way” (Spoiler alert: he doesn’t). Full marks for the idea of bringing in another pair giving a fight to the new one but it’s the execution of the idea that’s sloppy. It takes away everything that its predecessor stood for, from proper character building to the locations playing an extra.
Even if part 1 wasn’t a parameter, this still would’ve ended up as a poor comedy with great performers who hold the power to turn the film around. Some sequences feel straight-up like rejected ideas from the original. Avik Mukhopadhyay’s cinematography in part 1 shone brightly due to the earthy locations makers shot at. The whole Dubai sequence in this one takes from away from the novelty.
Bunty Aur Babli 2 Movie Review: Star Performance
Saif Ali Khan tries a little too hard to fill in Bachchan’s shoes in this one. Though the body language is completely different because of the 16-years jump, the accent comes across as artificial at times.
Rani Mukerji’s Vimmi has always been a loud character but this time it really bothered me because of its poor sketch. Apart from one or two genuine sequences, she was too loud too often.
Before going into it, I had the maximum expectations from Siddhant Chaturvedi because of course Gully Boy, but like every other good actor on the list even he fails to attract the attention with basically nothing.
Sharvari lacked energy or something was pulling her back making the whole vibe of her character very dull. Even in the scenes in which she has to shout, she tried too hard to not overdo it hence limiting the natural flow.
Pankaj Tripathi looked like he shot Ludo and this one during the same period. That would’ve been a compliment if his role was even as remotely funny as Ludo. I don’t remember when was the last time when some film wasted Pankaj Tripathi.
Bunty Aur Babli 2 Movie Review: Direction, Music
Varun V. Sharma loses the plot within the first 30 minutes of the film. Even the initial half-hour manages to stay afloat due to the remaining external residue of part 1. You feel hopeful of the story picking up, but the more it continues the steep slippery slope becomes.
Retaining Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy from the original was probably the best decision made by the makers but even they can’t save the sinking ship. The poor script initiates a domino effect shattering everything else in the film. Apart from Luv Ju (that too to some extent), not a single song lands well. Only if you remember how classic songs of the original were.
Bunty Aur Babli 2 Movie Review: The Last Word
All said and done, Bunty Aur Babli 2 is a cool idea going down the drain due to poor story. Another example for someone thinking to touch another classic to remake, please learn something from this?
One and a half stars!
Bunty Aur Babli 2 Trailer
Bunty Aur Babli 2 releases on November 19, 2021.
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