Bunty Aur Babli 2 (2021 / Cinema Release/ RomCom)
Director/Writer – Varun V Sharma
Cast – Rani Mukherji, Saif Ali Khan, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Sharvari Wagh, Pankaj Tripathi
I really do not understand if the studios are so bitten by the sequel bug, why the hell can’t they rope in the original team, specially the crew.
It’s really sad to see the studios so mechanised and business formula driven that they fail to see the contribution of writers and directors. That certainly doesn’t mean they shouldn’t give chance to new talent. But why put a favourite original and the fan audience at stake?
Bunty and Babli 2 tries its best to tick all boxes.
It gives us a lavish dose of the conman shenanigans we so loved, along with some fresh talent thrown in (Siddhant, Sharvari), in the latest trendy avatar. It also gives us a great old combo of Rani-Saif. It gives us a kick ass replacement of our favourite bad ass policeman Dashrath Singh, the ever reliable Pankaj Tripathi. They give us fancy destinations, bikini clad heroine, the latest trending (urghhh) music, a good set of support cast. But… despite the cast throwing in their best, it just fails to click.
The first half introduces us to the new con couple, some instances of interesting rip offs and the ongoing life of original Bunty and Babli. They, along with the police, on the trail of the new couple makes for an interesting and promising first half. The humour is good and the film keeps us engaged and looking forward.
But the second half goes downhill and crashes our hopes. Instead of picking up, the story gets riddled with silliness and flounders badly before going down in a heap.
Siddhant and Sharvari look cool and fluid. In my opinion, they were freshest aspect of the film and looked impressive and promising.
Saif tries to fit into Bunty’s shoes and plays his trade mark comic timing well. But honestly speaking, I kept missing Abhishek. There was a certain innocence and charm about the way he carried the character. And I don’t know why they had to add that extra bulk to Saif’s midriff.
Rani plays her usual over-the-top Punjabi avatar but this time it seemed a trifle over done. She seemed to be trying too hard.
The most surprising part is that Pankaj Tripathi who never fails as a character, failed to strike a chord this time.
Shankar Ehsaan Loy, whose music has always been class apart, have delivered “The” most shockingly disappointing music of their life time. I am sure there can be nothing worse coming from the trio who have given us umpteen gems.
I was also surprised at the tacky lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya who has otherwise given us many memorable songs.
Was it too deep a secret to understand that BB1’s music track was one of its strongest points? That music and the pathbreaking lyrics by Gulzar sahab was pure gold.
If so many ace artists who have otherwise always created memorable work, together failed to create a good film, there has to be something wrong with basics. And hence I would blame the team at helm. The writing left much to be wished for. Varun Sharma must have tried his best I guess but handling a sequel comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. There’s a fair amount of goodwill but so are expectations.
Having punched the film so hard, I would say it could be a good one time watch as a family entertainer. It has a great set of actors who entertain well. But the Bunty Babli fans must keep their expectations strictly toned down.
Score 2.5 on 5