Bunty Aur Babli 2 movie review: Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan can’t pull off this heist-Entertainment News , Firstpost

Language: Hindi

In the first part of Bunty Aur Babli (2005), Amitabh Bachchan’s character Dashrath explains his action of letting the con couple go scot-free with what loosely translates as: “The law is supposed to eliminate the crime, not the criminal.” That statement lent spine to a film that could have remained content with being a vastly but aimlessly entertaining heist comedy.

Sixteen years later, the criminals have embraced domesticity in the town of Fursatganj, but the crime goes on. Another, much younger couple (Sharvari and Siddhant Chaturvedi) is masquerading as Bunty aur Babli while carrying out similar heists in Uttar Pradesh. First cornered by new case in-charge Inspector Jatayu (Pankaj Tripathi), and then motivated by their own quest to reclaim their lost identity, Vimmi (Rani Mukerji) and Rakesh (Saif Ali Khan) return to what they know best — but only with the aim to hunt down the new B&B in town.

The story by producer Aditya Chopra is undoubtedly interesting, and it allows a case study on intergenerational differences through the lens of the two con couples. Their motivations for stealing are poles apart — the OG B&B did it to prove the small-town bubble theory wrong. They wanted to be famous, even if it was under an alias. The wide grin on Rani’s face when she reads out loud a Bunty-Babli kaand in the newspaper, along with Abhishek Bachchan’s mischievous smile when he urges her to carry on the con job with, “Ye hum nahi, Bunty keh rahe hain,” made the thrill embedded in their heists palpable. It allowed us to live vicariously through their guilt-free ambition.

B&B 2.0 are more of the Robinhood kind. They steal from the rich, the corrupt, and donate to the poor. Think Dhoom, another Yash Raj Films franchise. The first two parts had John Abraham and Hrithik Roshan as criminals because it was cool to be bad. They had principles, and considered thievery an art. Enter Aamir Khan in Dhoom 3, and he made the film about the justification to his actions. Boooring!

But Sharvari and Chaturvedi aren’t even stars. It’s only their second project in the business. Her character’s dilemma does hint at the reason behind the dissonance in motivation. Millennials aspire to be woke, and conning is probably not that. They’re also supposed to be introspective given all the surround sound, so there has to be a noble end to their means. The root cause is still the same — a flawed, saturated system that only rewards the corrupt. But that idea does not have legs, and is only limited to impassioned monologues by Chaturvedi.

The motivation of the OG Bunty Aur Babli shows consistency. They did it because they wanted to be famous, they quit it because they wanted a family. But when they realise their monopoly is threatened, and their brand is being duplicated (“copyright kara lena chahiye tha yar“), they decide not to let anyone tamper with their legacy. “Bunty aur Babli hum hain,” proclaims Vimmi, as Rakesh nods along with a bright spark in his eyes.

When the OG couple returns to the game, the screenplay and direction by Varun V Sharma pick up. But unfortunately, the dialogues hit the mark only sporadically. While Rani and Saif still land a lot of their lines in their sharp exchanges, the presence of Amitabh’s kooky cop Dashrath is sorely missed. Tripathi’s comic timing here is not even a patch on Amitabh’s, and his wings are slashed Jatayu-style by the Raavan that the lifeless script is.

The only constant besides Mukerji (we will get to her later) is Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy as music composers. But the soundtrack is a low point even among their recent music, which boasted of some sparks like Panga, Chhapaak, and Toofan. Amitabh Bhattacharya could have been a worthy follow-up to Gulzar but his lyrics are criminally wasted when compared to that of the original, which were a screenplay unto themselves.

Even the background score is hit by the curse of underlining every dialogue and expression, no matter how shabby they are. The original part exercised economy when it came to the BGM. In the sequel, stupid sounds galore so it’s a classic case of take-as-many-as-you-want.

 The iconic introductory tune of the original title track is refashioned but does not hit the same sweet spot because of ill timing and just the overall lack of wit in the sequel.

There are some noteworthy winks though. But two of the best ones are in the trailer. Saif mocking Mukerji as “Mardaani” when she starts beating up an eve teaser instead of chasing their target, and Asrani exposing the casting coup when he tells Saif, “Lagte toh Bunty bhi nahi ho.” It’s fun to let in a whiff of ‘Kajra Re’ in the sequel, and thankfully not as a Tanishk Bagchi remix as is the trend. A couple of familiar faces from the first part also make an appearance but the script is unable to lend them memorable turns like the first one managed to do.

The new blood — Sharvari and Siddhant Chaturvedi — are introduced in consecutive disguises (with brilliant makeup). The anonymity helps them in the roleplay, and both do a fine job of it. But once the prosthetic falls off, one cannot remain invested in them for too long. I’m not sure if I can sit through a spin-off with just the two of them. Neither their individual characters nor their romance is fleshed out as well as it was with the OG Bunty Aur Babli in the first part.

Coming to the other couple, it is shown that they have hit that marital plateau, and their love life isn’t flourishing, probably because they no longer indulge in the bonding exercise of conning together. While Rakesh has grown a paunch, Vimmi is desperately trying to shield her ageing. Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded the two actors living in each other’s pocket in the hands of a more able director and a screenplay with more breathing space. Not enough time and attention are given to their romance. It is a pity to have Rani and Saif in a film, and not drum up their unabated chemistry to its optimum level.

Saif replacing Abhishek does not hurt as he slips into those shoes slyly. In one scene, he tells Vimmi that he “saw Bunty” in the eyes of Chaturvedi’s character as he can spot suspicion easily by the virtue of being a Ticket Collector. I wish there were more such markers that could’ve shown us Rakesh’s trajectory from the first part to the sequel.

The same cannot be said for Vimmi. Rani still plays her with the restless energy of an aspiring Hindi film heroine, or the 16-year-plus version of that. She’s still as dramatic, even in the choice of her clothing. Sabyasachi Mukherjee designs costumes for her that are as gaudy as they come (in a running joke, Vimmi says she stitches and wears copies of Sabyasachi to keep herself young and relevant). Not many actresses could have pulled off that wardrobe with the ownership that Mukerji does. Kudos to her for sticking to those outrageous touches because she wanted to keep Vimmi/Babli alive (even her disguise costumes are hideously stylish).

It seems like that wardrobe has rubbed off on the film as a whole. Bunty Aur Babli 2 is sincere in its attempt to keep the brand alive and continue the narrative organically. But it chooses to ignore all the signs, all the red flags, and decides to cover them up under a flashy exterior. It touches upon the pros and cons of conning in the age of internet and social media, but only superficially. It also comments on the unsuccessful attempts at Ganga rejuvenation by the current government, but never takes a dive into it. It also shows how the two conning couples are different as one likes to clink whiskey glasses while the other prefers to down tequila shots.

But it rarely goes beyond. And when it does, it doesn’t go too far. It’s a heist they can’t pull off.

Rating: * *