Bunty Aur Babli (2005)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Shaad Ali

Writers:

Aditya Chopra (story)
Jaideep Sahni (screenplay)

Release Date:

27 May 2005 (Australia)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime

Tagline:

In this world there are two types of people...........

Plot:

Two mismatched characters go on a wild road trip in Uttar Pradesh and, while being dogged by a policeman, fall in love.

Plot Keywords:

Road Movie | Hospital | Celebrity Criminal | Wannabe Model | Conning Couple

Awards:

7 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Rani Mukherjee	...	Vimmi Saluja / Babli (as Rani Mukerji)
Abhishek Bachchan	...	Rakesh Trivedi / Bunty
Amitabh Bachchan	...	DCP Dashrath Singh
Raj Babbar	...	Trivedi
Tania Zaetta	...	Kate
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ravi Baswani	...	B.B.'s first victim
Mukesh Bhatt	...	Peon
Prem Chopra	...	SikhTruck Driver
J. Brandon Hill	...	Harry
Puneet Issar	...	Vimmi's father
Kiran Juneja	...	Vimmi's mother (as Kiran Juneja Sippy)
Pratima Kazmi	...	Phool Sakhi
Rumaan Kidwai	...	Tea Stall Owner
Kunal Kumar	...	Newspaper Salesman
Lilliput	...	Pappu
Sanjay Mishra	...	Q. Q. Qureshi
Yunus Parvez	...	Hotel owner
Aishwarya Rai	...	Special Appearance (song)
Rameshwari	...	Mrs. Trivedi
Ranjeet	...	Store owner
Veerendra Saxena	...	Police Commissioner
Rajesh Vivek	...	Protestor

Also Known As:

B.N.B. (India: English title) (promotional abbreviation)

Runtime:

170 min

Country:

India

Language:

English | Hindi

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

UK:PG | Australia:PG

Company:

Yash Raj Films

Trivia:

The horn-rimmed glasses and old-fashioned dress Babli dons to give an old-fashioned look to her persona is a reference to the popular Hindi serial _Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin (2003)_.

Quotes:

[singing]
DCP Dashrath Singh: Now listen up y'all, let me tell you a little story about two cool cats named Bunty and Babli... Bunty aur Babli, Bunty aur Babli / They are coming to your town / They hustle well, they hustle now...

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Soundtrack:

Nach Baliye

A refreshing change

I can slowly see Hindi films evolving and taking more chances with their content and characters, something it hasn't done in thirty years. With the release of films like Black, Hazaaron Kwaishein Aisi, Raincoat and now even Bunty Aur Babli you can't help but appreciate the effort, even if the results vary.

Bunty Aur Babli is in no way a breakthrough. It has its color, loud music and spoonfuls of melodrama like the thousands of Hindi films that preceded it. However, it also has a pair of anti-heroes as the leads; Bunty and Babli are lovable criminals that love crime. The sheer exuberance of the characters as well as the actors is one of the main selling points of this film.

The music is likable, though the shooting of Chup Chup Ke looks exactly like that of the song "Saathiya" from Shaad Ali's previous film. It could have been removed. The item number with Aishwarya Rai is practically forced into the screenplay with a pair of pliers, and could also have been removed.

The movie also unnecessarily milks a scene between Amitabh Bachchan and his son, Abhishek. The two get completely drunk and have a boring, drawn out conversation about love that may leave you squirming in your seat. What a waste. This was meant to be a mesmerizing scene, as it's their first time acting together, but it instead becomes a good time to take that bathroom break.

However, those gripes are minor compared to the rest of the film. Abhishek Bachchan gives a good performance, and hams it up like a pro. Rani Mukherjee is further cementing her stature as one of the few true actors in commercial Hindi cinema. She handles the humor (check out her catty fight with a Miss India contestant) and the melodrama with ease. Amitabh Bachchan is a cool cat. All of it works well because no one is taking it too seriously. It's pure entertainment.

All in all, I'm glad we're seeing popular films that shy away from the love triangles, characters that are too perfect to be human, and poor production values. Bunty Aur Babli falls into none of those traps. Yes, it falls into several others but it's still a step forward!