Bunty Aur Babli 2
Starring Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukerji, Siddhant Chaturvedi,Sharvari Wagh
Directed by Varun V Sharma
Rating: *
Is this the worst sequel of all times in cinema of any language and country? Probably yes. The makers of this mentally retarded rom-com have designated this a “spiritual sequel” to the original Bunty Aur Babli.
In truth , it is nothing of the sort. At best Bunty Aur Babli 2 is a poor joke at the expense of the sparkling original which featured among other things , the mother of all item songs. This one has poor visibility. It can’t see how wrong the writing is going, even when the plot all but self-destructs in a rush of rapidfire nonsense.
So here we are, in a sequel 16 years too late which should have never been made. Babli is still…well bubbly.Which means, she is Rani Mukerjee behaving like Kajol.Abhishek Bachchan(lucky man who got away) is replaced by Saif Ali Khan who thinks squeezing a pillow into his shirt is a perfect middle-aged spread and speaking English with ‘z’ words pronounced with a ‘j’ makes him trendily hick.
That’s Vimi and Rakesh a.k.a Babli and Bunty. Got that? Now let’s move to a younger couple. The gen-X Babli and Bunty played by Siddhant Chaturvedi ( who still behaves like the rapper in Gully Boy , though sadly the swag now sags) and newcomer Sharvari Wagh.
Together the two new Bunty and Babli try to whip up a storm which doesn’t make it to the teacup. The writing is so dense and the momentum of the storytelling so force-nudged, that the whole edifice of con-renewed becomes a con job of its own.And not even a professional one.
The writing is clear on the wall. We can read it. The film’s cast and crew evidently couldn’t. It is surprising how a producer as astute and high on aesthetics as Aditya Chopra didn’t kill this atrocity in post-production. Nothing here works. Not even the ever-dependable Pankaj Tripathi who struggles to inject some interest into his cop’s role. Cameos by renowned laugh-raisers like Asrani and Gopal Dutt come and go leaving behind a trail of messy possibilities.
And yes,I must mention the child who plays Saif and Rani’s son. He must qualify as the most annoying juvenile performer seen in Hindi cinema. The poor child is not to be blamed. What can he do if he sees the adults behaving with blissful infantility?
There is a broad hint at the end of the film of another film in the series. Spare us,please.
