Rakesh (Abhishek Bachchan) might live in a small Uttar Pradesh town, but the ambitious youngster wants to live
a rich and successful life in the city. There’s little support at home because his parents fail to understand
Rakesh’s dreams. Therefore he decides to leave town and try his luck in the city. Vimmi (Rani Mukerji) is desperately
seeking fame and fortune. She lives in a small town called Pankinagar and spends her days looking at posters of Aishwarya Rai,
Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, dreaming of joining their ranks in the near future. However her parents want Vimmi
to settle down and get married. In desperation, she finally decides to run-away from home and turn her dreams into reality,
starting with a Miss India contest! Fate brings these two souls together. They initially struggle to survive in the city,
but desperate times call for desperate measures! They decide to travel around from city to city, conning unsuspecting victims
and making heaps of money at the same time. However instead of committing the crimes under their own names, Rakesh and Vimmi use
the alias Bunty and Babli. Their capers are hugely successful and the pair become notorious in the media.
However policeman Dasharath Singh (Amitabh Bachchan) is assigned the task of catching the two villains and he’s determined
to put them behind bars straight away. The storyline of Bunty and Babli is fun stuff. However please don’t expect realistic cinema
because there are parts of the film that seem far-fetched and impracticable – the crimes seem way too easy and the couple never
consider the consequences either. Luckily the narrative generally moves at a steady pace, although there are moments in the second
half where the story slows before the climax and at least one song could be deleted.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music is another drawback. In view of the fact that every Yash Raj product is embellished
with a sparkling musical score, the music of BUNTY AUR BABLI is a complete downer. 'Dhadak Dhadak… Tujhe Bulaye Re'
[at the very start of the film] is the sole track that you wish to hum after the show has ended. The songs are well filmed,
no doubt, but none have those mesmerizing qualities that Yash Raj products always boast of. Cinematography [Abhik Mukhopadhyay] is of a high quality. The sound design [Anuj Mathur] is appropriate. Despite the fact that BUNTY AUR BABLI doesn't really demand histrionics from any of the actors, it must be said that the three principal characters, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji, deliver topnotch performances.
Amitabh Bachchan, of course is the colossus who dances with gay abandon in a role that seems tailor made to evoke memories of his hey day. Abhishek Bachchan, does tend to ape his father a lot, but shows serious strides as an actor. Rani is the life of the film, spontaneous and vivacious. Aishwarya Rai doing an item number is sexy as required.
On the whole, BUNTY AUR BABLI is very enjoyable for the moviegoers.
