Some 16 years ago, I saw Bunty aur Babli with a dozen family members in a single screen theater in a non-descript town in Bihar. The speakers were blaring, the audience noisy and the screen blurry, but through the madness of it all, I thoroughly enjoyed the story of two small-town con-artists. It was this fond memory I hoped to rekindle when I decided watch the sequel. I was really looking forward to it. But alas!
If there is one thing Indian filmmakers should learn, it is to let good franchises be. Do not make a Sarkar 2, do not make a Love Aaj Kal 2, do not make even a Raaz 2-3-4 for that matter. Bunty aur Babli 2, sadly, is the latest addition to this long list of tanked sequels. It is a great example of how a seemingly perfect cast can’t hold together a film with a flawed script.
We see the OG Bunty aur Babli, having denounced their ways making the most they can out of their small-town life, while a new set of con-couple takes on their monicker and dupes sleazy uncles of their money by promising them a sexcapade. Are you serious? Duping old uncles should be last thing sassy, young and good-looking people should be doing. This is 2021. Such a plot-line would probably have made sense in 2000s, two decades later, this whole idea is dated and stinks of laziness.
The next heist is a rip-off of ‘Taj Mahal for sale’ idea from the first film. And the one after that too borrows heavily from the predecessor. However, it is when all the heists are done, do the Rani-Saif duo enter to con the Siddharth-Sharvari coupling to rob them off their money.
What follows is a long and painful turn of events that are best left unmentioned. From the gaudy clothes to the cheap-ass locations, to the absolutely unnecessary couple fights, nothing in the film makes one sit upright and take note. A few witty dialogues here and there are the only things that keep one awake through the snooze-fest this film is.
Also- what is up with the songs? The first movie boasts of an album that is still relevant over a decade later and then comes this one which feels like it’s stuck in the 70s. No pump, no energy, no romance. I could go on and on but I feel that would be a waste too.
If you liked the first Bunty and Babli, do not, I repeat, do not watch this film. Even the brilliant actors can’t help but betray you.
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