Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben famously said, “With great power comes great responsibilityâ€! This holds true for Rohit Shetty who is one of the most significant directors of Bollywood after delivering back-to-back hits. His last release, Singham, was easily his best and hence he would have surely been very very careful while scripting his next, Bol Bachchan. After all, he can’t go wrong after delivering something like Singham. The not-so-great promos did make many presume that the film too won’t be upto the mark. Thankfully, that’s not the case. Bol Bachchan is immensely entertaining and boasts of some incredible ROFL moments! What’s more, it’s a clean family entertainer! Surely a winner!
The story of the movie: Abbas Ali (Abhishek Bachchan) and his sister Sania (Asin) are neck deep in financial problems. Taking heed of Shastri’s (Asrani) advice, they shift from Delhi to Ranakpur where Abbas hopes to find a decent job at the place of most powerful man of the town, Prithviraj (Ajay Devgn). Prithiviraj is kind-hearted but very strong, ruthless and hates liars. Sadly, circumstances force Abbas to change his name to Abhishek Bachchan when he introduces himself to Prithvi! Abbas finds a well-paid job but he has to say many more lies to cover up his first jhoot, ensuing loads of laughs for the viewers!
Bol Bachchan begins with the extremely mediocre title song. The beginning portions of Abhishek and Asin too didn’t quite make a mark. The film gets on track as they move to Ranakpur and from here onwards, it’s a roller-coaster ride. And yes, the film is inspired from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Gol Maal. I was outraged with this fact initially when I saw the theatrical trailer but fortunately, Rohit and his writing team have added their own twists and humour to the goings-on. In fact, the film has traces of Rohit Shetty’s All The Best (which I feel was better than his Golmaal 1) as well.
The first half has loads of laugh-out-loud moments but the scene where Prithvi visits Abbas’ house to meet his mother brings the house down like anything! Easily the funniest scene of the film! Then Abbas’ outrageous dance during the intermission point too was hilarious! The humour quotient does go slightly down in the second half but one doesn’t mind. The climax was hilarious, especially the manner in which Prithvi exposes the team of liars. Smart!
Any hiccups? Very sadly, yeah! Prithvi’s justification for his sister Radhika (Prachi Desai) to learn kathak didn’t quite make any sense. Also, Abbas could have reasoned out that he doesn’t wish to stay back at Ranakpur and instead, go back to Delhi maybe where he has got some job. Moreover, Prithvi’s pehelwans knew about Apeksha but Shastri, who was working there, didn’t have a clue about it doesn’t make sense. The entire villain track (Jeetu Verma) seemed forced but was entertaining nevertheless!
All actors put their best foot forward. Ajay Devgn, as always, was simply marvelous! The manner in which he speaks English is one of the USPs of the film. He rocks even in dramatic, serious and emotional moments as well. After delivering consecutive duds like Rascals and Tezz, Ajay is back with a super hit film! And his next (Son Of Sardaar – Diwali release) too is expected to be a dhamaka! Watch out!
Abhishek Bachchan made me very happy with his mad act. For one, he did a fabulous job playing two roles. His comic timing is impeccable! And secondly, the actor has finally proved his worth and given a huge hit after five flops in a row! A lot was said and joked with people doubting his acting capabilities and it was a shock that his critics forgot his bravura performances in films like Guru, Dostana, Paa, Bluffmaster, Bunty Aur Babli etc. But with Bol Bachchan, Abhishek will silence his critics and how! In fact, his time has now changed for the better as he’ll be coming up with two more sure shot blockbusters – Dostana 2 and Dhoom: 3! Way to Junior B!
Asin was fine but it’s high time she delivers another Ghajin**i-like performance. She was looking beautiful in ‘Chalao Na Naino Se’ song though! **Prachi Desai is a stunner! She doesn’t have much to do but the scene brightens as soon as she steps in! Krishna Abhishek, who entertains week after week in Comedy Circus, is hilarious and will be loved by all. Archana Puran Singh too shines. Jeetu Verma looked every inch a villain. Asrani, Neeraj Vora and others too put their best foot forward.
Music is good but not great. Title song is a letdown but ‘Chalao Na Naino Se’ (Himesh Reshammiya) and ‘Nach Le’ (Ajay-Atul) is energetic. Amar Mohile’s loud and dramatic background score is in sync with the mood of the film. Shetty’s favourite, cinematographer Dudley, as usual does great. The locales are beautiful but shooting in Wai was a mistake as one can easily make out that it’s not Rajasthan.
Yunus Sajawal and Farhad-Sajid’s screenplay is extremely engaging. And Farhad-Sajid’s dialogues are out of the world! The duo has come up with countless gems especially Ajay’s English translations. Both the writers have been my favourites and have done great with films like All The Best, Ready, Double Dhamaal, Singham, Housefull 2 and now prove they are the best in this business with Bol Bachchan!
Finally, Rohit Shetty’s direction was as always terrific. He’s a pro now when it comes to such films and most importantly, understands the pulse of the audiences. And after Singham, this is the second time he has conceptualized the action scenes. And yes, this time too, the cars and people are flying around and it does make for an entertaining watch. Great work Shetty and hope that he gives his best shot in his next, Chennai Express (featuring Shah Rukh Khan)!
On the whole, Bol Bachchan is mindless, but it’s highly entertaining in all respects. Loosely inspired from Gol Maal and Shetty’s very own All The Best, Bol Bachchan boasts of some brilliant one-liners, typical Rohit Shetty action scenes and brilliant performances that shall surely be loved by audiences. At the box office, it didn’t quite take the 100% opening on Day 1 but has picked up well and will surely accumulate profits for its makers. This one’s a clean entertainer and hence, go for it with your entire family!