Review: 'Bachchhan Paandey' is surprisingly fun in certain areas even though it has unsolved problems

Bachchhan Paandey

Ranging from the Sooraj Barjatya universe to the Rohit Shetty universe, the requirement of suspension of disbelief is immensely more than in normal films. But that started going several notches higher when director Farhad Samji started directing. With films like Entertainment, Housefull 3 and Housefull 4, Samji didn't have the critics going gaga about his films but they have always managed to rake in big numbers.

Admittedly, I am not a huge fan of Farhad Samji either but one needs to give credit where it is due and having seen his latest directorial, Bachchhan Paandey, I can safely say it is his best.

The Plot

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Myra (Kriti Sanon) is a budding film director who, upon being fired from a film gets the idea to make a biopic film on an unknown and ruthless gangster, Bachchhan Paandey (Akshay Kumar). Unlike others, Bachchhan isn't just feared but the fact that he does all the killing just for fun - makes him all the more dangerous. How Myra embarks on a mission to make a film on Bachchhan Paandey with his friend Vishu (Arshad Warsi) and the unanticipated adventures the duo face is what the rest of the film is all about.

The Good

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As mentioned earlier, in Farhad Samji universe, everything is off limits and the larger than life characters and situations is a given. But what makes the exception here unlike his previous films is that it works to an extent. The deliriousness of an array of situations in the film is actually done with a particular tone that almost allows you to suspend your disbelief enough but doesn't enter the 'absolutely absurd' category. The signature swagger of Bachchhan Paandey, the whistle-worthy background score on his entry and a few fun action scenes are all actually rather entertaining.

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The comedy FINALLY lands (at a few places). Okay, the biggest problem with films like Entertainment and Housefull 3 and 4 was that inspite of being labelled as a comedy, there was actually nothing comical about anything in the film. However, with Bachchhan Paandey, several comical scenes are actually funny. Especially the two bits involving two of Bachchan's henchmen - Kaandi and Virgin are hysterical. It was so amazing to see even meta humor being used with Virgin's (Prateik Babbar) track where Myra and Vishu are trying to fool him to leak information about Bachchhan - by exploiting his aspiration of being an actor. Just as they do some photos, the iconic track 'Aslam Bhai' from Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega plays in the background which is hilarious as Aslam Bhai too, while a don, was a wannabe actor.

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Towards the end, I started feeling if this is becoming a tad too long for my liking and the climax, if not satisfactory enough - will spoil the overall experience. However, the climax is a fitting end to the entire saga and even the fun and laughs continue even as the end credits rolled. 

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It has been another token in such testosterone-filled films that female characters barely get anything to do. Even in Bachchhan Paandey, actor Jacqueline Fernadez literally might be there for less than 10 odd minutes. However, that is made up well with Kriti Sanon's character. Not only is she in the centre of everything but in a way, she plays the actual lead as opposed to Akshay Kumar. It is her character that begins the film and it is with her journey that the film ends. A welcome change in such style of films.

The Not-So-Good

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I cease to understand the need to put in an array of twists and turns to make a commercial film trying to enter the 'storytelling zone.' One of the biggest turn-offs of Bachchhan Paandey is the constant twists and turns that it presents, especially in the second half. It isn't that those twists are not justified enough but the need for them seems minimal.

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While the comedy does land overall, there are obvious problems with multiple characters. Pankaj Tripathi's character of Bhavesh Bhoplo is so caricutarish and stereotypical of Gujaratis that it gets annoying to an extent. Not to say that a few lines and situations aren't funny but whenever there is fun, the line is crossed. Similarly, with Bufferiya Chacha (Sanjay Mishra), trying to invoke laughter at the expense of a character's stammering was so unoriginal and unfunny. And adding to this, is the annoying 'tewww' comedy background score that cues the viewer that 'hey, you have to laugh.'

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So Bachchhan Paandey has not one but two love angles - both incredibly bad. The love story between Bachchhan and Sophie (Jacqueline Fernandez), while important for the storyline - is cliched, banal and boring. On the other hand, as a mild and half-baked love angle appears between Bachchan and Myra that is just weird and actually makes you uncomfortable. 

The Performances

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Akshay Kumar is one of the absolute reasons to watch the film. He exhibits a swagger being the bad guy who is just anarchic with his actions. His greys, his glass eye and rugged personality only adds to Bachchhan Paandey's personna and only an actor like Kumar can pull it off. Kriti Sanon is also impressive as Myra. The story, pretty much, rides around her and she manages to do justice even with the scenes where she is required to emote.

Arshad Warsi is hilarious as always with his limited role as Vishu but Saharsh Kumar Shukla as Kaandi is one of the standouts as he even gets some of the funniest lines and gags. 

The Verdict

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Bachchhan Paandey is obviously not perfect and obviously not a layered film in any way - not that it proposes to be that. But it is a surprisingly fun and satisfactory ride that makes up for worthy time of your theatre-going experience.

Rating - **1/2 (2.5/5)