Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl - ALL REVIEWS HERE - Page 6

Director: Maneesh Sharma
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Pareeniti Chopra, Dippanita Sharma Atwal and Aditi Sharma
Release Date: 2011-12-09 08:00:00
Quick Take: Full masala no magic

Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, director Maneesh Sharma, writer Habib Faisal and producers Yash Raj Films. That's basically the same team that made Band Baaja Baaraat. When they collaborate for the second time, you obviously expect another BBB. Though not the whole enchilada, Ladies V/S Ricky Bahl has that ever so slight hangover. You know the Delhi wallah lingo, the crack jack characters and their quirks. Even the chak de phatte Ranveer Singh has the same verve. So what's different? A con story. A con man taking women for a ride and then falling in love with his victim. It's not fresh but it has enough desi masala to charm you through two hours.

The story seems like a hybrid between Jeffrey Archer's Not A Penny More Not A Penny Less and Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof. The protagonist's a conman and his nemesis are three women he's conned in the past. They turn the tables on him and take him for a ride. On the way the film throws up some pretty interesting developments. A cat and mouse game between the three ladies and their unsuspecting but clever victim. That's the soul of the film. Pulling strings behind the curtains for a heist. It's almost as engaging as an Ocean's movie plot.

But then the film does the cardinal sin of indulging in movie cliches and cinematic liberties. The competing con persons fall in love and there's bound to be a hitch in the plan. Things veer out of control and then magically fall back in place as the conspirators hold their breaths. In the light of the countless times we've overlooked finer details in our favourite films, it's all forgivable in Ladies... too.

The film and it's makers owe a favour to debutant Pareeniti Chopra. She's the show stealer with her loud-mouth Dilli ki kudi act. She's got the best punch lines and she delivers a comedy performance Kareena Kapoor would be proud of. Dippanita, Aditi and even the leading lady Anushka are left filling in the gaps. Ranveer Singh on the other hand is seen in a subdued avatar. He's not the edgy and bubbly Bittu from BBB. He's suave, he's charming and he's a smooth operator. But there's a spark missing from the young actor's performance. He gets the job done but doesn't capture our imagination the same way he did in his debut.

Thankfully the movie doesn't con you of your time and effort. It entertains you and serves up enough thrills and spills to please. But it also doesn't give you something you'd remember till Yash Raj's next film.

Rachit Gupta

Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh starrer Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl opened to fair houses across India. At certain places, the opening shows saw an occupancy of about 60 per cent, while at other places the film opened to an occupancy of about 40 per cent.

Shows of the film all over saw many youngsters in attendance.

Yash Raj Films' Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl is directed by Maneesh Sharma. The film's story is penned by Aditya Chopra. LVRB also stars Parineeti Chopra, Dipannita Sharma Atwal, Aditi Sharma.

Komal Nahta, the Editor of Koimoi.com, is Bollywood's most trusted trade analyst & film reviewer. You can follow him on Twitter and check out his Video Blog.

basically people liked the first half but the second half not so much. i don't this has anything to do with acting, imo. its just the script failure.

Woh con hai?

Ladies vs Ricky Bahl

Rating:

December 09, 2011

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Dipannita Sharma, Parineeti Chopra, Aditi Sharma

Director: Maneesh Sharma

As Dimple Chaddha, the motor-mouthed spoilt-little-rich-brat who's lattoo over her gym-trainer boyfriend, newcomer Parineeti Chopra steals Ladies vs Ricky Bahl from under the nose of its leads. Whether she's barging into her father's office, demanding that he help solve her boyfriend's property dispute, or drooling over the sight of the man who duped her of her affection and her money, she's the most charming thing about this inconsistent film.

Dimple from Dilli, along with Raina from Mumbai (Dipannita Sharma), and Saira from Lucknow (Aditi Sharma) ' discover they've each been swindled by the same deceitful charmer (Ranveer Singh). Now the trio puts their heads together, and comes up with a plan to get revenge on him ' they hire a woman (Anushka Sharma) to con the conman.

The film's first half hour or so plays out breezily, where everything from Habib Faisal's delightful dialogues to Ranveer Singh's performance as an earnest, middle-class Dilliwala hits the right note. The Mumbai chapter is engaging too, where Ranveer assumes the identity of an art exhibitor, but by the time we reach the Lucknow portions where he pretends to be a trader of zardozi designs, the screenplay has slipped into a predictable, episodic routine.

Ladies vs Ricky Bahl nosedives further post-intermission because of script holes the size of craters. The trio of women tracks down our hero way too conveniently, and you can't help but question how a seasoned conman could so easily be charmed into parting with his cash. Doesn't help either that the narrative is interrupted far too often with unnecessary songs.

Director Maneesh Sharma grounds his characters in reality, but unlike last year's terrific Band Baaja Baaraat, this time he's saddled with a clunky script. Good for him, he's got actors he can count on. Anushka Sharma is in fine form as the pushy salesgirl who's hired for this improbable mission, but the script asks so little of her. Ranveer Singh is competent and gets some lovely moments to shine ' watch how he virtually casts a spell on a girlfriend's parents when he carries her home in the wee hours of the morning, promising them he'll always safeguard her dignity ' but after a crackling debut as a quirky unconventional lead last year (in BBB), with this film he's struggling to fit into the traditional definition of a star. The film belongs to its three supporting actresses, and particularly to Parineeti Chopra who injects a huge dollop of zing into what might have otherwise been a glossy failure.

I'm going with two-and-a-half out of five for director Maneesh Sharma's Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. It's an easily watchable film with much to smile about. Pity'it could've been so much more fun.

Review: Rajeev Masand

congratulation Parineeti Chopra

I AM SO HAPPY...hope it flops...🥳

Looks like Parniteeti Chopra Prinyanka's cousin might be nominated tas best debut.

What is the cost of the movie? the budget will decide it's fate

So Ranveer proved BBB wasnt a fluke..he is being appreciated well :)
wow look like Parineeti chopra was the dark horse and the real suprise package..hmm from the reviews so far the major flaws lies within screenplay
Poor opening is mainly due to below the mark promotions..frankly i was expecting worst reviews after watching initial promos..seemed like a rehashed version of Badmaash company and BAH..also music was nothing to rave about

Its just Ranvir's second movie and he alone shouldnt be blamed for poor opening..what about Anushka the so called most promising youth star? so far anushka is the only meh factor for me cos i m bored of her loud bubbly characters.. i will definitely give this movie a chance for Ranvir and Parneeti..