Film Review: ‘Band Baaja Baarat’

The release of the movie ‘Band Baaja Baarat’ could not have been more well-timed, given its wedding theme and the peppy numbers, all fit for the marriage functions. The new Bollywood entrant, Ranveer Singh, who plays Bittoo in the film, has done a great job. He was fully involved in the character he played. Calling him the lifeline of the movie won’t be an exaggeration at all. Anushka Sharma too seems to have evolved as an actor with each passing movie. She fitted very well into the role of Shruti, a 20-year old, who had always dreamt of starting a wedding planning business. The coming together of Shruti and Bittoo, as a team of wedding planners is just by chance. Bittoo puts forwards as an excuse to avoid going with his father for farming business that he is into the job of a wedding planner. Then he goes on to convince Shruti to take him as her business partner. This is how begins the story of success of ‘Shadi Mubarak’ (as they name their agency).

The first half of the movie is all about their planning different weddings and then reaping benefits later. Till the time of interval it gets a little monotonous with only weddings being planned and both of them earning from those arranged ceremonies, with the movie garnished with a few tracks that totally conform to the wedding environment established till then.

In the name of climax, there is a slight twist in the story after the interval, when Bittoo hesitates in getting into a serious relationship with Shruti. The twist is unconvincing because of the fact that it is Bittoo, who applies the principles earlier mentioned by Shruti. The film is one of the most cleverly written films. The story line is neither too strong nor very well-written. Infact, the story is just a run-of-the-mill type, typical age-old Bollywood masala, where two diametrically opposite in nature actors end up falling in love with each other. Shruti is very well-focussed towards the goal of her life whereas Bittoo is the typical aimless guy, who simply lives his life without a fixed goal. Then there is the same old twist that one of them does not realize that he is in love and then is upset that his hitherto unknown love-interest is marrying someone else and finally it dawns upon him that he is madly in love.

The seasonal trick is the wedding masala which dominates each and every aspect of the film. The music is no doubt catchy and the movie is overall an entertainment package. I won’t say that the movie is a must-watch but yes, if you are looking for something purely for your entertainment, a simple light-hearted one, then you can definitely go for it. I would give it three stars (out of five). Hey, that’s not at all bad!

6 January, 2011