Bachchhan Paandey – the Hindi remake of the 2014 Tamil crime-comedy ‘Jigarthanda’ – is a masala entertainer but in bits and pieces.
Bachchhan Paandey Movie Review:
Director: Farhad Samji
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon, Arshad Warsi, Jacqueline Fernandez, Pankaj Tripathi
Runtime: 2 hours 29 mins
Rating: 2.5/5
Storyline:
When an assistant director Myra Devekar (Kriti Sanon), who dreams to become a renowned movie director, attempts to make a biopic of the ruthless gangster of Baghwa, Bachchhan Paandey (Akshay Kumar), little did she know what was awaiting for her. Bachchhan Paandey – jiska aankh aur dil dono patther ke hain – can do anything to maintain his bhaukaal (swag) and doesn’t think twice before killing people.
Myra reaches to Baghwa and carries out a research on Bachchhan with the help of her friend, Vishwakant Matre aka Vishu (Arshad Warsi) who is a struggling actor and is determined to make his father proud. In her quest to document Bachchhan’s life, Myra promises Vishu to give her the second lead role in her movie as it’s the second lead who steals the main hero’s thunder.
To get to Bachchhan Paandey, Myra-Vishu try to gather information about him from his associates – Kaandi (Saharsh Kumar Shukla), Pendulum (Abhimanyu Singh), Bufferia Chacha (Sanjay Mishra) and Virgin (Prateik Babbar). However, the duo get caught by Paandey and what happens next is the rest of the story.
Sophie (Jacqueline Fernandez) comes in the flashback scene as a tourist and plays a life-changing role (quite literally) in Bachchhan’s life. The duo fall in love and then… ? In the trailer, it was said that Bachchhan (whom Vishu calls ‘Raavan’) killed Sophie but did he actually kill his own girlfriend?
What Do We Think?
First things first, the Akshay Kumar-starrer has literally lived up to its tagline – ‘Holi Pe Goli’ – as there are enough guns and bloodbath. However, the first half is slow and falls flat a bit, while the 2nd half consists of masaledaar twists and turns.
The funny banter between the two friends – Myra and Vishu – is a treat to watch. Pankaj Tripathi stole the limelight with his hardly 15-minute appearance as ‘acting field ke don’ Bhavesh Bhoplo. Arshad’s comic timing and effortless acting are cherry-on-the-top. And yes, Arshad and Pankaj ji’s performances are the real-steal.
Kriti Sanon looks oh-so-gorgeous and has done a good job too, whereas Jacqueline as Sophie fails to create an impact. Paandey’s gang members also did a fine job at making us laugh.
The music, apart from the whistle-themed BGM, is quite a letdown. From exotic locations, great camerawork to fancy outfits… the movie looks indeed expensive. Unfortunately, Akshay’s swag, punch-lines and deadly stare fell short to be glued to your seat for 2-and-a-half hours.
Hit Or Miss?
Bachchhan Paandey has opened to mixed reviews from critics and the audience. Touted to be an out-and-out massy film, we feel that it is worth a one-time-watch. If you are a sucker for a typical masala entertainer (and cliched too), go ahead and watch it in theatres near you.