Pace and personality kill the fun. Review on Bunty Aur Babli

BaB comes to the screen with a lot of big things going for it -- Yash Chopra's banner, the reigning queen paired with the red-hot star and also for the first time, him featuring with his father, the Big B himself.

The story, like many of the recent Yash Raj movies, derives 'inspiration' from Hollywood -- Bonnie and Clyde meet Catch Me If You Can, of course fully spiced up in true Bollywood style. To make it elaborate, the two protagonists from small towns, dreaming big, join forces to go on a conning spree while an eccentric cop is close on their heels.

If you expected just fun and thrills, you'd be surprised by the emotional content and style of the movie. The style has touches of Hollywood and Mani Ratnam (under whom the director served as apprentice). Dialogues, be it the meaning-laden ones or those soaked in local dialect, stand out. The movie captures the beauty of Uttar Pradesh (thanks to Bachchan's political connections) effortlessly.

You'll have to leave behind any sense of logic and rationale at home though. Towards the end, it will require some effort on your part to prevent your jaw hitting the ground. The script itself seems to have undergone many changes through the filming, due to various influences.

The aspects that really let the movie down are its inconsistent pace and obsession with the Bachchans. For a cat-and-mouse game kind of a plot, the screenplay needs to run in top gear throughout. Here, it hits the brakes for anything and everything. The number one culprit among those is the time when it pauses to celebrate the coming together of the real-life family members -- an unconnected narration of the policeman's past over many drinks, topped with a dance for an item number. Paying tributes to the legendary actor through songs, costumes et al are all welcome, but only upto some extent. Another low-point of the movie is the dance number (choreographed by Shiamak Dawar) where the lead pair seem to be attempting to compete with Hrithik Roshan and Mallika Sherawat!

Abhishek walks away with the acting honours amidst all the chaos. He lives the role and hardly lets you see through it. He's at ease with comedy, romance and emotions. Mukherjee enjoys her vibrant role. Amitabh does what audience have come to expect of him, with a crazy costume and some raw lines providing the difference. The only impression that Aishwarya Rai leaves in her brief appearance is that of a desperate wannabe. The supporting cast, featuring smaller stars, is adequate.

The music is peppy and melodious (though let down by the picturisation). Gulzar's lyrics make a difference. Cinematography and editing are adequate. Costumes and art direction aid the loud nature of the movie.

Though Shaad Ali has been under the shadow of others, he displays his originality nevertheless. That lets one give him yet another opportunity to prove himself in the future.