Band Baaja Baaraat

*This review contains spoilers.

Continuing to explore the loves and the lives of the common folk of west Delhi, Band Baaja Baaraat succeeds to a great extent at repackaging a done to death tale. Even with a story that has really has nothing new to offer Band Baaja Baaraat is enjoyable largely thanks to some good writing and pleasant acting.

There has been a lot of talk about Yash Raj Films’ decision to launch Ranveer Singh, someone who has no filmy connection and isn’t the kind of face that would set the box office ringing but Singh, to say the least, is well cast and suits the role like hand in glove. Bittoo (Ranveer Singh) is an aimless chap idling his time away in Delhi University making the most of life before familial tradition sucks him back to Saharanpur. He bumps into Shruti Kakkar (Anushka Sharma) at a wedding he crashes along with his hostel mates and even tries to impress her by presenting the DVD of the shaadi video he shoots but is told bluntly that he isn’t the kind of boy she will ever fall for. To his credit Bittoo effortlessly shifts gears and becomes the friend. A largely aimless Bittoo ends up following Shruti like a pup when he realizes partnering her in her wedding planning company is the only way he can stay away from farming away his life back home. Their venture ‘Shaadi Mubarak’ starts from the congested lanes of Janakpuri and finally makes it the posh Sainik Farms without a hitch but while celebrating their biggest success they end up sleeping together. While Shruti thinks of this as a natural progression of a friendship, Bittoo just wants to forget the whole episode, kaand as he labels it and move on.

Although Band Baaja Baaraat’s setting is authentic it still is very limited and while this isn’t the kind of film where one would have expected director Maneesh Sharma to scratch beneath the surface. But had the screenplay done that it would have benefited the film and made it something more than just the plain sweet film it ends up being. The first half of the film is extremely breezy and even though it’s nothing out of the box Habib Faisal’s dialogues add great resonance to the manner in which the drama unfolds. The trouble starts when Bittoo and Shruti’s When Harry Met Sallyesque moment announces its arrival. Once that happens the elementary gender disparity of thoughts knowingly pushes them into different directions, situations challenge them to delve deep into their selves to realize the true worth of the other person, yada, yada, yada…you get the picture.

The combination of Bittoo, a charmer to the hilt in his own limited world and Shruti, a hard working miss goody two shoes that made them popular suffers once they spilt. But strangely for a team that has already made it ‘big’ the moment they part ways they are back to planning small by-lane type weddings. Unable to function without each other they decide to bury the hatchet when an ultra rich businessman makes them an offer they can’t refuse. With packets to return to their lenders both see this as an opportunity to bounce back and are helped by their regular team of a DJ, a florist and a caterer. Predictably Bittoo realizes that he loves Shruti but in the interim she’s agreed to a Dubai based well settled arranged match who according to her is the ‘right’ choice but in true filmy fashion Bittoo elbows his way back into Shruti’s heart.

Ranveer Singh is confident and has a screen presence that many of the star sons believe is their birthright. He isn’t conventionally good looking and before you hold that against him just jog back to the early 1990’s when Ajay Devgn was dismissed off for the same reasons. Singh’s Bittoo is infectiously authentic to the extent that a few minutes into the film every Dilliwallah would end up recalling the irritating yet affable college mate they knew of but never bothered befriending. Sharma on the other hands ends up playing the same simple North Indian kudi whose life is more often than not smaller than her dreams. Now that her three film contract with Yash Raj Films has been entertained perhaps Sharma can look forward to doing something else for a change but with playing the same character three times over she will find it difficult to break the mold.

Band Baaja Baaraat gets it right for a major part and irrespective of the weak and unsurprising second that makes it limited, its worth watching.

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