Here is yet another familiar rom-com that reveals everything about the plot in its trailer itself and once again revolves around a bold, bindaas small town girl that repeatedly has been the favourite character of writers in Hindi cinema since almost a decade now.
Beginning on a promising note with all realistic, likable characters pointing toward an apt casting, BAREILLY KI BARFI has a slow but fairly good first half having some entertaining interactions and interesting backdrops of a printing press, a sweets shop, railway book-stall, a fake writer, a sari-salesman and more. But the second half sadly turns out to be a drag with a few illogical insertions sorting it all without any engaging twists and turns ruining a fine build-up.
Missing the most essential surprise element in its script, the film eventually turns out to be a completely predictable uneven ride that thankfully gets saved by the performances, particularly of Rajkummar Rao brilliantly playing two contrasting personas with an amazing ease. His scenes of getting transformed into a Rangbaaz remain the best among all and Rao single handedly lifts up the film despite the earnest performances of Ayushmann Khurrana (remaining in his clichéd zone) and Kriti Sanon (who soon needs to deliver something exceptional).
Apart from the lead trio, BKB gets a big support from Pankaj Tripathi and Seema Bhargava as Kriti’s parents along with Rohit Chaudhary and Swati Semwal as friends of Ayushmann and Kriti. It fails to make any major impact due to lack of good music too which happens to be the first requisite of a romantic movie. However, making a complaint over music in a Hindi film has certainly lost its meaning since last many years. On the other hand Background music successfully leaves a mark in many of its key sequences.
Officially adapted from the French book ‘Ingredients Of Love’, strangely our own SAAJAN (1991/Sanjay-Madhuri-Salman) also had a similar subject revolving around a poet publishing his books with a different pen-name. Amusingly (as mentioned in my previous article on the film’s inspirational sources), even SAAJAN had a hidden French connection with a plot highly inspired from more than a century old French play ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’.
Coming back to BAREILLY KI BARFI, the performances remain its only positive feature enacting a weak script that had enough potential of becoming a thoroughly enjoyable film.
The screenplay of Nitesh Tiwari and Shreyas Jain has some appreciable moments but it overall remains ineffective lacking any magnetic pull. However the dialogues work and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s direction remains sweet and simple, though the same cannot be said about the spelling of the word Bareli in its title.
On the whole, it’s a film that you are sure to enjoy much more on a TV channel in comparison of a costly multiplex visit spending a heavy amount.
(The article also got featured in UC-News mobile app in August 2017)
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Shared below are views - Beyond the initial writeup with more interesting insights.
Revealing everything about its basic storyline in its promotional campaign, BAREILLY KI BARFI made a strange first impression due to its poster design, that honestly looked like a ‘Fan made’ poster uploaded on the net using the most common Photoshop options (in its title logo). Was really hard to believe that it was the official poster released by the makers itself, raising big doubts about its execution despite the mention of a promising director in the credits.
The hopes were still alive due to a talented cast ensemble, but the film began with another unexpected peculiar feature of a voice over given by Javed Akhtar that actually sounded too overconfident in its comical expressions and phrases.
Anyway, making a decent impact with its interesting characterisations and realistic small-town backdrops, BKB keeps you engaged in its first half despite a slow story progression, but fails to continue doing the same post the intermission ending on a pretty lame note.
Overall, it has Rajkummar Rao saving the film with his worth praising performance and a talented supporting cast resulting in an average fair. But you are going to enjoy it much more on a TV channel airing in the coming months, in comparison to a costly multiplex visit spending a big amount.
Rating : 2.5 / 5
For the inspirational angle associated with the film, do read the article at the following link.
"BAREILLY KI BARFI, the cult musical SAAJAN and the typical love triangle in Hindi cinema"
Cheers!
