Review: Bachna Ae Haseeno – Tribute to YashRaj
When you are a one of the most successful production house in the country with 7 flops in the last 8 movies, you definitely seek desperate measures! When you’ve tried every genre from wooing the kids to even bringing back your favorite diva in a comeback role, you need to go back to the drawing board and figure out what’s wrong. Yashraj has definitely done a lot of brainstorming and they’ve decided to visit their biggest success stories. Bachna Ae Haseeno does exactly that, and we see shades of all the biggest winners from the YashRaj stables. Ranbir Kapoor pays tribute to his father with the title song as it opens with the opening credits and that sets the mood for what follows. One thing that grabs your attention in it is the budget for clothing. With only a meter of cloth at their disposal, the women did well to save their dignity. It was hard for me to resist drooling, as my movie companion kept jabbing me in the chest every time I opened my mouth!
The film brings a whiff of freshness and that is something we’ve stopped associating with YashRaj films. After Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, this was the second only movie this year that has a feel good factor. The camerawork is slick, the colors are bright the locations spunky. The dialogs are funny without being slapstick and most of the humor is situational. The songs are already a rage and playing on every radio station, and the cinematography doesn’t disappoint. There is a whole sequence that tries to recreate the magic of DDLJ with EURail and surprise-surprise our hero is even called Raj. The trailers and promos are quite misleading and give you the impression that this is yet another movie with three bimbos falling head over heels over a stud.
For once women are not depicted as mindless bimbos but have some good characterization. It takes the ‘Kudiyon ka hain Zamana‘ tag to an all new level with the hero bearing all levels of humiliation with a smile. The film has a sense of deja vu as the boy revisits his past with a heavy sense of guilt and sudden stroke of realization. I’m not giving away the plot here but it is a must see for every guy. Ranbir Kapoor is the whole and soul of the movie and for me, after Shammi Kapoor he is the only Kapoor who can act! Despite his disastrous debut, he proves that he isn’t another untalented star-son. Minissha Lamba looks cute at times but ugly in the close-up shots. Sultry Siren, Bipasha Basu sizzles(click here) in her meatiest ever role after Corporate. Deepika Padukone can only blame the writers for her half-baked extended guest role with only the Khuda Jaane song to her credit. Kunal Kapoor seems to be YashRaj’s favorite guest star and the less we speak of him, the better it is.
I did get a bit emotional as it was like a trip down memory lane and so my views might seem biased. Do watch it in the nearest cinema hall and let me know if you agree with me.
Trip down memory lane a? Aaahaa…..:P
—
me: I almost gave away some hints over IM the other day. My lips are sealed now
mmm…..I’ll atleast watch it for Deepika and Bipasha, but what to do, our only AMC has stopped screening Indian films completely for unstated reasons and I’m not going to watch the movie shelling out 10-12 bucks at the dollar theatre! So O Lord of the Links! Anyatha Sharanam naasti, Tvameva Sharanam mama!
—
me: will surely help, but this one is worth the $12.
Just got done watching it. One word – Deepika! (*drool*) Didn’t care much for her in OSO, but God is she hot in this one. As for the movie, I liked it a lot. The the first half is a laugh riot. Reminds me that I need to write an entry on the fine art of breaking up.
—
me: the scene wherein he’s getting measured for the wedding suit, cracked me up!
Hmmm, will watch it for at least the three girls. And trip down memory lane ah? Aaha!
—
me:I write a 200+ word essay and all you see in it is the last line?
I felt it is more or less similar to “dil mange more” movie. Ranbir got chance to kiss three hawwttt gals in the movie. yeah i got disappointed bcoz deepika came only for few minutes in the movie. Minissha lamba was good in the first half of the movie and in second half of the movie i was really wondering is she her???
Yeah this movie is really guys movie.. Already few guys nowadays are like the ranbir character types and i feel this movie still motivates many to be like that.. U got emotional watching this movie??? Waiting for ur memory lane that made u emotional in ur next post…
—
me: firstly, welcome to this space! Like I said Deepika has an extended guest role!
Hmm…who jabbed you when you drooled? 😀
—
me: movie companion! well yea ladies wonly!
Looks like this movie is worth watching. I should start the process of brainwashing my better half right away.
—
me: Not magnificent, but the best from YRF in a long time!!
Ya ya.. who jabbed you when you drooled? And memory lane.. did you see movies in your memory lane or where you the hero sir??
—
me: not movies, personal stories…
i must watch the movie at least to drool over ranbir…..
—
me: you will like it for sure
Huh! Can I trust you and watch it? What if it is another `Oh! I am so cute and funny’ movie like Jaane tU?
—
me: don’t watch it! I cant vouch for your weird tastes!
Click on that Loosu Ok’s link. Am I the first one noticing it or have you also felt my pain?
—
me: I saw it the first time he ever commented. Have corrected it many times myself, then finally gave up!
So is this a remake of some Siddharth flick everyone keeps mentioning or is it not? Tremendous curiosity overwhelms.
—
me: Nah it isn’t. though that siddharth movie was a good one, but this is more of a cad revisiting his exes…
[…] like Maxu says, it does bring back some memories. Oh, and I love these lines from the original […]
Watched the movie finally – not at the theatre though. It was quite good, except the stupid dvd I had skipped a lot of scenes, and now I am stuck with not going to the theatre to see 1/4 of the movie, and not really seeing it properly on dvd either.
—
me: lemme know if you wanna see it. I can help for some online viewing!
I went for a night show after a tiring day. Was all geared up to fall asleep half way thru the movie, esp after the reviews I’d read… But I actually enjoyed the movie… Never a dull moment. Though most of the stuff was cliched and done to death many times over, the movie was definitely refreshing… Can’t say much about Ranbir’s looks, He’s neither inherited his father’s charm nor his mothers spirited screen presence), but like you’ve said, he’s really tried hard! And the girls rock!!!
—
me: glad you liked it!
How can a dialog be slapstick?
—
me: what I meant to say was that, there weren’t directly implying or forced into.
Thanks for the review. I am being dragged to this movie under the domestic equivalent of a gun to the temple. Perhaps I will get out alive.
—
me: Shenoy saab! aap yahan padhare, hum dhanya ho gaye! Lemme know yor thoughts agter the movie…
agree with you – it was full paisa vasool! and you know what – even I cracked up when he was being measured for the suit. not very subtle but better than the humour we’ve been seeing recently.
that said – deepika cannot act. and i wish they hadnt used Kunal Kapoor at all. And gosh – I thought Minissha looked terrible right through. What is wrong with her? She looked not ugly – but… ailing and sick! could they not see that?
—
me: the bipasha parts were the best! Minissha looked sick and pale as a teenager..glad you liked it though
Totally agree with you about Minissha.
What were they thinking?
—
me: It’s easy fro actors to act above their age, but not younger. Kajol pulled it of well in KKHH, but then she is a class apart!
Well, let’s hope they give them actresses more cloth to work with.
I see you’ve met my sister.
😀
Lol. She’s safe. Most of the time.
—
me: are you stalkin her? poor kid!
why would we wanna do that? eye candy you see!
More visual pollution I say!
Its a total nonsense movie,i guess the director was possessed by some spirit while making it
To each his own, I wrote what I felt and you have the rite to state yours…
[…] a little over the hilt, but then the guy is making awesome choices. From playing a cad in ‘Bachna Ae Haseeno‘, to a slacker in ‘Wake Up Sid‘ and now a street smart salesman in ‘Rocket […]