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The movie has an interesting premise. Rakesh Trivedi(Abhishek Bachchan), a resident of the bucolic Fursatganj, yearns to become a big-shot. After a showdown with his earnest father(Raj Babbar), he leaves the countryside to realize his dreams. Fate brings him across Vimmi(Rani Mukherjee), a wannabe model who has run away from her parents lest they get her married. Having faced defeat on their first day of flight, Rakesh and Vimmi decide to help each other in fulfilling their ambitions. But a couple of demoralizing encounters later, they opt to con the world at its own game. This gives birth to their alter-egos of Bunty and Babli, two crooks that’ll stop at nothing. It is imperative for a movie about conning that we actually witness a few of them. Sadly, no efforts have been made to script full-fledged episodes about their means and methods. All that we are given is a collage of scenes played out to the title-track. Only post-interval do we actually see them do what they do. This includes a ludicrous but mildly entertaining plot where they con a foreigner into believing that the Taj Mahal’s for sale(!) and a final heist at the New Delhi airport. Hot on their tracks is DCP Dashrath Singh(Amitabh Bachchan), a menacing character determined to apprehend them. Amitabh’s presence adds some life to the dull proceedings but even that doesn’t sustain.

The much-hyped Amitabh-Abhishek face off comes two hours into the movie by which time we care less if they danced naked! Hell, they sing a song too…with Aishwarya Rai(in a cheap hooker hangover)…but that still doesn’t stop the audience from leaving the hall to relieve their bladders! A dozen blink and you’ll miss cameos by Joginder, Shiamak Davar, Ravi Baswani, Ranjeet and the director himself add to the ludicrous quotient of the film. Much of the film’s problem lies with its dialogues(Jaideep Sahni) which are simply not funny. Also the UP accent keeps switching on and off! Abhishek and Rani look comfortable with each other, but their characters are hardly provided any traits. And what in the world was Aki Narula thinking when he designed the garishly awkward costumes for Rani Mukherjee in the ‘Naach Baliye’ song! Actually, come to think of it, this whole ordeal is a sartorial crime!

Finally, any movie that reduces Amitabh Bachchan to mouthing the line, “Tell me a non-veg joke”, is a disaster waiting to happen.

link directly to this review at https://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=12363&reviewer=398
originally posted: 05/28/05 01:42:51
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