Rakesh (Saif Ali Khan) and Vimmi Trivedi (Rani Mukerji), earlier known as Bunty Aur Babli, have been living a normal simple lifestyle in Phursatganj, Uttar Pradesh, for above 15 years. Rakesh works as a ticket collector for the railways, and Vimmi is a high-pitched middle-class wife.
The only thrill in their otherwise ordinary lives is performing in bright and colourful clothing on holidays and events in their railway complex. But all this is just about to change when Kunal (Siddhant Chaturvedi) and Sonia (Sharvari Wagh), two young engineering graduates, start fooling people with the all-too-familiar calling card ‘B&B,’ which stands for Bunty Aur Babli. Officer Jatayu Singh’s (Pankaj Tripathi) objective of capturing the new scammers is dependent on the now ‘retired’ Bunty and Babli.
It’s a narrative that begs for a sequel to build on the success of the first and move the storyline further. Varun V. Sharma, a new director, and screenwriter strives to pull everything together. Unfortunately, the film’s plot concentrates far too much on forcing connections from the predecessor that should have come naturally. There are a few creative scams and unrecognizable disguises; however, the overall execution is too immature to take anyone or anything seriously.
The first part is primarily spent establishing the backdrop for the climactic showdown, and the storyline doesn’t proceed steadily. The storyline intensifies in the second half, but the lack of common sense and confidence in the storyline and its delivery doesn’t make us care about any individuals.
Weak and poor storytelling matches a great group of experienced talents and bright newbies. Still, it’s a joy to see Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji onscreen, even if their performances are a little over-the-top. Despite having played a middle-aged couple coping with everyday home concerns, the two actors have a great connection. Saif is entertaining as the foolish and dutiful Rakesh Trivedi, and Rani’s comedic timing saves her even when burdened with a typical loud character with few truly humorous lines or moments.
In reality, this one has very little natural humour for a comedy, with just a few gags that genuinely work. Siddhant Chaturvedi excels in his role, and Sharvari Wagh displays confidence in her debut movie. They complement each other well. However, their characters lack a compelling past or a compelling build-up that would allow the viewer to identify with them.
Pankaj Tripathi’s trick of injecting comedy in a rustic dialect is good, but we’ve seen it far too many times for it to be original. Moreover, the soundtrack lacks famous songs of the original, although there is only a handful of them throughout the film. Overall, ‘Bunty aur Babli 2’ has an exciting concept to recreate the two legendary characters, but its sequel feels like a sham compared to the original.
