Band Baaja Baaraat

Maneesh Sharma's directorial debut Band Baaja Baaraat is one of the year's most refreshing and entertaining films. It is a charming romance filled with colour, energy and pep. The movie can be easily set apart from all the recent films made by Yash Raj Films, in that it is very simple and it actually shows the beauty of India through its two main characters of young wedding planners, who unexpectedly (for them), fall in love. Sharma's direction is absolutely marvelous, and the film is totally benefited from the fantastic sets, props and costumes, which give the film an authentic feel, along with the characters which look more like real people rather than cinematic heroes. This very portrayal and the script had actually more weight for me in making the movie work. The narrative style makes for a fun watch, and that's thanks to the dialogues and the catchy songs. The film's first half is more of an ornamental wedding spree. And it is towards the second half when the story takes the audience by surprise and turns into a romantic drama that is quite moving and interesting.

While watching the movie, it is quite inspiring to see how young people from relatively traditional middle-class families strive to make a career on their own. Rarely do we see in Indian films such young people starting to run their own independent business, particularly when all they have is willpower and faith in their abilities. The growing prosperity of the main characters' business is interesting to watch, mainly because it's not made to look forcedly larger than life, but rather real and gradual. Thinking about wedding planning, one would certainly expect to see some lavish, over-the-top ceremonies, but here everything is lifelike and genuine, and yet colourful and impressively creative. As for the love story, it is incorporated into the story efficiently. The musical duo Salim-Sulaiman significantly contribute to the film's mood with a great list of tracks, among which the energetic "Ainvayi Ainvayi" is rightly the most popular. "Dumm Dumm" is also very good and is wonderfully performed on-screen. My favourite numbers are the romantic "Aadha Ishq" and the melancholic "Mitra".

The movie stars two young actors. The role of the male lead is played by newcomer Ranveer Singh, and he makes a confident debut, playing his character's different shades exceedingly well, at times so well that throughout the movie it is hard to believe it is his debut performance. But without a doubt, it is Anushka Sharma who dominates the proceedings with her wonderfully natural performance. Just like her male costar, she commendably masters the dialect of a street smart Delhi Punjabi girl, but more than anything, it is her sensitive portrayal of Shruti's feisty nature, pain and strength that stands out. Moreover, Ranveer and Anushka's chemistry is fantastic. Just watch the scene in which the two of them are standing drunk in front of each other in the dark room. Director Sharma handles the scene very well, creating the right amount of romantic tension, using some really soothing music in the background, and of course the two young leads play the shy nature of the moment with conviction. It is one of the beautiful scenes in the film (and I'm actually not one of those romantic fools).

Towards the last portions of the second half, the movie gets more emotional, at times too much but thankfully unlike many bland attempts made in recent films in which everything turns into ancient melodrama, here it works. The scene in which Shruti fearlessly and honestly reveals her true feelings without blinking an eye is terrific - again, superbly acted by Sharma. Singh's reaction is also very real and believable. This scene captures much of their potential. With this film Anushka establishes herself as a capable actress, and I believe she will now be flooded with offers for demanding parts. As for Ranveer, this movie may well put him on the map as one of the most competent young actors today, and I personally find him more promising than most of the guys who have debuted in recent years. The film's ending is nice albeit a tad too sentimental. The situation itself is relatable, but it could have been better done. Still, Band Baaja Baaraat works more for its youthful, lighthearted and effervescent mood, and is overall a worthy feature which makes for a pleasant watch.

There are times when you like predictability in a film and you actually look forward to it. You know exactly how the story will unfold and that there will be no dramatic twists and turns and distressing suspense. You still manage to enjoy whatever is going on. JAB WE MET (JWM) was a similar movie. The moment hero heroine meet, you know that they will end up falling in love even if they are not romantically interested in each other.

BAND BAAJA BARAT (B3) is also a similar tale of two youngster and it's not surprising to see that it's doing wonderfully well with its target audience. The box office collections only dropped 10% in the second week against the industry average of 65% this year. JWM actually had higher collections in the second week of its release and in some centers B3 has higher collections than first week. Things might change with the release of TEES MAAR KHAN though. Coming back to the movie, the first surprise was a house full theater on the second weekend of release. The only seat I could manage to get was in the first row and I had to watch the entire movie with my neck looking up at 80 degrees angle. Precisely why I won't be able to write much about cinematography because every shot from that seat was a low-angle shot.

B3 is a romantic comedy, which is not a genre which I usually enjoy especially after going through the agonizing experience of watching I HATE LUV STORYS. When I watched the promos of B3, I had a feeling that it will be on the same lines especially when I do not have much respect for Anushka Sharma. I still decided to watch it based on some positive reviews I read.

It was a good experience. It's a refreshing and highly entertaining outing. It's not the award winning effort but it delivers on the promise of keeping you interested till the end. Mainly, it's the directorial treatment of Manesh Sharma which has made a simple story worth watching. Slightly inspired by THE WEDDING PLANNER as far as central idea goes, it's original and genuine. A lot of attention has been paid to detail, from art direction to dialog. Check out the underwear on ropes in the men's hostel. It's funny.

The cause is also backed up by entertaining music by Salim-Sulaiman who are on a better run for the last two years. The background music by is one of the best I have heard this year barring Dabangg. Choreography has Vaibhavi Merchant written all over it and it adds a big plus in the entertainment factor of the film.

The film has a two film old female lead and a new comer. While the slightly senior Anushka has done the best work of her short career, the film belongs to the new-comer, Ranveer Singh. Where Anushka has worked really hard on mastering the tapori style and Delhi lingo, her role is quite similar to the one she had in BADMASH COMPANY earlier this year where she again used similar body language and lingo. Nothing to take away from the decent effort she has put in though.

Ranveer is fantastic. He is a trained actor who has waited for the right film to make debut and will win directors as well as audience with this performance. He is not traditionally good looking but the way he fit in his role was commendable. Neil Nitim Mukesh needs to see him to know what tapori is and not what he was in LAFANGAY PARINDAY. Watch out for Ranveer in coming films. Effortless acting and effortless dancing. If he doesn't make decisions like Vivek Oberoi, he can be a real threat to at least Imran Khan and other less talented actors like Neil Nitin Mukesh. Ranbir Kapoor I believe is safe when it comes to talent. Ranveer will already be challenging Ali Zafar for the best new comer of the year for sure.

The supporting cast is bloody good. Neeraj Sood as Maqsood is effective but my personal favorites were Revant Shergill as Santy and the guy who was Ranveer's room mate in the hostel.

On the whole, I had a lot of fun watching B3. Its one of the better films to come out this year unlike the bigger names like KHATTA MEETHA. I'm glad it also left NO PROBLEM behind. Way to go, Youth!

Excellent romantic comedy, with great performances and the very entertaining backdrop of the Delhi wedding planning industry. I think both the new director (Maneesh) and lead actor (Ranvir) should do very well in their careers, and the film proves that Bollywood should stop throwing it's untalented families of non-actors at the celluloid screen each week. Imagine how competent the pool of stars would be in the industry if we had fewer sons, bhanjas and bhatijas to contend with. Anushka, too, is a prized possession, as is the brilliant complement of supporting actors in this movie (like Maqsood Bhai and the entertaining troupe of rich spoilt brides-to-be). Songs were tons of fun, and though the film does de-generate into a typical unbelievable filmi affair near the end, you don't mind. It's all for the much needed happy ending.

I started this movie with a feeling just like I'm going to watch another regular comedy film. But as the movie progresses, I got stuck to my place and I forget that its just a movie. It feel like its a journey of two ambitious friends who learn every aspect of life with experience and with each other. Undoubtedly its a story of its kind and I'm very pleased to see it. Ranveer's acting is amazing. There are few actors whom you believe that they are not acting but playing real. He is one of that guy. I'm waiting for another movie of his. And Anushka is charming and energetic as always. Overall, its a surprisingly amazing movie!

Shruti! I had a crush on Anushka Sharma after watching this movie. At those time, we 90s kids, had a lot of time in the world to do anything we want. So we didn't use to leave any movie. I clearly remember watching this movie. Throughout the movie, I had this thought that this is a great movie, a fantastic movie, one of the best movies, as people suggested to us earlier. With that thinking, I went on enjoying the movie. There were plenty of good moments in the film, which were very exciting. I rather enjoyed it for the first time. However, when I watched it for the second time, after several years, I couldn't bare at all. Everything was ultra boring. Very much average. I had a thought that at the age of 15 I rather liked it because I never had an experience of watching wedding movies. It actually bored me to a great extent. Also, there was hell a lot of drama in the movie. Even Shruti created some at times. Yes, my crush at some point. After a few more years: I watched Made in Heaven web series. It is the much-evolved, more erotic, more wild, more enthusiastic, highly more creative part of this movie. They have the same work and the same genre too - Wedding genre. But Made in Heaven stands at a way different level. I literally watched it twice without any regret. Why I'm mentioning it is I felt it is the better and bigger version of Band Baaja Baarat. BBB had bittu and Shruti, made in heaven has a highly bigger team. PS: I'm not from primevideo or Madeinheaven team. Just sharing my experience. Yes, I kinda hate this movie now.