Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl

After three films under the Yash Raj banner, Anushka Sharma returns to the fold with her fifth film to date, reuniting with director Maneesh Sharma and co-star Ranveer Singh in what would be his second outing after their successful pairing and collaboration in Band Baaja Baaraat which turned out to be a sleeper hit last year, scoring nominations and awards for the filmmaker and his cast alike. Seeking to repeat that success, it unfortunately repeated what Hollywood had done with John Tucker Must Die with a trio of ladies plotting revenge over a guy, but over here it's not to get even because their hearts got broken, but more to get even because of the money he had swindled from them.

And to do so, they band together to hire a glib tongue who can out-con the con man himself, which is where Anushka Sharma sashays her way into the film only at the hour mark, being that perfect brains and beauty combination to exact revenge for her employers against someone who is falling dangerously for her, and vice versa, compromising the situation at hand especially when such risky undertakings involving money, deals and counter-deals may jolly well tempt one against one's original intent, and loyalty. Anushka played her role of a salesgirl turned fake hotel heiress as bait to perfection, this being her second con game role after the stint in Badmaa$h Company, calling for that level of confidence and vulnerability, and sharing that believable chemistry with Ranveer Singh once again, and if gossip rags are right up your alley then it's of little surprise this happens to be so. Ranveer on the other hand has a number of avatars to live up to as the titular suave conman who cheats on women as a game,

The first half is where the story patiently built itself up, giving ample time for Ranveer's other co-stars to show what they can do. Priyanka Chopra's cousin Parineeti Chopra makes her debut here as a student whose blind loyalty to and puppy love for her fitness trainer boyfriend Sunny Singh (Ranveer) made her the youngest and the easiest of targets. Dipannita Sharma as Raina is that ruthless businesswoman who strives to succeed at all costs, and her pride being punctured when art dealer Deven Shah (Ranveer again) sold her a renowned fake painting, and widower Saira (Aditi Sharma) got duped into believing the shy Iqbal Khan (Ranveer once more) comes with an honest heart in wanting trade in textiles with her family. To each of the girl scorned and to battle for their honour and money, they find each other by chance and plot to get their money back. And that's where Anuhka's Ishika Desai comes in.

Did I mention this film requires a stretch of believability, because there's always that ample opportunity for a more thorough research being done by the characters involving background checks and legal documentation since the con they get themselves engaged in hinges very much on contracts and valuation, unless one can blame inexperience, and going up against one of the most successful conmen meant some facts can possibly be glossed over. That aside, the narrative unfortunately sagged in the second half when a spanner gets thrown in the works, and while Anushka and Ranveer may look good together on screen, it's the journey of getting there where you'd expect their characters to fall in love coming too abruptly as if in a rush for time.

Still, the themes are still top notch for a romantic film, touching on regret and that one shouldn't see lonely women as marks to get into a seduction game, that the price of being conned of cash is one aspect of being hurt, but the emotional scars left behind are something else possibly more potent altogether. That, and the value of trust and one's word, how easily that can be broken way easily than to build up on. There's also a subtle jab at all things branded, when they can be easily replicated with a little bit of skill and help, having humbler items pass off as the real thing, in a way making a statement against all things ostentatious. The songs are all contemporary and catchy, but largely forgettable once you step out of the hall, while costumes and dresses just show why Anushka Sharma is quite the clotheshorse.

Yash Raj Films may be looking to strike gold again with the direction and pairing of Anushka and Ranveer, but the truth is an equally compelling script is paramount to exploit their natural chemistry to the fullest. Ladies vs Ricky Bahl was quite the roller coaster ride narratively, and it's really thanks to the leading actors' chemistry that saved the film from becoming a downer, keeping it afloat and coasting along without surpassing expectations. But it's a must for fans of Band Baaja Baaraat hungry to see both Anushka and Ranveer on screen together again.

Having seen Band Baaja Baaraat which I really liked, I'd had quite some expectations from Maneesh Sharma's next feature, Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl, which stars the same actors in lead roles. For me, the film is a great disappointment, though it is not that bad per se. Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl is an unoriginal film about a con man who, using different names and identities, woos young women only to eventually rob them of their property. Then his victims hire a girl to take revenge and get their money back, and this girl he really falls in love with. Blah. Yeh, this is quite an old cliché and so is this movie, which lacks not only originality, but also depth and substance. It's a glossy one though, I must say, and watching it with friends may be quite enjoyable, particularly if they are not in the mood for something serious. The film has some catchy songs as well, though none really is memorable enough. The actors are good enough, but no one is great. Ranveer is alright. He's confident, at times over-confident, but the part is too ordinary to make a difference really (and maybe I was expecting more after BBB), and it does not challenge him in any way; instead it just gives him some corny lines and silly makeovers, and the good moments are too few to matter. Anushka is just too charming to ignore, although, just like with Ranveer, the role itself is nothing special compared to her brilliant turn as Shrutti Kakkar in Band Baaja Baaraat. Yet, there is something about this girl. It's amazing how often she reminds me of Preity Zinta. She is spunky, vivacious and very pretty, and has a strong screen presence, so I still believe she has quite a future in the industry. Of the three girls, all are quite hot, but Parineeta Chopra is clearly the show-stealer and is quite a promising newcomer. She is incredibly cute and consistently credible thanks to her natural flair for comedy and superb dialect. Sadly, the cast were not given a very memorable film to work in. Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl is a most predictable film; the script is well contrived for its own good and the ending couldn't be more saccharine. It has its moments, but it's still forgettable. Watch it if you must, really.

Ladies Vs Richy Bahl makes for a pretty good watch for quite an amount of reasons. The movie was short, didn't get draggy at all which is only the second best part of the movie after the HOT BOD Anushka Sharma flaunts in the movie. have to give it to her, AMAZING. She could give the other ladies in the industry a run for their money. The plot is decent enough to keep you on your seats and the music well done too with a good amount of laughter moments thrown in too at good intervals mainly by this Delhi girl character(whose name I forget).

So all in all the Ranveer-Anushka duo made good stuff on the screen after their first outing in Band Baaja.

So girls n guys, get ready for another crap from Bollywood..."Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl"...title of course sounds energetic and full of fun, but believe me movie is a complete sh!t...so predictable and dumb story, almost looks like a sequel of DHOOM-2...well, i was expecting a lot from the director Manish Sharma that he'll give a good watchable product like BBB but all expectations were flushed away completely...leaving 2-3 scenes, whole movie was a garbage, even the cuteness and killer looks of Ranveer can't save this movie.

Poor story-line with thousands of plot holes, poor direction, bad songs, average music, bad acting and poor characterizations of lead characters...u'll always be expecting something gr8 to happen but please let me remind u, u r watching a Bollywood flick...CINEMATOGRAPHY and EDITING was mind blowing but in India WHO CARES about technical aspects.

TOTAL FARJIWAADA guys...in sweet n simple words, please ignore this cr@p.

Team-BBB (Band Bajaa Baraat) clearly had an advantage with their first outing. Yashraj films were at its lowest ebb which translated the expectations to sub-zero. When the winning combo decided to strike again, the sky-high expectations ended up working against it.

What works?

Ѻ Well written conning portions. Bollywood has generally witnessed scarcity in on this genre, Mr. Sampat and Mr. Natwarlal in the past and Bluffmaster and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! in the recent come to my mind.

Ѻ Ranveer Singh - Undoubtedly he is the one who has what it takes to carry the mantle forward.

Ѻ Anushka Sharma - Seamless performance. A word of advice to the leading ladies of 90's who are toying the idea of returning from sabbatical. You quit when you were ahead of the game, so stay put. Watch her and you will know why.

Ѻ Parineeta Chopra - A surprise package. This dark horse nearly stole the thunder from Anushka Sharma.

Ѻ Choreography on a few select songs.

Ѻ Authentic supporting characters.

Let downs.

Ѻ The mushy-mushy YRF ingredient. Seriously, the plot had enough potential to steer for a better finale otherwise.

Ѻ The spicy ingredients which went missing in the second-half.

Ѻ The grand conning act appears to be long drawn.

Verdict: A definite one-time watch material. And looking forward to the next outing from Team-BBB!