Bol Bachchan

Rohit Shetty started his journey as a director with Zameen (2003) starring Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan. That film flopped but finally Rohit fo... read more

Rohit Shetty started his journey as a director with Zameen (2003) starring Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan. That film flopped but finally Rohit found his groove and formula with Golmaal(2006). Nine years later he might gift Abhishek the much needed Box office hit that he is craving for since Dostana (2008).

I can imagine Abhishek like a kid looking at other kids having their 100 cr candy and goes to his papa and says I also want a 100 cr film. Papa calls Rohit Shetty beta tumhe Zameen ki kasam isko bhi ek de do na Rohit says sir, waise toh Shahrukh bhi line mein hain par ab aapne Zameen ka waasta diya hai toh na kaise bolun

Ironically like his previous big hit Dostana, it is Abhisheks pre interval gay act that got the maximum applause in the theatre and converted a guy in front of me from I cant stand him to Abhishek Bachchan ne mast kaam kiya hai.

If you have seen Comedy Circus on T.V in which Rohit appears as a judge and that humor works for you then you will feel at home with this show. There is also Archana Puran Singh and Krishna Abhishek from Comedy Circus to make you more comfortable. In fact Krishna Abhishek gets the meatiest part after Devgn and Ab Jr.

For me like most Rohit Shettys films it worked in parts. I enjoyed Ajay Devgns act of speaking wrong English. Abhishek Bachchan didnt work for me at all. He couldnt fit himself into this kind of comedy even though he tries very hard and it shows on the screen. The leading ladies were as good as not being there in the film.

Writing a comedy that works on a mass level is the most difficult thing for a screenwriter and Sajid Farhad scores a double hat trick as dialogue writers with this film. They are Ram Gopal Varmas discovery but their winning streak started with Golmaal 3 (2010). The parts that worked for me were all thanks to their dialogues.

Rohit Shetty is the only director I know who doesn't just say that his film is a team work but puts it out there as a film by Rohit Shetty and team. Respect him for that gesture.


Word of mouth I prefer a Singham over this.

Rating - *** (above average)

Ticket meter worth 150 bucks
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The best thing about Rohit Shetty's Bol Bachchan is that neither the makers nor the actors take themselves too seriously- everyone is having a good... read more

The best thing about Rohit Shetty's Bol Bachchan is that neither the makers nor the actors take themselves too seriously- everyone is having a good time and it shows. Bol Bachchan, though mindless, is deliciously irreverent and entertains.

A remake of sorts of the classic Amol Palekar Utpal Dutt comic caper Golmaal, Bol Bachchan has Abhishek Bachchan playing Abbas Ali, who is forced to lie about his religion and about having a twin gay dancer brother to Ajay Devagn, a good at heart village headman. One lie leads to a dozen more ensuing in lots of confusion. There is a love angle too between the two heros and their respective sisters. And yes, there is some outrageous action to boot.

Keeping the essence of the original's plot idea, Director Rohit Shetty garnishes his film with some blindingly gaudy sets, ear shattering action and juvenile jokes and punch lines. What does work here however is the spoof-like treatment meted out to the story and characters.

Nothing is sacrosanct here. From Big B's Anthony Gonzalves to Junior B's Dostana act and the fact that he remains much in his father's shadow as an actor, everything is spoofed and in good humor. The directors earlier outing Singham too is carried on in the action pieces and jumping thumping cars in the climax.

Ajay Devgn as Prithvi is competent and switches from serious emotional scenes to carefree buffoonery with ease. It is however Abhishek Bachchan as Abhishek/Abbas who steals the show. His comic timing is bang on, he is not afraid of making a fool of himself and visibly has a lot of fun with his role. His dance sequence as Abbas is the highlight, so is the rip-roaringly funny English mouthed by Ajay. Asin has pretty much nothing to do that look pretty, while Prachi Desai brightens up the dull portions of the movie with her smile. Archana Pooran Singh as Zohra/Madhumati and Krishna as Ravi are the other two actors who though over the top manage to tickle the funny bone.

That there are gaping holes in the plot is evident, so is the intent of the makers not to recreate a subtle comic classic but to cater to the least common denominator with a sub zero IQ level. So despite being poor and in debt, Asin manages to wear the choicest of ethnic wear and jewelry and every scene is a riot of colors. Yet, Bol Bachchan shows sparks of brilliance, like the ode to Karzz in the climax, that are enough to pull it above Akshay Kumar-Sajid Khan brand of slapstick.

Go watch this with a bunch of friends and you would end up smiling at the end of the movie for sure. view less

While I have enjoyed most of Rohit Shettys mindless comedies & even that one Singham in between, his new outing Bol Bachchan has some of the wo... read more

While I have enjoyed most of Rohit Shettys mindless comedies & even that one Singham in between, his new outing Bol Bachchan has some of the worst trailers I have seen in the last 5 years. While I sat in the cinema hall, I had my fingers crossed and hoped for that it will make me laugh. Did it?
This one is a below average fare but has some hilarious moments.

While the base plot of BB has been borrowed from the 1979 classic & my favorite Golmaal (Hrishikesh Mukherjee), Rohit Shetty has taken it & incorporated it in present day.
Abbas Ali (Abhishek) & Sania (Asin) are deep in financial burden. To salvage their lives, they land up at Ranakpur village on the insistence of an elderly Shastri Chacha (Asrani). Once here they learn that the lie-hating Prithviraj Raghuvanshi(Ajay Devgn) calls the shots & ofcourse, Abbas Ali is going to keep lying because that's the whole plot.

From there on, we look at Abhisheks love angle with Prithvis sister Radhika (Prachi) & Ajay Devgns english shenanigans, as he loves converting hindi to english in his own random ways.

The films is around 2.5 hours and is surely 25 minutes too long. The second half stretches and trimming would do this film wonders.

Visually, you have Rohits boy Dudley to keep it colorful as he always does. One big problem is the music by Himesh R, which is just bad.

According to me, the star of the show & the hidden gem in this one of the smaller characters Ravi, portrayed by TV comedian Krushna. He has incredible timing and is surely one to watch out for.
Ajay Devgn is funny in parts and Abhishek Bachchan is extremely patchy. He surely has a few great scenes but doesnt quite maintain the momentum.
Prachi looks prettier than Asin, both of whom have little to offer in this film

Director Rohit Shetty doesnt quite craft a winner. While I know he doesnt care much for critics, here is one who actually likes his films. This one doesn't floor me but has decent doses of laughter.

To sum it up,
Bol Bachchan is a movie which has scenes that will have you in splits,a narrative muddled with unnecessary banter, random murder of english, a gay Abhishek Bachchan somewhere & more.
Similar to liking anything you eat when youre very hungry, watch it when youre really bored. You will laugh. view less

Bol bachchan opens with Amitabh, Ajay and Abhishek in a colourful song that sets the mood for the rest of this wacky movie. And the mood is peppy, ... read more

Bol bachchan opens with Amitabh, Ajay and Abhishek in a colourful song that sets the mood for the rest of this wacky movie. And the mood is peppy, hilarious and plain crazy.

The movie is a remake of the old Amol Palekar movie Golmal so you are already familiar with the story of the young man hoodwinking his upright employer into believing he has a twin brother. One lie leads to another till the whole thing is a mess that gets sorted in the end. Thankfully, the movie is set in a village somewhere and Utpal Dutt's eccentric employer is replaced by a pehelwan with a penchant for speaking English. The double roles are also more far fetched with one being Hindu and the other Muslim and gay. Making everything different but retaining the core of the story saves this movie from any comparison whatsoever with the original.

Ajay Devgn as the English speaking Pehelwan is awesome. He is so unlike a comic hero but in every movie that he does a role like this he cracks me up. Abhishek has a tough act to follow and he just about manages to keep up. It does not help that Ajay gets the funniest lines with his nonsense English. Asin is subdued and Prachi Desai looks cute but doesn't have much to do. Krushna Abhishek as the sidekick is a bit grating and artificial but Asrani as always is a natural. Archana Puran Singh plays the mom cum nautch girl with aplomb.

Bol has the Rohit Shetty stamp all over it. Lot of funny lines, mad situations, people getting bashed up and vehicles getting blown up , toppled and crashed into randomly.

If you liked the Golmaal series then you are a fan of the Rohit Shetty style of movie making and you will like this one. Kids specially who have not seen the original will definitely enjoy it, though the violence I must warn you though harmless and not gory is a bit over the top.

Not all the gags work, (Abhishek's dance to a medley of songs for eg falls flat) and you get the feeling that this is because they are trying too hard at such times. All in all, a fun mindless watch. Popcorn khao, laugh lots and enjoy the weekend. view less

I genuinely enjoy commercial cinema. While I do think cinema is an art form. Its doesnt always have to be. Especially when it replaces logic with f... read more

I genuinely enjoy commercial cinema. While I do think cinema is an art form. Its doesnt always have to be. Especially when it replaces logic with fun. Bollywood has perfected the art of making bad movies. As long as there is some art involved, it must not be dismissed. Even by those who snobbishly call themselves critics.

The movie started off badly. But that's my experience with almost every Rohit Shetty movie. Until Shetty takes out his secret weapon, the film doesn't really take off. In Singham, it was only when the action started that the film really took off. In Bol Bachchan, the jokes at the start didn't even warrant a chuckle, they seemed stale; the ones you've heard before. Only after the comedy hijacks the plot, after it is done with the humdrum exposition, the movie really starts doing what it set out to do: To entertain. He quickly wants to get over with introducing his characters and get to the good part. He's always been a latecomer, but when he arrives, he stays. Rohit Shetty is synonymous with guilty pleasures. Bol Bachchan is another entry in his cannon.

The plot of Bol Bachchan is loosely based on Gol Maal (1979). The blueprint is the same. Amol Palekar pretends to be two people, here Abhishek Bachchan does. The funny thing is one of his fake identities is also called Abhishek Bachchan. The screwball bundle of lies is hatched. Ajay Devgn plays Prithvi. Hes the one being lied to. We know how it goes, dont we? But thats where the test lies. When a plot that has been horribly overdone is still making you laugh, you know something has been done right. Although, the third act falters a bit. But really? In a film like this you care about a third act?

The best part about the film is that it doesn't take itself seriously. It references other movies including the original Gol Maal, Amitabh Bachchan movies, Thakur (from Sholay) and the quintessential mother that Rakhee was known to play. It even references Shetty's own films. It isn't the plot that makes the movie, it is these little quirks. Ajay Devgns character- Prithvi loves to speak English, except he is unaware of how ridiculously wrong it is. His one-liners are flat out hilarious. (Thanks for the Complan boy!) I dare you to not laugh at them. Abhishek Bachchan is also at his comic best. He takes a leaf out his Dostana act but never dumbs it down, even while it is more crass and silly.

Rohit Shetty could be one of the filmmakers who hold the beacon of commercial potboilers with their head held high. He never makes any claims about making a Pather Panchali (1955). He isn't Satyajit Ray and doesn't want to be. Guess what, most filmmakers who think they are, are so amazingly delusional that they actually end up making worse movies. I'm not one to pity-like those movies rationalizing it by saying "At least they tried something different". I'm not one to dumb myself down and call Bol Bachchan a masterpiece. But I do believe in Yoda- "Do or do not, there is no try". Most filmmakers only try, doing lots of bol bachchan about themselves and their films. Rohit Shetty is a doer. He makes good commercial films. Every year since 2008. Give me this film over a bad film that thinks it is great. Any day.

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