After all the hype created (the staff at a local multiplex was dressed up in the movie costume) and fueled by the Daler Mehndi controversy, Shaad Ali Sahgal’s (Saathiya, Bunty Aur Babli) latest film Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (Dance Baby Dance) turned out to be an all-gloss-no-substance film. Neither a romantic comedy nor a musical, basically there’s no story to be told here per se. Expectations from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s music were heightened after their previous hit with Bunty Aur Babli (remember Kajra Re) but they fail to make hearts go Dhadak dhadak this time. And Amitabh, he’s been wasted. Wearing a colorful tapestry coat with a feather hat, strumming a strange guitar and prancing to the title song at a railway station, with dancers juggling around. Ultimately, by not uttering a single sentence in the movie, we are left wondering what role was Amitji enacting anyway?
Lottery loving Rikki Thukral (Abhishek Bachchan) and British born Alvira Khan (Preity Zinta), are both engaged to Anaida Raza (Lara Dutta) and Steve Singh (Bobby Deol) respectively have come to receive their partners at the Waterloo station. The train delay meant they spend time in describing to each other their corresponding love stories in detail (yawwn). By the time the slow mo first half reaches a drowsy conclusion, both Rikki and Alvira start liking each other wondrously. Nothing more could be said about this film even as an insipid revelation sequence was needlessly stuffed right at the end. The 2 hour experience compels me to say Fume Barabar Fume.
A few bright spots of show – Abhishek doling out exquisite north Indian one liners (not to mention his new look) and Piyush Mishra as Habibchacha with eloquent Hyderabadi hindi. For the information geeks, Bobby Deol and Abhishek Bachchan are opposite each other for the first time. There’s also that famous Sholay (their fathers Dharmendra and Amitabh acted in it, remember?) motorbike version rehashed with Bobby and Abhishek riding in police helmets (what!?). As for you, catch Bunty Aur Babli on DVD instead.
