Bachchan Pandey is one of the few films set to release around the festival of colors. Starring Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Pankaj Tripathi and Seema Biswas, the cast of the film appeared to be convincing.
Produced by Sajid Nadiadwala and directed by Farhad Samji, the film follows the story of a self-proclaimed gangster of Bhagwa titled Bachchan Pandey who has set a reign of terror, dominating the entire place and brutally killing people who try to challenge him.
A budding film-maker Myra (played by Kriti Sanon) from Mumbai along with her friend Vishu (Arshad Warsi) decides to make a film based on the life of Pandey. What ensues after their plan makes up the core of this film that stretched for approximately two and a half hours. The two ventures through the life of Bhagwa, which lacks law and order, to expose the life of the goon who had a sad story of incomplete love himself.
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The plot is decent but the scenes appear to be prolonged and the violence can be truly seen as a determined undertaking. Apart from thriller and action, there is a substantial dose of gore and bloodshed.
Bachchan Pandey and his comrades Kandi (Saharsh Kumar Shukla), Pendulum (Abhimanyu Singh), Virgin (Prateik Babbar) and Bufferiya (Sanjay Mishra)– with fascinating names no doubt–slash throats and fire shots at people without blinking, a typical Bollywood action sequence where the entire gang appears to be undefeatable in every aspect.
The first half of the film is more credible and at least keeps you attached to the screen as it establishes Bachchan’s character and personality but after the interval, you are left with a tedious ride that keeps on stretching.
The second half of the story is filled with trite and on top of that cliched events connected with the life of Pandey to invoke feelings of sympathy for the don and justify the bad man he was forced to become, especially connected with his lover Sophie (Jacqueline Fernandez) along with the incidents with his boss and mother.
The facets added for the melodramatic effect only lessen the taste of the storyline and drag the film down when it comes to the plot, which is a significant part of every film.
The film belongs to Akshay Kumar when it comes to performance. The wide range of the actor was already proved by the roles taken by him in the past and Bachchan Pandey is no exception. Kriti Sanon as a determined film-maker also steals the show with her acting and does not allow others to overshadow her role. She is certain, confident and creative- just like she is supposed to be as a director.
Arshad Warsi as Vishnu, Myra’s partner in filmmaking, plays the role of a struggling director who wants to fulfil his father’s dreams and performs remarkably for his part. The ensemble cast playing the part of Bachchan’s goons nail their characters but some really good actors like Seema Biswas and Pankaj Tripathi, who have the power to captivate the audience solely on their acting, are wasted with their contrived characters and stories.
Although the overall story teaches a very strong lesson of good triumphing over evil, it was unsuccessful in keeping the audience hooked. The film will remind you of the old Bollywood days where unnecessary violence and fights made the audience clap but if you think the conventional masala doesn’t work for your anymore, it is highly unlikely you will like this movie.
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