The 'After Hrs' review: 'Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl'

Film: Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl
Director: Maneesh Sharma
Cast: Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh, Parineeti Chopra, Dipannita Sharma
Rating: ***

Anushka Sharma doesn’t impress, Ranveer Singh doesn’t excel, the songs aren’t a rage either but yes, Uday Chopra has definitely penned a good story. The hero of the film is actually the script — well done Uday Chopra and Jugal Hansraj who perfectly executed the story into a good screenplay.

Right from the first shot to the last shot, the film has stayed real without the usual loopholes that draw it away from reality. And yet, the film has stayed on top when it came to the entertainment quotient. It has been edited well which doesn’t let the pace slacken and engages you till the last moment. It seems that the film has been developed after consulting a lot of DVDs of Hollywood rom-coms, but who cares? Everybody does that and yet comes up with a shoddy film. This time, all the home-work seems to have paid off.

The storyline of this film is relatively simple — Ranveer Singh plays a conman who makes girls fall in love with him before zooming off with their money. He does whatever it takes to be a conman — he is suave, good looking and impressive and has an effect on every ‘victim’ that he decided to con. He even impresses the girl’s dad by saying “boyfriend hoon main iski, koi galat kaam nahi karunha…aapke upar daag nahi lagne dinga.” When the girls and in some cases, the families get impressed by him, it’s time for him to make up a sob story, make them pay money to him and zoom off without a trace. The conned girls finally gang up against him to teach him a lesson by hiring a smooth-talking saleswoman (Anushka Sharma) to con him back. So, the story-line is relatively simple and moves from one city to the other as Ricky leaves his ‘footprints’. Haven’t you heard about the story before? We bet you have! But please don’t bother about that.

Among the actors, Ranveer Singh does his usual job and certainly he doesn’t excel from his last outing Band Baaja Baarat. He is okay, does his job as an actor and keeps the movie going. Anushka Sharma could have done better but she hasn’t disappointed to be honest. Unfortunately, the only supposedly good song that she had and which was so heavily promoted by the producers, could have been shot better. The song seems out of place.

The real star of the film is of course the trio of conned girls out there seeking revenge —Parineeti Chopra, Dipannita Sharma and Aditi Sharma. The three do a fabulous job. The three girls have perfected their roles and have actually stolen the limelight from the lead pair of the film. The two Sharmas, Dipannita and Aditi have also done really well while playing two diametrically opposite characters — one from Mumbai and the other from a small town. The three are the three aces in the movie who can be collectively called the ‘hero’ of the film.

If you have to rate among the three of them then Parineeti Chopra with her portrayal of a loud Delhi girl definitely takes the cake. She has been most convincing in the film.

The film is definitely worth a watch because it is high on the story-telling factor. It tells you a good and a gripping story which seems real to you. We don’t need we could ask for more from a Bollywood masala film.