'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz' Review: A misfire despite Nawazuddin Siddiqui's good performance

Film: Babumoshai Bandookbaaz

Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Shraddha Das, Jatin Goswami, Divya Dutta, and Bhagwan Tiwari

Director: Kushan Nandy

What's it about:

The film is about two contract killers Babu Bihari (Nawaz) and Banke Bihari (Jatin). Banke considers Babu his idol. To cut a long story short, the plot revolves around the rivalry and friendship between the two. The two commit crimes on behest of political leaders as well as for passion. There's love, lust, passion, conspiracy and deceit in equal measure here.

What's hot:

It's a world where bullets are shot at frequent intervals and blood splatters make various patterns from time-to-time. It's an universe that Nawaz has lived in before (Gangs of Waaseypur) and he definitely has not lost the rhythm. His rival and buddy Jatin is in good form too. The two share great chemistry. The scene where they are arguing about who gets to kill a target is amusing. Bidita, who Nawaz falls for, has a very earthy charm and extremely expressive eyes. She is saucy and smart in equal parts, and that makes her character attractive. The supporting cast is equally efficient. Divya Dutta and Bhagwan Tiwari stand out with their noteworthy performances. Director Nandy shows promise by creating moments  like the one where the two assassins compare each other's fees and then complain about the increasing inflation. It's quirky and humourous. The dialogues are a major plus.

What's not:

The problem with the movie is that though it has a promising beginning, the twists seem to be gimmick to make the story interesting. Towards the end, especially, it drags on way too much, with random conspiracies thrown in to stir the plot. The setting may tempt you to put it in the same bracket as Gangs of Wasseypur, but it doesn't have the same heart or depth. In fact, it comes across as a superficial attempt at building a world that would definitely be more interesting that what's portrayed. It also relies rather heavily of Nawaz's ability to breathe life into such movies. He is reliable, as always, but this isn't something you haven't seen him do before with as much flourish if not more.

What to do:

Watch it if you are a fan of this genre, but don't expect it to be another Wasseypur.

Ratings: **1/2