Release Date: 10 December 2010
Director: Maneesh Sharma
Star Cast: Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Manmeet Singh
Screenplay: Habib Faisal
Music: Salim – Sulaiman
Although Yash Raj Films banner does not quite hold the title of Blockbuster production house anymore, it still has a good standing in the Indian film industry. When a movie is made under the umbrella of YRF, it does not pass unnoticed; performance on the Box Office notwithstanding. Band Baaja Baraat, releasing on December 10, 2010, is the latest offering from Yash Raj Films. With a debutant Maneesh Sharma wearing the director’s cap and a star cast comprising of new comer Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma and Manmeet Singh, one dares say that the combination does not sound very promising.
The story revolves around Shruti Kakkar (Anushka Sharma) and Bittoo Sharma (Ranveer Singh). Shruti, in her twenties, belongs to a middle class family and aspires to be independent and affluent before her parents marry her off to someone. She has a time of five years to fulfill her ambition. Determined and strong-headed, she starts a wedding planning company “Shaadi Mubarak”. A chance meeting with Bittoo makes them business partners.
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Bittoo is exactly what Shruti is not. He is unambitious, and does not have any particular aim in life. Hailing from a small town of Saharanpur, the Delhi University student barely passes his exams and loves hanging out with buddies, flirting with girls and coming up with crafty schemes to make fast cash. He does have one virtue though – he is very resourceful, or ‘jugadu’. His only ambition is to not return to the sugarcane fields of Saharanpur; to this end he is happy to partner Shruti in her business.
What follows is quite predictable. Although Shruti’s motto is “love and business don’t go hand in hand”, Shruti and Bittoo inevitably fall in love. Been there and seen that, one would reckon; but remember it’s a YRF film so one should not expect the plot to be unexpected. What will be interesting to see is the execution of the movie. So the responsibility of making this movie interesting rests solely on the shoulders of the screenplay writer Habib Faisal. Habib Faisal has written screenplay for movies like Do Dooni Chaar, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Ta Ra Rum Pum, among others. These movies certainly did not boast of a fantastic screenplay.
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On paper then, the movie seems to be headed for doom — debutant director, debutant lead actor (male), predictable story line, and possibly lack-luster screenplay. Still, it will be interesting to see how Maneesh Sharma has directed the movie. Also, we could possibly have an addition to the young brigade of Bollywood in the form of Ranveer Singh. One thing that has worked for the movie though, is its music. Salim-Sulaiman have yet again given Yash Raj Music something to cheer about.
Movies revolving around marriages have been historically lapped up by the Indian audience. Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, Dil Waale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge (although marriage was only a sub-plot, it was a vital one) and more recently Vivaah prove this point. So even against all the odds, Band Baaja Baraat could well prove to be a black horse from the YRF stable.
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