Cast: Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Manmeet Singh
Director: Maneesh Sharma
Director: Maneesh Sharma
For quite some tie there has been no solo Friday in Bollywood; there have been more than one movie every weekend. Luckily, Yash Raj Films is back to its wedding comedies with 'Band Baaja Baaraat' released on December 10, 2010, along with Anees Bazmee's 'No Problem'. Since Anees seems to have paid less attention to his comedy this time, Yash Raj Films have brighter prospects. Moreover, Yash Raj Films has brought in a new director in Maneesh Sharma who has also penned an interesting story. Though a love story, it is different inasmuch as there are two wedding planners in Delhi- Shruti and Bittoo- played by Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh.
Besides, the shooting isn't confined to an made to order studio; it rather spreads to the lanes and bye-lanes of the historic walled city of Delhi. Habib Faisal of the 'Do Dooni Chaar' fame has written the dialogues and the screenplay. The movie isn't without flaw though; the latter half isn't as capturing as the former half when Shruti sets up their company with weddings. After the interval, there are too many wedding sequences. Besides, the item number by Shah Rukh Khan misses as the actor injures his leg, and the vacuum is filled up by Bittoo and Shruti. Strangely, though the audience loves even the item number performed by proxies.
Though 'Band Baaja Baaraat' is slightly similar to 'The Wedding Planner' inasmuch as both move around two youngsters doing wedding planning business and later fall for each other, but the follow-ups are just different. According to the movie's story, two youngsters happen to meet though both have diametrically different approach to life. Shruti played by Anushka Sharma hailing from a middle class of Delhi has a definite well chartered plan for her life. However, Bittoo played by Ranveer Singh is a kind of care free student of Delhi University. Luck brings them together for business of planning weddings and later in life as if they are made for each other. After all, they realize this only after facing different phases.
Critically analyzing we find that the movie succeeds in all sectors - good story, fine screen play and exemplary dialogues even though the writer-director is new and his cast is also relatively fresh. While Anushka is two- film old, Ranveer is fresh. As far as their performances are concerned, both the protagonists - Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma are excellent and truly reflect their characters. They shoulder the movie. Manmeet Singh Sawhney as Rajinder and Manish Chaudhari as Mr Sidhwani play their parts quite well. Aseem Mishra's cinematography captures the North Indian marriages very well, and some of the sequences shot in the movie look real.
The music score is good too; Salim-Sulaiman composes the music and Amitabh Bhattacharya pens the lyrics. Vaibhavi Merchant has choreographed the "Ainvayi Ainvayi" track, which is already on the lips of the audience.