Director:
Diya Annapurna Ghosh
Cast:
Abhishek Bachchan, Chitrangda Singh, Paran Bandopadhyay, Purab Kohli, Barun Chanda, Bhanu Uday, Kanchan Mullick, Ronith Arora, Samara Tijori, Karanuday Jenjani, Vishwanath Chatterjee, Kunal Verma, Yusuf Hussain
What바카라™s It About:
바카라˜Bob Biswas바카라™ is set prior to the events of 바카라˜Kahaani바카라™, with actor Abhishek Bachchan stepping into the role's full-fledged extension. He is seen coming out from an eight-year coma with no memories of his past life, the family imposed upon him, or the shady figures hounding him to remind him of his deadly past. The plot centres around 바카라˜Bob Biswas바카라™, a regular insurance agent. While he shares a home with his wife and children, one day, two mysterious individuals visit him and inform him that he must return to work as a hitman. What happens to his life after that? Does he remember his past? Does he manage to become the cold-blooded assassin whom we saw in 바카라˜Kahaani바카라™? Well, that바카라™s what the film is all about.
Watch Trailer:
What바카라™s Hot:
Chitrangda Singh as 바카라˜Bob Biswas바카라™s wife steals the show. Obviously, she has a lesser screen space than the protagonist of the film, but she manages to win your heart with her simplicity and oozing sensuality. The entire supporting cast is exceptionally good. Leading from the front is Paran Bandopadhyay, who just steals the scenes whenever he is onscreen. Samara Tijori, Ronith Arora and Tina Desai are also decent in their parts. Coming to Abhishek Bachchan as 바카라˜Bob Biswas바카라™, this is without a doubt one of his top three best performances in his career. He isn바카라™t trying to recreate what Saswata Chatterjee did in 바카라˜Kahaani바카라™, but has managed to build the character from ground zero. He is a much more subdued version of what the character was in 바카라˜Kahaani바카라™. Possibly what happens to 바카라˜Bob Biswas바카라™ at the end of this film makes him the unflinching and unhinged contract killer which was shown in 바카라˜Kahaani바카라™. Overall, Bachchan did a great job.
Diya Annapurna Ghosh is good as a debutante director. There are some scenes directed with such conviction that a usual newbie director wouldn바카라™t have had taken that route. Nevertheless, Ghosh has a long way to go.
What바카라™s Not:
While the direction is good, the story by Sujoy Ghosh could have been way better. There are certain instances where you바카라™re left questioning as to why this was shown. (Spoilers Ahead) For instance, the backstory of why 바카라˜Bob Biswas바카라™ went into a coma for 8 years, or why was Chitrangda Singh바카라™s first husband killed, how did she end up getting hitched to 바카라˜Bob Biswas바카라™, or the entire 바카라˜Blue바카라™ drugs angle 바카라“ none of it got a logical ending.
The cinematography by Gairik Sarkar could have showcased the locales of Kolkata a bit better. Some more scenes could have been shot just probably as an interlude to showcase that the entire thing was happening in Kolkata. Also, I did miss the iconic metro platform scene of 바카라˜Kahaani바카라™ with 바카라˜Bob Biswas바카라™ and Vidya Balan. I wish some scene could have been shot in a similar location, just to give the audience a similar chill down the spine.
The editing by Yasha Ramchandani could have been a bit taut towards the middle of the movie where it slightly lags, and you바카라™re just feeling like checking out your messages on your phone 바카라“ not a good sign for a mystery thriller.
The music and background score by Clinton Cerejo, Bianca Gomes, Vishal바카라“Shekhar and Anupam Roy doesn바카라™t create that impact. For instance, even to date, people recall Amitabh Bachchan바카라™s deep baritone voice singing the Rabindra Sangeet, 바카라˜Ekla Chalo Re바카라™ in 바카라˜Kahaani바카라™. That impact of the music and background score is absolutely missing in 바카라˜Bob Biswas바카라™. None of the songs are that memorable to keep you hooked.
Lastly, the film suffers because the character of 바카라˜Bob Biswas바카라™ played by Saswata Chatterjee for probably 8-9 minutes in 바카라˜Kahaani바카라™ is too iconic that you can바카라™t let go of the comparisons. While Abhishek Bachchan has done a phenomenal job, as an audience you keep on missing that vicious look of a dreaded assassin, which was brought out so fantastically by Saswata Chatterjee. Abhishek Bachchan manages to get that deadliness out once when he kills a rabbit with his bare hands, but this sudden spurt just vanishes in thin air pretty soon.
Verdict:
To sum it all up, 바카라˜Bob Biswas바카라™ is engaging with some great performances. However, it바카라™s not as taut, as mysterious and as thrilling in the end as 바카라˜Kahaani바카라™ was. It바카라™s indeed a ONE-TIME WATCH. I am going with 2.5 stars.
