A Brand New Band Baaja

This is perhaps the first time that we have a film with an upmarket-looking heroine and an aspirational hero but who have a very desi feel to them. No pharratedaar English, no western outfits for the heroine (if you don’t count T-shirt and jeans as western), no convent or overseas education to boast off. Band Baaja Baaraat kicks off on the right footing.

The first 10 or 15 minutes you are not sure which way the film is headed, though you are never put off. Then, before you know it, you are swept up into the engrossing life story of Delhi youngsters Shruti Kakkar and Bittoo Sharma.

One of the film’s strong points is the performance. Anushka Sharma as Shruti Kakkar is a revelation. From Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’s silent and strong type, she has metamorphosed into a mooh-phat, very vocal, Dilli ki kudi. What’s revealing is the vulnerability she has thrown into the heady mix that is Shruti Kakkar. A bravura act. Truly, band bajaa ke rakh diya. This is an actress to watch out for. 

And not to forget, certainly not, Ranveer Singh. Some newspaper wrote that he has made the most self-assured debut among newcomers in a long time. Very true. All the bitching about his father’s bank balance getting him the Yash Raj lead role is just that – bitching.

Acting is difficult and acting for the very first time in a big budget, big daddy producer’s film (and opposite a pataka – no disrespect meant – actress) is even more so. Ranveer doesn’t make it look difficult even for a moment. He looks, sounds and acts like the typical Dilli ka launda. Funny, because self-confessedly he’s a Mumbai boy. I was looking for and wishing for him to trip in the emotional scenes where he confronts Shruti Kakkar with his feelings for her, but he doesn’t. I watched out for stock mannerisms or an imitation of a senior actor, there was none. Great going, boy. Keep it up.

As for the story, wedding planning is a new profession and a new premise to base a film on but not really, if you look harder. Weddings have never let Hindi filmdom down. From Hum Aapke Hain Kaun to Vivah to Monsoon Wedding, the great Indian shaadi has never failed. It works this time too. What’s refreshing is the perspective.

That brings us to the writer and the director. I read about Habib Faisal recently. An electronic media man turned scriptwriter and director, Faisal’s Band screenplay is an honest, life-like look at the life of two youngsters in Delhi populated by very believable people. A good example is Shruti’s father – what a wonderful piece of casting. Or her flower supplier Maqsoodbhai (Neeraj Sood) – so believable but nevertheless derived in some way from ‘P K Dubey’ of Monsoon Wedding. The dialogues, as the numerous reviews don’t fail to point out, are sooo real that you just go with the flow. Dialogues really do make a film, be they bombastic (remember Big B’s Coolie) or real.  

Now, who is Maneesh Sharma? Wish I knew more about this guy whose first film most certainly doesn’t look like one. What a self-assured, deft touch. We need more such directors who are willing to bet on refreshing new scripts and actors. Hope to see more good work from you, Maneesh.  

And Dilli is fast becoming a favourite story-setting for Bollywood. Monsoon Wedding may have started it off but it has taken the better part of a decade for filmmakers to finally explore Delhi a little more closely, in films such as Rang De Basanti, Delhi-6, Do Dooni Chaar. You don’t need to be a pucca Dilliwala to enjoy the Dilliness of this movie. Anybody who has spent some time in Delhi (like I did) will find Band Baaja a joyous, vibrant look at the bright side of a city that is not always so charming.

The music by Salim-Sulaiman matches pulse for pulse the energy of the lead actors and the Delhi that is shown in the movie. ‘Tarkeebein’ and ‘Ainvayi Ainvayi’ stand out. Strange, I don’t hear more of these songs on FM radio or on TV countdowns. ‘Ainvayi’, for instance, is streets ahead of ‘Sheila ki jawani’.

Not to forget the Shruti-Bittoo kiss, at first tentative and then increasingly adventurous. This in itself is a first for a Hindi film and never once does the entire lovemaking scene look vulgar.

Altogether, a mast mast, must, must movie for the jaded palate of Bollywood lovers.

I give Band Baaja an 8 on 10.

I say, GO, WATCH. (And don’t worry if you feel like a second helping)