BaabuI makes an attempt to come across as a hard hitting film on a widow re-marriage but disappoints thanks to the lackluster/outdated treatment.
Balraj (Amitabh Bachchan) and Shobhna Kapoor (Hema Malini) are a wealthy couple who dote on their foreign returned son Avinash (Salman). Your typical picture perfect family that?s made even more perfect when Avi meets Millie (Rani) and they predictably fall in love and get married. A few blissful years and a sprog later, Avi dies in a freak accident leaving Millies life in tethers.
Unable to see his daughter-in-law pining away for the void left behind by his son?s death, Balraj decides to take matters into his own hands, and to ensure her happiness, attempts to set her up with her childhood friend (and you guessed it her secret admirer) Rajat (Abraham).
How he defies traditions and the social taboos surrounding widow remarriage form the crux of the story.
The first few reels of the flick are indeed engaging. Director Ravi Chopra succeeds in presenting several interesting moments at the very start. The first half of film has its share of light sequences, which are thoroughly enjoyable. The Rani-Salman romantic track is breezy, while the Rajpal Yadav scene is simply hilarious.The narrative gathers momentum with each passing moment/ scene and the interval point raises hopes for a dramatic second half.Alas! The post-interval portions belie the gargantuan expectations.
Moreover in this half incidents just happen, without any proper build-up to a scene, which is of utmost significance in a film like this.. Even the climax is an absolute letdown.The towering impact that Director’s previous film BAGHBAAN made in the final is totally absent here.
Ravi seems to have come up with a mish-mash script that holds scant appeal in today’s times. So many films based on a similar theme have been witnessed in the recent past. When compared to the director’s previous accomplishments, BAABUL pales on both the levels – script and music. The story of the film is as old as the hills and the screenplay does precious little to elevate the situation
Also he has concentrated on individual scenes, thereby ignoring the script in totality. Music is another drawback. What’s more, the songs are placed without any valid situation whatsoever. Cinematography is okay.
Performance-wise, Amitabh looks drained at places, but does a sincere attempt at infusing life into his character.Rani rocks as always. The actress proves once again that She is amongst the best in the business. John messes up his role entirely. He still needs to hone his acting skills.
Salman is effective in the hospital scene after the interval.. Hema is delightful.
On the whole, Baabul is not upto the mark yet I am recommending it just for the sake of magnificient performance from Rani Mukherji .She rocks.Period.