Bachchhan Paandey REVIEW: Akshay Kumar and Kriti Sanon starrer is to be watched with ‘stone-eye’

Director: Farhad Samji

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, and Pankaj Tripathi.

Bollywood Bubble rating: 1.5 stars

You know its an Akshay Kumar ‘masala’ entertainer when it is packed with senseless 90s comedy, double meaning humour, and OTT scenes. It has worked for Khiladi Kumar before, it continues to work for the section of his fans even today. Taking a small drift from his patriotic-themed films, Akshay returns as an action anti-hero with Bachchhan Paandey which also stars Kriti Sanon and Jacqueline Fernandes in the lead roles.

Set in a small town in North India, Bachchhan Paandey revolves around the life of a ‘stone-eyed’ gangster who is infamous for being cold-hearted. Mayra (Kriti) is a filmmaker who is looking for an ‘interesting’ subject to make her next film on. She stumbles upon the infamous tales of Bachchhan Paandey. In pursuit to make the film and to know about this deadly gangster, she seeks help from a friend, Vishu (Arshad Warsi), promising him a big break in films. What follows later is a series of lies, comedy, and action, which works in parts. We also have Jacqueline playing Bachchan Pandey’s love interest in the film.

 

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Akshay Kumar in full-gangsta style action is different from his recent roles. Though a lot of effort has been made to set him apart with looks, the execution of scenes hardly sweeps us off. We have seen Akshay play a ‘Rowdy’ before. If you are a Khiladi Kumar fan, perhaps you might hoot and whistle at the unbelievable action sequences which again seem like a rehash of everything we have seen before. Akshay sure knows how to use his star power to entertain the audience but with no content, will Gangster Pandey pull through? It is to be seen.

Kriti as Mayra is convincing enough. She, of course, brings innocence and strength to the otherwise dull character. While one can understand her fascination towards telling an eccentric story, everything that follows later seemed to stretch. Her camaraderie with Arshad Warsi is funny and organic. That is perhaps one of the reasons to sit through the movie. We also have Pankaj Tripathi in parts and thank god for that. Although, it is sad to see actors like him being wasted in forgetful roles like these.

 

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The music of the film doesn’t work for me and the writing seemed to be inspired by the 90s. While it is great to reminiscence the 90s, the humour that worked then will not work today.

This is not a film where you go looking for great cinematography, however, with nothing else to bite, you do end up admiring the production scale. It is also astounding to see an Akshay Kumar film with no memorable dialogue.

Bachchan Pandey seems like a guilty pleasure project of director Farhad Samji which heavily relies on star power.

Also Read: Akshay Kumar gives a peek into train journey to Delhi with Bachchhan Paandey co-stars

Bhavna Agarwal

Assistant Editor at Bollywood Bubble. An ambivert who is currently high on K-dramas and K-Pop. A forever Bollywood fan, who continues to gush over solid stories and characters. Hit me up for a fine conversation over chai.

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