Bunty Aur Babli
Encyclopedia
Bunty Aur Babli released in 2005, is an India
n Bollywood
film
directed by Shaad Ali
and starring Amitabh Bachchan
, Rani Mukerji
and Abhishek Bachchan
. It was the first film to feature both Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan, and featured guest appearances by Aishwarya Rai
and Tania Zaetta
. It was one of the biggest hits of the year.
The plot, although it draws on the idea of two rather lovable crooks, does not contain much violence. In fact each of the adventures of Bunty and Babli are thoroughly Indianised, like the fake selling of the Taj Mahal
. It draws comparisons to the American classic "Bonnie and Clyde
", however there are no dark elements to the film. In fact, as stated above, there is very minimal violence and the characters do not die a bloody death, unlike their American counterparts. The robberies done were usually to teach a lesson or exact revenge for some previous altercation.
) comes from a small village. His father is a ticket collector on the train, and wants him to get into a similar occupation as well. However, Rakesh has big dreams; he is forever coming up with new business plans and is convinced he will make it big one day. He adamantly refuses any notion that he will one day work in a 9-to-5 environment.
Vimmi Saluja (Rani Mukerji
) is the daughter of a Punjabi family in another small village; she spends her hours watching films and studying supermodels, and dreams of becoming Miss India
one day.
One day Vimmi's parents tell her they have arranged her marriage to a young man with a decent job.
At the same time Rakesh's father gives him an ultimatum – go to the interview for the job his father has arranged for him, or get out of the house.
Rakesh and Vimmi both pack their bags in their respective homes and sneak out in the dark of the night. They bump into each other at a train station, and become friends after realizing their stories are similar. Both support and encourage each other to achieve their dreams: Vimmi tries to enter herself in the Miss India contest but gets thrown out after an argument, and Rakesh tries to sell his ideas for an investment scheme, but a businessman turns him away. In fact, a man he had met at a restaurant stole ideas from Rakesh's presentation file and when he enters the office, the interviewer states someone before him came in with the same idea. After finding out that the businessman who Rakesh had approached has used his idea to make money for himself, he and Vimmi con him and take money they believe is rightly theirs.
Once they realize how easy it is to con people, they decide to run some more scams in order to raise money to make it to Bombay.
Unfortunately for India, they find the lifestyle too exciting to give up. Adopting the fake names of 'Bunty' and 'Babli', they successfully pull off scam after scam, looting and conning rich people dressed as local guides, religious priests, health inspectors, business partners, etc. Their flamboyant antics make them famous in newspapers nationwide. Soon their friendship leads to romance and they decide to continue scamming the rich as husband and wife.
Little do Rakesh and Vimmi know that ACP Dashrath Singh (Amitabh Bachchan
) is catching up with their scams and pranks, getting closer each time. He relentlessly pursues them across India in the hopes of putting them behind bars. To complicate matters, Rakesh and Vimmi have a child, and after a very close call eluding Dashrath they decide to quit conning for their child's sake. Ironically, this decision leads to their capture by Dashrath. While in custody, their heartfelt confessions and conversation soften the detective's heart and he lets them go, certain he has destroyed Bunty and Babli's career as criminals.
Years later, Dashrath rescues them from their mundane and domestic lives to work for the nation thwarting the activities of other scammers.
dressed Rani Mukherjee a new look Patiala salwar
s and kurti
s, which became quite popular.
, winning three altogether. It won the awards in the female playback, music director and lyricist categories.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Shaad Ali
Shaad Ali
-Early life:Shaad Ali was born to Muzaffar Ali and Subhashini Ali née Sehgal, an Indian politician and member of the Communist Party of India ). He is thus the grandson of Azad Hind Fauj commander Lakshmi Sahgal...
and starring Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
, Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji is an Indian film actress who works in Hindi movies. In the course of her film career, she has received six Filmfare Awards, among twelve nominations....
and Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and is married to actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai....
. It was the first film to feature both Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek Bachchan, and featured guest appearances by Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...
and Tania Zaetta
Tania Zaetta
Tania Zaetta is an Australian actress and television presenter who acts in Bollywood.-Early life:Zaetta was born to an Italian father and an Australian mother. Grand daughter of James Howard Browne OAM, botanist. She spent the earlier years of her life living in Merbein, Victoria...
. It was one of the biggest hits of the year.
The plot, although it draws on the idea of two rather lovable crooks, does not contain much violence. In fact each of the adventures of Bunty and Babli are thoroughly Indianised, like the fake selling of the Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
. It draws comparisons to the American classic "Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were well-known outlaws, robbers, and criminals who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934...
", however there are no dark elements to the film. In fact, as stated above, there is very minimal violence and the characters do not die a bloody death, unlike their American counterparts. The robberies done were usually to teach a lesson or exact revenge for some previous altercation.
Plot
Rakesh Trivedi (Abhishek BachchanAbhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and is married to actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai....
) comes from a small village. His father is a ticket collector on the train, and wants him to get into a similar occupation as well. However, Rakesh has big dreams; he is forever coming up with new business plans and is convinced he will make it big one day. He adamantly refuses any notion that he will one day work in a 9-to-5 environment.
Vimmi Saluja (Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji
Rani Mukerji is an Indian film actress who works in Hindi movies. In the course of her film career, she has received six Filmfare Awards, among twelve nominations....
) is the daughter of a Punjabi family in another small village; she spends her hours watching films and studying supermodels, and dreams of becoming Miss India
Miss India
Miss India or Femina Miss India is a national beauty pageant in India, one of the most recognized contests to produce international beauty queens in the 90s, which annually selects three winners to compete globally. It is organized by Femina, a women's magazine published by Bennett, Coleman & Co...
one day.
One day Vimmi's parents tell her they have arranged her marriage to a young man with a decent job.
At the same time Rakesh's father gives him an ultimatum – go to the interview for the job his father has arranged for him, or get out of the house.
Rakesh and Vimmi both pack their bags in their respective homes and sneak out in the dark of the night. They bump into each other at a train station, and become friends after realizing their stories are similar. Both support and encourage each other to achieve their dreams: Vimmi tries to enter herself in the Miss India contest but gets thrown out after an argument, and Rakesh tries to sell his ideas for an investment scheme, but a businessman turns him away. In fact, a man he had met at a restaurant stole ideas from Rakesh's presentation file and when he enters the office, the interviewer states someone before him came in with the same idea. After finding out that the businessman who Rakesh had approached has used his idea to make money for himself, he and Vimmi con him and take money they believe is rightly theirs.
Once they realize how easy it is to con people, they decide to run some more scams in order to raise money to make it to Bombay.
Unfortunately for India, they find the lifestyle too exciting to give up. Adopting the fake names of 'Bunty' and 'Babli', they successfully pull off scam after scam, looting and conning rich people dressed as local guides, religious priests, health inspectors, business partners, etc. Their flamboyant antics make them famous in newspapers nationwide. Soon their friendship leads to romance and they decide to continue scamming the rich as husband and wife.
Little do Rakesh and Vimmi know that ACP Dashrath Singh (Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
) is catching up with their scams and pranks, getting closer each time. He relentlessly pursues them across India in the hopes of putting them behind bars. To complicate matters, Rakesh and Vimmi have a child, and after a very close call eluding Dashrath they decide to quit conning for their child's sake. Ironically, this decision leads to their capture by Dashrath. While in custody, their heartfelt confessions and conversation soften the detective's heart and he lets them go, certain he has destroyed Bunty and Babli's career as criminals.
Years later, Dashrath rescues them from their mundane and domestic lives to work for the nation thwarting the activities of other scammers.
Cast
- Abhishek BachchanAbhishek BachchanAbhishek Bachchan is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and is married to actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai....
as Rakesh Trivedi / Bunty - Rani MukerjiRani MukerjiRani Mukerji is an Indian film actress who works in Hindi movies. In the course of her film career, she has received six Filmfare Awards, among twelve nominations....
as Vimmi Saluja / Babli - Amitabh BachchanAmitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
as Dashrath Singh - Raj BabbarRaj BabbarRaj Babbar is a Hindi & Punjabi film actor since 1977 and the current Member of Parliament from Firozabad which he won by defeating Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh Yadav & daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav. This is his fourth term as MP, in previous terms he was the part of Samajwadi...
as Bunty's father - Talluri Rameshwari as Bunty's mother
- Puneet IssarPuneet IssarPuneet Issar is an Indian actor and director, most famous for his role as Duryodhana in the TV adaptation of the Mahabharata, and directing Garv: Pride and Honour starring Salman Khan. His other notable roles are in Border, 1997 war film, directed by J. P...
as Papaji (Babli's father) - Kiran JunejaKiran JunejaKiran Juneja/Kiran Joneja is a veteran Indian actress. She works in Hindi Cinema also called bollywood. She is second wife of famous filmmaker Ramesh Sippy. She hails from Punjabi Bagh area of New Delhi, India and her father was a doctor.-TV career:She started with modeling assignments for...
as Babli's mother - Pratima KazmiPratima KazmiPratima Kazmi is an Indian television actress who has worked in many Bollywood movies and Hindi television drama series. Although she now works in Hindi movies & dramas, she started her career in 1997 with an UK's English film called Sixth Happiness, produced by an Indian director Waris Hussein,...
as Phoolsakhi - Prem ChopraPrem ChopraPrem Chopra is an actor in Hindi and Punjabi films. He has acted in over 400 films. He is famous for his soft spoken diction despite being a villain in most films.-Personal life and education:...
as a Truck Driver - Sanjay MishraSanjay MishraSanjay Mishra is an American Guitarist/Composer born in India and subsequently becoming a citizen of the United States who began performing after completing his studies at...
as Q.Q Qureshi - Ravi BaswaniRavi BaswaniRavi Baswani was a well known Indian film actor, most famous for his role in Sai Paranjpe's Chashme Buddoor and Kundan Shah's cult comedy Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro , for which he won Filmfare Best Comedian Award in 1984. He was noted for his comic timing and underplaying of a character in the true sense...
as Hotel Owner - Virendra SaxenaVirendra SaxenaVirendra Saxena is an Indian theater, film and television actor. He is an alumnus of the National School of Drama. Saxena is known for his character roles as well as his unique voice. He has acted in films such as Shool, Dhoop, Aks as well as many television serials...
as Police Commissioner - Yunus ParvezYunus ParvezYunus Parvez was a Bollywood character actor who played supporting roles in over 200 films from the late 1960s to the 2000s. He appeared in the 1996 film Chhote Sarkar.He died on 11 February 2007 at the age of 75...
as a Hotel Owner - Tania ZaettaTania ZaettaTania Zaetta is an Australian actress and television presenter who acts in Bollywood.-Early life:Zaetta was born to an Italian father and an Australian mother. Grand daughter of James Howard Browne OAM, botanist. She spent the earlier years of her life living in Merbein, Victoria...
as Kate - Anupam ShyamAnupam ShyamAnupam Shyam born Anupam Shyam Ojha on 20 September 1957 is an Indian film and television actor, who usually plays villainous or character roles. He most known for his role of Thakur Sajjan Singh in STAR Plus TV series Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya...
as Raj Kapoor Tiwari - Rajesh VivekRajesh VivekRajesh Vivek is a Marathi Actor who is best known to Hindi movie audiences for his role of the astrologer Guran in Lagaan or as the Postman/Postmaster in Swades. He made his mark as a villain in the beginning with films like Veerana and Tridev, often playing roles of henchman- but later on he...
as a Protestor - Aishwarya RaiAishwarya RaiAishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994...
in a Special Appearance in song 'Kajra Re' - Shaad AliShaad Ali-Early life:Shaad Ali was born to Muzaffar Ali and Subhashini Ali née Sehgal, an Indian politician and member of the Communist Party of India ). He is thus the grandson of Azad Hind Fauj commander Lakshmi Sahgal...
in a Guest Appearance - J. Brandon Hill as Harry
- Kunal Kumar as Newspaper Salesman
Reception
The film was a critical and commercial success becoming one of the biggest hits of 2005. Designer Aki NarulaAki Narula
Aki Narula is an Indian fashion designer and costume designer and wardrobe stylist in Hindi films, who is most known for films like, Bunty Aur Babli , Jhoom Barabar Jhoom and Dostana...
dressed Rani Mukherjee a new look Patiala salwar
Patiala salwar
A Patiala salwar is a type of female trousers which has its roots in Patiala City in the Northern region of Punjab state in India. The King of Patiala in earlier times had its Royal dress as Patiala Salwar...
s and kurti
Kurti
Kurti may refer to:*Kurti, Sudan a town in Sudan* Kurti, Azad Kashmir - A small village near Kotli District of Azad Kashmir. The village is famous for its natural beauty and having one of the Country's top educational institute....
s, which became quite popular.
Awards
The film received seven nominations at the Filmfare AwardsFilmfare Awards
The Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
, winning three altogether. It won the awards in the female playback, music director and lyricist categories.
- Best MovieFilmfare Best Movie AwardThe Filmfare Best Film Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.The award was first given in 1954. Here is a list of the award winners and the nominees of the respective years...
- Aditya Chopra - Best ActorFilmfare Best Actor AwardThe Filmfare Award for Best Actor is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954....
- Abhishek Bachchan - Best ActressFilmfare Best Actress AwardThe Filmfare Award for Best Actress is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role. The award was first given in 1954.-Superlatives:...
- Rani Mukerji - Best Supporting ActorFilmfare Best Supporting Actor AwardThe Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a male actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role...
- Amitabh Bachchan - Best Music DirectorFilmfare Best Music Director AwardThe Filmfare Best Music Director Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to the best composer/arranger of a soundtrack. This category was first presented in 1954. Naushad was the first recipient of this award for his song "Tu Ganga Ki Mauj"...
- Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy WON - Best Female PlaybackFilmfare Best Female Playback AwardThe Filmfare Best Female Playback Award is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female playback singer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a film song....
- Alisha Chinai for "Kajra Re" WON - Best LyricistFilmfare Best Lyricist AwardThe Filmfare Lyricist Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films.The awards were first given in 1953, however the Award for the best lyricist was first given in 1958.-Superlatives:...
- Gulzar WON - Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1The Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1 was first introduced in 2001. The award goes to a pair that have stood out and been appreciated by the Indian audience. Unlike the other awards this one is chosen by the viewers. The winner is announced in January.-Winners:...
- Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukherji WON