Babli Bouncer Review

'Babli Bouncer' is currently streaming on Disney Hotstar in multiple languages. In this section, we are going to review the latest OTT release.

Story:

Babli Tanwar (Tamannaah Bhatia), who is a school dropout in Asola-Fatehpur village near Delhi, becomes a bouncer in a nightclub in New Delhi. There, she enjoys being in the company of Viraj (Abhishek Bajaj), a sophisticated, upper-class male. But when she confesses her love, problems crop up in unexpected ways.

Analysis:

It is hard to say what really ails director Madhur Bhandarkar's 'Babli Bouncer'. When the film itself is lifeless, can it possibly be analyzed in specific ways? It never had a life in the first place. The storyline is flimsy, the situations are egregiously pale, and the climax is as frivolous as it can get. It all goes down south too soon.

Last month, we wondered what made a legend like Mike Tyson do an insulting role in Vijay Deverakonda's 'Liger'. Tamannaah may have done something similar. For an actress who has done biggies like 'Baahubali' to pick such an impoverished Bollywood drama is very Mike Tyson-esque.

The direct OTT release was made with little care for aesthetics and visual appeal. We are used to watching humble offerings on OTT platforms. But this one doesn't have even a semblance of writing. Excessive reliance has been shown on Tamannaah's ability to tickle the funny bone. The actress' immense talent, sadly, doesn't quite salvage the film.

The film's comedy is stuck in a time warp. The tricks used by Babli to bounce off her matches can put you off. The multiple references to burping are a turn-off. Probably, the humour is this bad to make the love story look somewhat bearable.

A film like this was expected to give an understanding of the challenges faced by women in professions dominated by men. But the drama becomes all about Babli's artificial victories and outdated sensibilities. There is no evolution in Babli's character. Probably, that's why the run time of the film is two minutes less than 2 hours.

Sahil Vaid as Kukku plays Babli's suitor from the village. Saurabh Shukla, as Babli's father, is reduced to reaction shots. Dolly Chadha (Upasna Singh) is involved in a comedy portion at the beginning. As the story progresses, the thread involving her and her kitty-party gang is reintroduced. The arc is so dumbed down, basic and primitive.

Tanishk Bagchi and Karan Malhotra deliver uninspired musical output. Himman Dhamija's cinematography is ordinary.

Verdict:

'Babli Bouncer' is outdated and wafer-thin. This is no sports or action film. It's fundamentally faulty like Keerthy Suresh's 'Good Luck Sakhi'.