FilmyReviews

Ladies VS Ricky Bahl is, at best, a decent fare, which appeals in parts. The film starts well, even ends well. It's the in between that's plain ordinary. One definitely expected more from the director of the immensely likeable BAND BAAJA BAARAAT. Ideally, the film merits a two-and-a-half star rating, but that extra half star is for Ranveer and Anushka, who steal your heart with truly striking performances.

The set-up here is enjoyable still. You know the payoff will be an issue. The audience gets an excuse to travel across LKO (Lucknow), DEL, BOM, GOA, the hero gets to play the crooks Iqbal, Sunny, Devesh, Diego. While his locations and phones change, his cellphone’s ringtone remains the same. It’s always the filmy dialogue, “Haarke Jeetne Wale Ko Baazigar Kehte Hain.” It helps the girls track him down. At worst, the film remains then a yawn inducing, half explained romance; at best, it’s an effortless watch all the way.

Firstly, there is no humour, no earthy flavour (remember the vows on the bread pakora), no tingling chemistry between the lead pair -- everything which made the first film such a winner. What does work in favour of the film are its performances and its non-hysterical tenor. The girls are a spirited lot and Ranveer is, well Ranveer: your average Joe kind of hero who looks convincing enough as Sunny, Deven, Iqbal, Ricky, his sundry avatars. Music by Salim Sulaiman is ordinary. A word about Parineeti Chopra: cute.

But while Faisal delivers a few good lines, he isn't to blame for Devika Bhagat's sluggish script. A very predictable con-versus-con film can be made enjoyable, but it needs to be breezy and engaging. We need to want to take sides and we need to care about the twists, and by the time Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl winds down in extremely simplistic fashion, we just don't care anymore. If this were a better-made film, we might have been justifiably outraged by the lame sexism meted out at the climax, but for now yawning seems reaction enough.

The film doesn't surprise us in any way, but it does enthuse you with its energy. Anushka and Ranveer have a good bantering relationship, even if it seems awfully reminiscent of Band Baaja Baraat. Even some lines seem familiar-your brains and my daring, and we can have a great business, says Ranveer. But I do wish Ranveer and Anushka would stop smiling at each other so much.

Then the predictable story line hits, with Anushka Sharma thrown in woman who can counter Ricky with a con of her own. By now you may have guessed, how the film is likely to end, but I’ll tell you why you should still watch it. Parineeti Chopra scores as brash nouveau riche Delhi girl Dimple Chaddha. The endearing dialogues are all here (like the film begins with her trying to adjust a choli to show cleavage-shevage).