Babli (Ranbir Kapoor) is the protagonist of Besharam. The movie is about his run-ins with cops Chulbul Chautala (Rishi Kapoor) and Bulbul Chautala (Neetu Kapoor), his crossfires with goon Bheem Singh Chandel (Jaaved Jaaferi) and the pursuit of his love for Tara Sharma (Pallavi Sharda). It is very easy to follow the plot and basically revolves around these characters.
The movie is loud! The characters speak loudly and the production is campy and garish. I know the movie is titled Besharam but there’s an obvious need to titillate, what with toilet humour thrown in and a shower scene with Ranbir Kapoor showing more than his back.
The entire movie is one big Bollywood reference. While this is fun for a while, the repeated need to draw on something outside of the movie is distracting. I could make a list and we could compare.
Babli’s character is such an obvious reminder of Bunty Aur Babli, our very own Bollywood versions of Bonnie and Clyde.
Rishi Kapoor in Besharam dances to his real life son, Ranbir Kapoor’s hit song Badtameez Dil from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
3 idiots in Besharam set out on a scooter just as the three characters did in Raju Hirani’s 3 Idiots.
This reference to hit films and popular characters actually works as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it offers nothing new to a clued-in audience and on the other, fails to create context or appear funny to an unaware audience.
The movie doesn’t come across as a celebration of erstwhile Bollywood but rather seems to be stuck in a time warp. It uses the melodrama, action, song and dance as formula and packaging for a hit film. There’s no coherence, just a haphazard patching up of things.
Ranbir Kapoor has been exploited to the fullest, as an actor and a star. That may be the only reason for anyone to watch this film.
verdict
As a movie, Besharam doesn’t really work. It doesn’t engage, is cluttered and barely evokes a reaction or leaves an impression. The only saving grace is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. If the idea is to relive iconic films, characters and stars, DVDs and clips are available in abundance.