Bachchhan Paandey Movie Review: Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon deliver bhaukaal wali Holi

Bachchhan Paandey opened in theatres on Holi, March 18. The Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon and Jacqueline Fernandez-starrer will reignite your love for commercial Bollywood entertainers.

"Mujhe bhai nahi godfather bolte hai!" This declaration by Akshay Kumar as the charismatic yet frightening gangster, Bachchhan Paandey, sets the tone for this year’s Holi entertainer, Bachchhan Paandey. Before the character, we want to acknowledge how Akshay himself has proven to be the godfather for cinemas in post-Covid times. In 2021, it was his dhamakedaar Diwali release, Sooryavanshi, which pulled the audiences back to the theatres. In 2022, the superstar has pledged to make your Holi rangeen (albeit bloodied) with Bachchhan Paandey. And, we are not complaining.

Ever since Allu Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rise raked up a storm at the box office, cine-goers wondered when masaledaar Bollywood films would be able to win us again. Trust Akshay Kumar to take up the challenge and prove that commercial entertainers never go out of style. Style, surely comes aplenty in his Bachchhan Paandey, right from his ‘killer’ entry. He has one goal in life: to have everyone fear him. He does that with much conviction.

Bachchhan Paandey is the remake of the 2014 Tamil film, Jigarthanda. There, it was Bobby Simha’s Sethu wreaking havoc as Assault Kumar. In the 2022 Hindi version, Khiladi Kumar turns into Bachchhan Paandey, jiska dil aur aankh dono patthar ke hai. He commits brutal murders with ease. His weapon of choice? You name it and he can swing it - knives, hammers and guns. He is also capable of killing people with his bare hands. He doesn’t miss his target, and you never miss his swag. Credit goes to the sound effects as well.

Myra, played by Kriti Sanon, is an aspiring director who takes on the dangerous task of documenting this ruthless gangster’s life. In the original film, Kriti’s character was essayed by Siddharth (Karthik on screen). Brownie points to the makers for adding some freshness to the script by making this switch.

In her mission, Myra is joined by her friend Vishu, played by Arshad Warsi. While he calls Bachchhan Paandey ‘Raavan’, he agrees to accompany Myra to Baghwa on the promise of being cast as the second hero and in hopes of stealing the main hero’s thunder. The banter between the two friends is a real treat to watch.

So, they try to get to Bachchhan Paandey by employing different ways and reaching out to people from his gang. Those closest to Paandey are Kaandi (Saharsh Kumar Shukla), Pendulum (Abhimanyu Singh), Bufferia chacha (Sanjay Mishra) and Virgin (Prateik Babbar). All these individuals have their own quirks and stories. They have all done a decent job at making us laugh with their antics, even though some punches only deserve eye-rolls.

The film overall is just as one would expect - full of over-the-top and double-meaning dialogues, punctuated by a hailstorm of bullets and punches, and a story that’s totally predictable. But, when you go in for a mass entertainer, you are ready to enjoy this concoction. And, Bachchhan Paandey works in this regard. All claps and whistles are earned.