I was eagerly waiting for BHTB(Buddha Hoga Tera Baap) for two reasons. Reason 1. I have never seen Mr Big B(aka Angry Young Man aka AYM) in a full fledged hero role in a theater. Reason 2. I wanted to see if Mr Puri Jagannath (PJ) could handle AYM with the same flair as he had done with Mahesh Babu in Pokiri.
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and it works big time. AYM is a complete product and we know he can handle any kind of cinema. The big question was with Puri Jagannath(PJ from here on), the main reason being whether the transition to Hindi would still keep the punch(I would prefer to call it rawness) in his dialogues alive. I must admit that the dialogue writers did a commendable job. The Puri touch was there. That for me is the biggest plus of this film. Big B needs no introduction and even if this movie goes on and becomes a blockbuster, nothing much will change for him (except that he will still remain the only superstar in the industry by a distance).
What this film does do is to catapult Mr.PJ into the big league. In the past couple of years, we have seen southern directors and southern style of film making, making a mark in Bollywood. Ghajini, Wanted, Dabangg to mention a few. It is important to remember that Mr PJ made, the mother of all mass entertainers, Pokiri. That was mastery over this kind of filmmaking and Bollywood didn't yet experience it. Personally, I don't put Murugudoss and Prabhu Deva in the same category as PJ. So with Ghajini or Wanted, the essence was there but the class was missing. PJ brings it big time with BHTB and looks like he is ready for the next level. I thought he hit the glass ceiling with Pokiri and though he continued making movies in the same vein, he wasn't at the same level Pokiri. To make the transition to Hindi was a challenge to him and probably that is what has spurred him to hit his peak again.
Another important point to take note of is the length of the movie. It is under two hours and for this kind of film making, anything more than that would hurt the tightness of the product. It was smart to stick to a shorter running time. This movie also could have done without a song, but this being an ode to the Big B, a medley of his popular numbers could not be avoided. The background score would have been better and its high time PJ gets this aspect right.
Last but not the least, the southern directors know better than anyone about making movies with superstars.
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and it works big time. AYM is a complete product and we know he can handle any kind of cinema. The big question was with Puri Jagannath(PJ from here on), the main reason being whether the transition to Hindi would still keep the punch(I would prefer to call it rawness) in his dialogues alive. I must admit that the dialogue writers did a commendable job. The Puri touch was there. That for me is the biggest plus of this film. Big B needs no introduction and even if this movie goes on and becomes a blockbuster, nothing much will change for him (except that he will still remain the only superstar in the industry by a distance).
What this film does do is to catapult Mr.PJ into the big league. In the past couple of years, we have seen southern directors and southern style of film making, making a mark in Bollywood. Ghajini, Wanted, Dabangg to mention a few. It is important to remember that Mr PJ made, the mother of all mass entertainers, Pokiri. That was mastery over this kind of filmmaking and Bollywood didn't yet experience it. Personally, I don't put Murugudoss and Prabhu Deva in the same category as PJ. So with Ghajini or Wanted, the essence was there but the class was missing. PJ brings it big time with BHTB and looks like he is ready for the next level. I thought he hit the glass ceiling with Pokiri and though he continued making movies in the same vein, he wasn't at the same level Pokiri. To make the transition to Hindi was a challenge to him and probably that is what has spurred him to hit his peak again.
Another important point to take note of is the length of the movie. It is under two hours and for this kind of film making, anything more than that would hurt the tightness of the product. It was smart to stick to a shorter running time. This movie also could have done without a song, but this being an ode to the Big B, a medley of his popular numbers could not be avoided. The background score would have been better and its high time PJ gets this aspect right.
Last but not the least, the southern directors know better than anyone about making movies with superstars.
