Movie review: Babumoshai Bandookbaaz misses the target

Though it has the trappings of cult gangster and hinterland films, movie lacks any punch

Babumoshai Bandookbaaz may have most trappings of a no-holds-barred, Gangs of Wasseypur-esque thriller, but this tale about a small-town contract killer makes a somewhat dull bang. Nawazuddin Siddiqui, common to both films, has built for himself a dedicated following as evidenced by even a thin Friday-morning crowd at the cinemas indulging in hoots and claps. Yet, this is a less-than-optimum performance by him in what is a rather unnecessary film.

Babu Bihari (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) is an expert marksman, who makes a living disposing of pesky opponents for local politicians. He also has a penchant for Ray-Ban sunglasses and sweaty lovemaking, at the receiving end of which usually is Phulwa (Bidita Bag). His career began at age 10 when he killed to fill his stomach, but that is almost the only bit of backstory the film offers.

Paths soon cross with Banke Bihari (Jatin Goswami), a younger sharp-shooter who models himself on Babu. The two start out with a friendly competition to kill the same people, before joining forces to carry out those contracts. Problems begin when Babu’s ties with his clients sour. The film’s tone shifts with several twists, all of which occur after the interval. Morals that were entirely absent in the first part of the film are haphazardly dumped into the prolonged second portion.

Directed by Kushan Nandy and written by Ghalib Asadbhopali, the film plays out in an Uttar Pradesh village, where rapes and murders are routine. In this rustic setting, people spit, swear and belch loudly. There are the usual coarse lines — when Babu’s friend has to seek medical help for hemorrhoids, he teases him, “dekh ke, doctorva shaukeen tabyat ka na ho.” Phulwa, following a promising entry where she nonchalantly attacks perverts with rusty shoemaking tools, has not much to do later on. She becomes Babu’s raison d’être after he falls in “first-sight love” with her. 

The film’s characters are trigger-happy and display few scruples. Such glibness often works in the context of cow-belt crime sagas, but unfortunately here, an essential menacing quality is lacking. The protagonists’ stories might still have been interesting if we knew their motivations or insecurities, but there is none of that. 

Siddiqui delivers more of his by-now familiar mischievousness. Goswami is impressive as the slick yet respectful sidekick. The most comical character, and perhaps the only one to have been developed with some depth, is that of Tara Shankar (Bhagwan Tiwari), a corrupt cop tasked with nabbing Babu. The women, although feisty and brave, are mainly gazed at, ridiculed, and kept.

In terms of humour, the film’s makers throw a lot of spaghetti, or in this case gosht biryani, at the walls but only some of it sticks. An earnest discussion between Banke and Babu about the rising cost of living and the incommensurate increase in payouts for hit-jobs is particularly fun. As are moments when a policeman answers his wife’s calls and agrees to pick up groceries, even if in the middle of a shooting standoff. Other attempts to create Anurag Kashyap-style ominous comedy fail.

A moral reckoning is boring on-screen if you spell it out, and Babumoshai Bandookbaaz spells it out with all the subtlety of a bullet.