#GMMM does Bollywwod

[getmemymicroscope]

Okay, if we're going to be honest, I don't remember much for the original. I mean, I know the basic - Abhishek & Rani are pulling cons, while being chased by Amitabh; Kajra Re - but, honestly, that was about it. Oh, and also, I didn't really care for the movie. I don't really recall why, but that much I know. Which is why, you know, I put this one off for a couple of years. Also, after Race (amongst others), I'm not sure how I feel about "true sequel with actor replacement" - it's a very Indian TV serial-type thing to switch out a main character and pretend nothing has happened.

And, with all that said - this one was actually pretty fun. Rani and Saif are, of course, fun - as they tend to be (Ta Ra Rum Pum, Hum Tum, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic), and the two (relative) newcomers are not bad either. Plus, Pankaj Tripathi, who is always fun.

I mean, it is weird to see Saif instead of Abhishek in this role, even if I didn't care for the first movie. But apparently Abhishek had a fall-out with Aditya Chopra after Dhoom 3 (according to a quick interwebs search), and, I mean, who can blame him? Dhoom went wrong the minute they got so caught up in their own success that they started focusing entirely on the baddies instead of the interactions between our two cops (aka, pretty much as soon as Dhoom ended and Dhoom 2 began, and Dhoom 3 was a disaster in that regard). So, enter Saif - who kills the role, though, if we're being honest, I'm pretty sure the Abhishek of recent years would've been able to pull this off as well (as long as, you know, they didn't immediately place him in the shadow of his father - again).

The songs aren't anything great - of course, aside from the hype of Kajra Re, they weren't much in the first movie either - but, on the plus side, they don't go all "remix songs from 20 years ago" like essentially all of Bollywood seems to be at this point. So, while they're not great, Luv Ju, Dhik Chik, and Tattoo Waaliye all have that going for them. And, weird lyrics aside, Dhik Chik is kinda fun and Luv Ju actually has a pretty good beat to it. And I absolutely love when 'Bunty Aur Babli' plays in the background in this movie.

The twist was obvious, I think, but that's fine because by that point the movie has essentially played out - and you sort of expect it to go the way it does. But that does give the opportunity for a Bunty Aur Babli 3 (or, 4? - more fitting to skip a number here than in, say, Krrish or even Hera Pheri) - and I am totally down for that. Bring back this quartet, plus Pankaj Tripathi, and I would totally watch the next movie - as their cons get bigger and more complicated.

In fact, I think the one thing I really did enjoy here is that - aside from one minor squabble between Saif and Rani - they didn't at any point go hard into the "partners backstab each other." Like, whatever is happening, they have each other's backs. In a world, especially the cinematic world, where that sort of scenario is so common (overdone; frustrating; annoying), it's cool to see the support they have for their partners. I understand it might be easy to make 'circumstance' the villains in such a movie, but I do much prefer when we don't just have betrayal after betrayal.

[getmemymicroscope]

Given that it's based on a true story, you already know how it's going to end. And given that it's a team-based sports story, you know there's going to be a lot of parallels to like Gold and Chak De India, for better or for worse.

With that said, it ends up being a pretty fun ride. The cast - obviously Ranveer, but also the rest of the team and Pankaj Tripathi - make it a fun journey pretty much right from the get go (pointless opening scene leading to flashback aside), and the journey from start to finish of the tournament is also a lot of fun to take with them.

The story definitely feels very similar to Chak De India at many parts, and by virtue of that, also Gold (which also felt very much like Chak De India), but it's different enough (even beyond just simply being about a different sport) that it doesn't just feel like you're watching that movie again.

It was maybe a bit needlessly over-dramatic near the end, but we can forgive that. The cricket match shots/scenes were pretty well handled throughout - bowling, batting, fielding, so kudos to them for that.