Bittoo Boss review

Bittoo Boss

Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Amrita Pathak

Directed by Supavitra Babul
Rating: *

While Ranveer Singh’s Bittoo (Band Baaja Baaraat) set the mould for Punjabi jats with Bollywood dreams to chuck their diction classes and mouth desi-speak, this Bittoo doesn’t manage to perfect the imperfections required. Or you could say that his crudeness and misplaced machismo seems scripted and rehearsed and his stubble- meticulously parlour-ed. So for those comparing this film to Ranveer’s debut dhamaka, don’t. That one had substance, a story and well, Anushka Sharma.

Dance like a videographer

The Bittoo (Pulkit Samrat) in the title is a wedding videographer or a ‘VDO shooter’ as his festive business card reads. His kalakaari with the camera is world famous in a small town in Punjab and no shaadi worth its genda phool lifts a finger before he arrives. Why? Because his cinematic genius has the ability to transform a Katto into a Katrina. And that he does, just like a director carefully framing his shots, orchestrating the wedding rituals and trying to extract the right emotion from his subjects. Infact, the line he is greeted with by most men, women and children says a lot about his workmanship: “Oye Bittoo, meri lele!” And yes, this line is repeated without rinsing a million times. (Enter laughter track here).

When hairy met dreary

Anyway, the crux of the story is that Bittoo falls for a girl –Mrinalini (Amrita Pathak, who happens to stroll into his viewfinder. But Mrinalini, despite taking a liking to his rural charms, can’t see herself growing old with a shaadi video maker. This leads to a loud exchange of words where she concludes that Bittoo can prove himself the day he earns truckloads of money. This and a whole lot of alcohol pushes Bittoo to consider the plan B of his life: making candid pornos. He instantly moves to Shimla- the Big Bazaar for honeymooners: budget rooms for happy humpers. But pornography isn’t everyone’s cutting chai and our lover boy soon realizes that he wants to call it a wrap just before the action begins. He soon finds his love for filming people in love but not when they’re making love. He then returns for a series of confusing sting operations that attest him as a good human being and Mrinalini finally gives in and we live happily ever after, once we exit the movie hall that is.

Looks like a great location for a porno

When newcomers who aren’t conventionally attractive and aren’t born in star families make their debut in Bollywood, they better be on the ball. More so because they wouldn’t get a second chance. And unfortunately for this couple, it wouldn’t be surprising if in the next few years Pulkit would be hosting a TV reality show and Mrinalini’s film career would be reduced to playing an item girl or the heroine’s elder sister. To Pulkit’s credit, he tries his best to ape Ranveer Singh but the fact that he’s trying means just that- he’s not managing too well.

A bit too many bedsheets, no?

From the profitability perspective, this film may appear well insured as it ticks all the success factors: Indian shaadi, boy meets girl at a shaadi, boy charms girl, song and dance and well, some video footage of all this. While generally such films tend to drag- the minute the couple declares their love for each other through a song sequence, this one seems to be oddly cut with a sharp knife. In fact, there are several points where you feel cheated as the screenplay takes gigantic leaps without concluding much. Even the turning point at the interval seems rushed and forced almost like the writer was in a hurry to visit the washroom. Despite all this, the dialogues of the film could’ve floored one and all but even they seem to lack the novelty of a ‘bread pakoda ki kasam’.

Open your eyes, the movie is over

‘Bittoo Boss’ is a bit too much of what the director believes works. It subscribes to the 'formula' with little thought to application. A bit too bore is more like it.