Madhur
Bhandarkar's
body
of
work
boasts
of
two
prominent
films
–
Chandni
Bar
and
Page
3.
Chandni
Bar
was
the
first
film
that
made
the
viewer
peep
into
the
lives
of
bar
girls,
while
Page
3
exposed
the
shallow
lives
of
the
glam
brigade.
Director
Yunus
Sajawal
combines
Chandni
Bar
and
Page
3
in
Benny
And
Babloo.
The
film
looks
at
the
lives
of
bar
girls
and
concurrently,
talks
of
the
dual
standards
of
the
elite,
who
often
masquerade
as
moral
guardians
of
the
society.
The
question
is,
since
we've
seen
it
all
in
the
past,
does
Sajawal
go
beyond
Chandni
Bar
and
Page
3?
Benny
And
Babloo
tells
the
story
from
a
bell
boy
(Kay
Kay)
and
waiter's
(Rajpal
Yadav)
point
of
view
and
though
the
story
isn't
innovative,
it
has
its
share
of
absorbing
moments.
Also,
it
tells
you
in
very
clear
words
that
bar
girls
shouldn't
be
ostracized
because
of
their
profession.
They've
a
responsibility
to
fulfill
and
a
family
to
support.
It
also
states,
very
coherently
again,
that
the
glam
brigade
is
a
sham.
They've
far
more
skeletons
to
hide
in
their
closet.
Final
word?
Benny
And
Babloo
may
not
be
path
breaking
or
innovative
as
such,
but
it
keeps
you
hooked
in
most
parts,
especially
the
finale.
The
story
is
about
two
good-hearted
samaritans
Benny
(Kay
Kay
Menon)
and
Babloo
(Rajpal
Yadav),
who,
like
the
any
other
Indian,
are
smitten
by
the
glamour
of
Mumbai.
After
a
brief
stint
as
waiters
in
a
typical
Mumbai-style
Irani
restaurant,
the
two
land
up
in
distinctly
different
jobs.
Benny
takes
up
the
job
of
a
bell-boy
in
a
suburban
five-star
hotel,
whereas
Babloo
lands
up
as
a
waiter
in
a
ladies
bar.
Benny
considers
his
job
to
be
far
superior
to
Babloo's
and
ends
up
making
fun
of
him
more
often
that
not.
Both
gradually
realize
that
they
were
actually
in
similar
professions
with
two
different
exteriors,
but
the
same
interiors.
Benny
witnesses
innumerable
social
evils
at
the
five-star
hotel,
right
from
drug
abuse
to
political
fiascos,
while
Babloo
meets
the
more
human
side
of
the
otherwise
condemned
part
of
the
society.
Yunus
Sajawal
is
best
known
for
scripting
comic
entertainers
and
in
Benny
And
Babloo,
there's
an
undercurrent
of
humour
in
most
parts.
But
he
could've
conveyed
what
he
intends
conveying
in
a
concise
format.
Too
many
characters,
too
many
sub-plots
and
the
culmination
to
each
story/character
only
add
to
the
length
of
the
film.
As
a
first-time
director,
Sajawal
is
in
comfort
zone
handling
the
light
moments
well,
but
the
impact
of
some
dramatic
sequences
isn't
as
strong.
One
of
the
reasons,
perhaps,
could
be
because
the
writing
banks
heavily
on
been-there-seen-that
kind
of
situations.
Yet,
it
must
be
said
that
the
film
doesn't
seem
like
it
has
been
helmed
by
a
first-timer,
since
a
number
of
sequences
are
very
well
handled.
Music
is
dull.
Cinematography
is
alright.
Dialogues
(Farhad-Sajid)
are
wonderful.
Kay
Kay
does
well,
as
always.
Rajpal
Yadav
is
natural
to
the
core.
Rukhsar
is
efficient.
Abigail
Jain
(the
girl
in
need
of
payment
for
her
father's
illness),
Anangsha
Biswas
(plays
Sony)
and
Richa
Chadha
(as
Fedora)
stand
out
with
confident
portrayals.
Kiran
Janjani
is
fair.
Anita
Hassanandani
is
good.
Riya
Sen
leaves
a
mark.
Anant
Jog
enacts
his
part
convincingly.
Kishori
Shahane
Vij
is
effective.
Shweta
Tiwari
doesn't
get
much
scope.
Hiten
Paintal
is
confident.
Aasif
Sheikh
is
adequate.
Hussain
is
excellent.
On
the
whole,
Benny
And
Babloo
is
a
decent
effort,
but
what
goes
against
it
is
the
fact
that
it
has
been
released
alongside
hi-profile
movies.
Director:
Yunus
Sajawal
Cast:
Kay
Kay
Menon,
Rajpal
Yadav,
Riya
Sen,
Shweta
Tiwari,
Rukhsar,
Natassha,
Richa
Chadda