Movie Review: Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2013)

2013, Reviews | January 11, 2013 at 12:56 pm
Users Rating: [ratings] Critics Rating: ★★★☆☆
Box Office: Flop

Set in the rustic surroundings of a village in Haryana, Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is a comedy-drama about Harry Mandola (Pankaj Kapoor), a wealthy industrialist who loves his drink, his daughter Bijlee (Anushka Sharma) and the unusual bond they both share with Harry’s man Friday, Matru (Imran Khan).

Much to her father’s delight, Bijlee is all set to marry Baadal (Aarya Babbar), the son of a powerful politician Chaudhari Devi (Shabana Aami). This alliance which is far from just being a simple union of two young people becomes the seed for a story that brings twists and turns in the lives of Matru, Bijlee and Mandola.

MATRU KI BIJLEE KA MANDOLA is definitely not Vishal’s best work, though the master touch is evident in several sequences. The story barely moves in the first hour; there are stretches when the account begins to blur. Thankfully, the sequence of events and some exceptional moments in the post-interval portions save the film from tripping. At the same time, I wish to add that the film could’ve done with some judicious trimming for a stronger impact. It’s way too lengthy!

On the upside, Azmi’s performance is effortlessly evil until the last swig. Anushka plays her now-familiar loud-spunky-sexy babe, unconvincing but attractive as an eccentric rustic. But despite her Pond-girl entry in see-through top and teeny shorts, Mandola’s heart-throb is Imran Khan who’s red-hot (literally), stubble and a sardonic air pumping his sex-appeal. With its Trilbys and tractors, malls and Maoism, its stretch limo and smart-boy! lines, MKBKM could have been such a fun ride. But sadly, director ka bhi man dola, rather too often.

Reviews:

Good Reviews  |  Average Reviews  |  Bad Reviews
Positive Reviews
4.0 “Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola has enough substance to warrant repeated viewings.”
- Rediff – Raja Sen
3.0 “MKBKM needed disciplined direction, not wandering shots, predictable banter or dull crudity.”
- Times Of India
3.0 “Bhardwaj might have fallen short this time around, but even when he is not at his best, he is infinitely better than most in the business.”
- NDTV Movies
3.0 “It succeeds intermittently, but worth a watch.”
- Sify
3.0 “Bharadwaj’s last film Saat Khoon Maaf had a wide range of characters, a compact story-line but hardly a strong enough conflict. The problem with this film is just the reverse.”
- Daily Bhaskar
3.0 “Watch it for a nice dose of rustic comedy!”
- Koimoi
3.0 “Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola may not have a universal appeal, but it is thoroughly entertaining.”
- Apunkachoice
Average Reviews
2.5 “Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola starts off on a promising note but falters towards the end.”
- Rediff – Aseemm Chhabra
Negative Reviews
2.0 “MATRU KI BIJLEE KA MANDOLA holds your attention in parts, but that’s not enough.”
- Bollywood Hungama
2.0 “With MATRU KI BIJLEE KI MANDOLA, Bhardwaj entertains his alter-ego and he ensures that a reference to Shakespeare shouts out loud and clear.”
- Glamsham
2.0 “Though the movie has certain good parts, the overall effect is not promising enough.”
- Movietalkies
2.0 “Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola fails to leave an impact and ends up disappointing you. Pankaj Kapur’s hilarious histrionics can be the only reason the watch the film.”
- Nowrunning
2.0 “Honestly you won’t miss out on anything even if you give this film a miss!”
- Zee News
2.0 “It’s a very meat-and-potatoes kind of story, the most meat-and-potatoes Bharadwaj has been, despite the weird contrivances he includes in the telling of it. “
- Indian Express
2.0 “Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is a disappointing film, one that could have been so much more.”
- Blog Reuters
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