Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (2024) Review

Vashu Bhagnani produced "Bade Miyan Chote Miyan" (BMCM) in October 1998 with a budget of Rs 12 crore. In April 2024, he's produced it again with a budget of Rs 350 crore. Even adjusted for inflation, the new movie is significantly more expensive.

It is also nothing akin to the original. The first one was heavy on comedy and peppy song sequences, with a plot revolving around mistaken identities, a comedy of errors, and the antics of the two main characters Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda as they navigated through various situations. The latest, as could be seen from the trailer, is based on badass action, featuring two of the best action stars, Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff. And the two movies are as different as chalk and cheese.

Elite court-martialed soldiers Bade Miyan, also known as Firoz (Akshay Kumar), and Chotey Miyan, aka Rocky (Tiger Shroff), embark on a globe-trotting mission to recover a stolen weapon from Kabir (Prithviraj Sukumaran), an ambitious and revenge-seeking scientist. Kabir is intent on using AI and genetics to destroy India. His plot involves creating a scenario reminiscent of World War III, wherein it appears that India will launch attacks on Pakistan and China using its modern Karan Kavach (similar to Israel's Iron Dome), thus turning the world against India.

The movie focuses on Bade Miyan and Chotey Miyan's daredevil combats as they work to foil Kabir's plan and save the day. Captain Misha (Manushi Chhillar) and IT Specialist Pam (Alaya F) assist Bade and Chotey in gaining access to Kabir's secret locations and contacts.

After finishing watching BMCM and attempting to make sense of it, the movie felt like the 4-second classic comedy scene from the movie Golmaal stretched to 2 hours and 44 minutes. The scene goes like this:

Woman: Samajh rahe ho na? (Do you understand?)
Man: Na, lekin sun ke achha laga. (Didn't understand, but felt good to hear.)

To put it into perspective, the summary of BMCM is like this:

Director: Samajh rahe ho na? (Do you understand?)
Audience: Na, lekin dekh ke achha laga. (Didn't understand, but felt good to watch.)

The movie is basically a Rs 350-crore mess. It effectively disregards the principles of Physics, Chemistry, Biology and the martial arts. However, after 20 minutes, I began to discern order within the chaos. The succession of action sequences, some of which are blatantly copied from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Italian Job and Assassin's Creed, forms a cohesive whole, although seemingly constructed for the sake of action. Despite the film's numerous flaws, if you take a leap of faith and go with the flow of the actions, you may find yourself enjoying it.

Indeed, for all action lovers, this is a treat. So much is happening back to back that you can't even blink. As we said, Physics is a major casuality in the quest for entertainment, but you'll still love the movie and its mindless action fare as long as you don't go looking for any deeper meaning. And there's so much background music that when you leave the theatre it will still be ringing in your ears.

There's also Firoz and Rocky's appealing banter. Rocky is Gen-Z, and Firoz is an older and wiser guy, and there's both bromance and ego between them, with the engaging repartees adding to the entertainment.

Sukumaran as Kabir is the saving grace when it comes to acting. His character is somewhat complex and layered, building suspense until the interval. Who is he? What is he up to? Why did he suddenly become a sworn enemy of the State? These are questions that build anticipation. However, don't expect a Goatlife from him.

The next best performance is by Ronit Roy. Here's a guy you can't make act badly. The rest of the ensemble, including Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff themselves, is all about eye-candy and action. Chhillar is expressionless, and Alaya's acting feels artificial.

Although Akshay Kumar's fake mustache is a bit of a distraction, the movie itself is technically well-made. The filming is grand, having been shot in some of the most scenic locations in Mumbai, Scotland, London, Luton, Abu Dhabi and Jordan. The action sequences, although copied from some iconic Hollywood films as mentioned earlier, are executed with great skill, particularly the chase scenes and hand-to-hand combat, which are choreographed so impeccably that they rival the Indonesian film The Raid Redemption in terms of quality. (Of course, The Raid was way more graphic, brutal and raw.)

The editing is also quite sleek, making even the nonsensical scenes look good, and ensuring that there is not a dull moment in the entire film. However, the two songs that have been included seem out of place, and could have been left out.

BMCM stands in stark contrast to the original 1998 movie. Therefore, those who cherished the original should avoid this one. While the former epitomized the typical David Dhawan film, this one embodies the essence of an Ali Zafar flick. It caters to a younger audience and hardcore action enthusiasts. Take your children to a nearby cinema - they will appreciate it. However, you can always also watch it on OTT after a few days.