Bade Miyan Chote Miyan Movie Review: Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff Turn Buddy-Action Into Migraine-Inducing Boredom (LatestLY Exclusive)

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan Movie Review: There are movies so 'explosive' that you need a painkiller to cure the resultant migraine. Ali Abbas Zafar's Bade Miyan Chote Miyan is one such film. By 'explosive', I mean it's filled with countless and mindless explosions. And when I say 'migraine', I'm not speaking metaphorically. You're bound to have one after enduring a mind-numbing 158 minutes of senseless action scenes, ludicrous twists, robotic performances, and eardrum-shattering scores. "Bade Migraine Bade Migraine... Chote migraine subhanallah!" Bade Miyan Chote Miyan: Jackie Shroff Wishes Luck to Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff Ahead of Their Grand Film Release.

A masked terrorist (Prithviraj Sukumaran) ambushes an Indian military convoy in Kashmir, killing all the soldiers and then stealing a mysterious weapon they are carrying, before dropping a not-so-cryptic video message to the Indian army heads. He gives them a three-day warning to stop him (why?). To tackle him, Colonel Azad (Ronit Roy) sends Captain Misha (Manushi Chhillar) to recruit two former court-martialled officers, Firoz (Akshay Kumar) and Rakesh (Tiger Shroff), and send them on his trail.

Watch the Trailer of Bade Miyan Chote Miyan:

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this terrorist has a connection with the Indian army in the past - sadly for the film, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan falls in Bollywood post-Pathaan, which also attempted a similar idea with its betrayed villain. But it takes a lot of genius to come up with the ludicrously convoluted plotting of the film, with some pretty high-tech ideas (an invisible dome to protect the country from missiles?) and an amusing super-villain plan that would make Dr Evil proud.

The 'Original' Ludicrity

Of course, nothing feels original even then, including the Hobbs and Shaw-treatment of the main plotline. Like with Iron Man 3, we see villains with regenerative powers. There is a plot element involving cloning that meant someone in the film's creative team took Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom way too seriously. I mean, if you can use AI to create human soldiers, why not just create androids whose expendability would be less striking on the conscience?

The sole scene that caught my attention was a pre-interval twist, an interesting callback to the OG Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (starring Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda). Unfortunately, the film fails to capitalise on this moment, reducing it later to a lengthy and dull action sequence.

No Time to Bond

Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, for a change, avoids investing much time in any romantic subplot, except for a geeky university student and the tech expert, portrayed by Alaya F, who persistently flirts with Rakesh. Romance is confined to two songs during the end credits, where we uncomfortably witness an obviously ageing Akshay Kumar attempting chemistry with a much younger Chhillar (even when the film hardly induces any spark between them early on). What's even more amusing is Sonakshi Sinha's transition (in a special appearance crucial to the plot) from being Akshay's romantic interest to becoming his bhabhi within the span of this one movie. Just Bollywood things, I suppose.

Moving on, BMCM transitions from one action set piece to another, with a lengthy flashback in the opening act revealing why the heroes are dubbed 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan'. The only space for some drama is in a post-interval flashback, featuring a roka song and a villain origin story. In theory, it might promise a distraction-free storyline, but alas, the screenplay neglects character development, except for the villain. The only tolerable attempt at human interaction is the heroes engaging in feeble comedic banter, occasionally laced with meta-humour.

At one point, Tiger recalls his 'Choti Bachi Ho Kya' dialogue from Heropanti, a trope he seems to have overused in his recent films. In another scene, Akshay recreates his meme-inspiring Phir Hera Pheri pose, evoking amusement solely due to its familiarity rather than its relevance. Regardless of the scenario, BMCM offers numerous opportunities for chest-thumping dialogues about the integrity of being an Indian soldier. So there's that. Maidaan Movie Review: Ajay Devgn’s Sports Biopic is a Compelling Watch When Not Burdened by Weak Drama and Chak De Hangover.

Real Stunts?

All would have still been forgiveable had the action sequences or the performances been good. In some of the interviews that director Ali Abbas Zafar gave, he keeps mentioning about using 'real stunts' in his movies. I wonder if by 'real stunts' he means blowing up every vehicle on set, be it a truck or a military helicopter? Doesn't good editing or camerawork matter in such scenes?

Or, for that matter, at least ensuring the green screens don't feel discernible, especially during close-ups of actors? Or at least making the actors appear natural in an intense action sequence? Instead, the hazy editing and the combination of shaky cam and drone shots (someone please ban this for Bollywood directors) ruin whatever little fun we can eke out from these scenes.

The (Lack of) Performances

Then there are the performances. This was the most tired performance of Akshay Kumar I have seen in recent times, where the actor clearly phoning it in while relying on his natural charm to make one-liners work to do the rest. Tiger Shroff enters the space that Saif Ali Khan had once occupied in these types of movies, instantly making me miss the other actor. The chemistry between these two stars - an important requisite for this movie - is bombed out by a lack of space and some bad writing.

Manushi Chhillar, at least, felt more convincing in the action scenes than the heroes in the film, even if she mostly carries one expression throughout. Alaya competes with Tara Sutaria in Heropanti 2 for the tag of being the most annoying love interest for Tiger Shroff, though purely because she commits to being a geek, she loses the crown. Sonakshi Sinha is okay. Bade Miyan Chote Miyan: Akshay Kumar vs Tiger Shroff – Decoding Who Has Better Box Office Record With Their Past 10 Releases!

A couple of weeks back, I saw a gruelling performance from Prithviraj in Blessy's Aadujeevitham, but it was more gruelling to watch him give his best growling performance (In a couple of masked scenes, I don't think he even bothered dubbing for himself). At least, he commits to the act, and Prithviraj can take it to heart that in my theatre in Mumbai, he got the most cheers and claps when he revealed his handsome mug. Also, there is a scene where he screams to the camera in anguish, and that one moment has more range than the rest of the acting in the film.

Final Thoughts on Bade Miyan Chote Miyan

It is wondrous to think how Bade Miyan Chote Miyan makes a two-hero action comedy, led by two credible action stars of the industry, and with a plot that sounds preposterous fun on paper (like with F&F movies) look so.... boring and dull. With poorly edited action sequences and lacklustre performances from much of the cast, BMCM becomes a test of one's patience and brain cells.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 11, 2024 10:36 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).