Bumm Bumm Bole Movie Review: Bumm Bumm Bole: Goody Two Shoes!

It's a tall order for any director, to take on the task of translating renowned Iranian director Majid Majidi's classic 'Children Of Heaven' into Hindi. Without taking away anything from Priyadarshan's credentials as a first rate director, one would not want to compare him to Majidi, surely.

The Iranian is a director who is a class apart. It's a little baffling why someone like Priyadarshan would want to take him on. But now that he does dare to invite comparisons, it suffices to say that he does not quite succeed in capturing the magical poignancy of Majidi's work.

This is not to say that he gets it all wrong. On the contrary, Priyadrashan manages to tell a touching tale, but only as far as he restricts himself to the kids themselves. But the moment the terrorist angle creeps into the landscape, it loses its magic.

The most interesting moments on screen are the ones which deal with the two kids, Darsheel Safary and Ziyah Vastani. As for the rest, despite sincere performances by Atul Kulkarni and Rituparna Sengupta, it doesn't quite live up to expectations.

The story of the film is set in the terror stricken state of Assam, where ULFA militants run riot. Khogiram (Kulkarni) and his wife (Rituparna) live with their two children, Pinu (Darsheel) and Rimzim (Ziya). They are a family which is very short on money, but not on love.

Life is a struggle for the young couple and for the two kids who spend most of their time either in school or helping out their parents. At school, the kids are unable to match the others even in terms of such simple things like shoes and uniforms. Back home, it is a hand to mouth existence.

One day, Pinu loses his sister's only pair of shoes making it difficult for Rimzim to go to school. The children don't tell their parents about the loss as they know that Khogiram cannot afford to buy another pair, and also because they do not want to incur his wrath. Pinu comes up with a scheme by which his sister and he will share one pair of shoes between themselves.

There is hope for the kids as the school organises a marathon, which has a pair of shoes as the third prize. Pinu is determined to win the race and bag the pair of new shoes for his sister.

As long as the terror angle does not creep in, the film seems to be on course and is quite enjoyable, especially for the kids, of who Ziyah is really adorable. This simple tale of love should have stayed just that, without the jarring intrusion of the terrorist track.

Another factor which jars is the length of the movie, it seems to be stretched a bit too much. But on the plus side, the film has been shot very lovingly, the green locales of the Nilgiri hills substituting for the Assam hills. The cinematography is excellent.

The kids are superb actors and are a treat to watch. Darsheel and Ziyah deliver heartwarming performances. They are a sheer pleasure to watch on screen. Of the adults, Kulkarni turns in an impeccable performance, as usual, and is well supported by Rituparna.

Priyadarshan manages to capture bits of Majidi's magical genius. However, at the end of the day, the two are very different filmmakers with very different sensibilities. But yes, looked at in another way, 'Bumm Bumm Bole' really says a lot about Priyadarshan's multi faceted personality, one which can come up with a 'Hera Pheri' and a 'Kanjeevaram' or even a 'Bumm Bumm Bole'.

Seen independent of itself, without the great Majidi entering the picture, 'Bumm Bumm Bole' is captivating and very touching in parts. But it is only when one starts comparing 'Bumm Bumm Bole' with 'Children of Heaven', that it fails to live up to expectations. All by itself, it is quite a visual treat. And quite a watch?