Frankly, if not for Amitabh Bachchan, the film would have been just an ordinary affair if at all the script was any consideration to begin with. And that's because not just is this an attempt to make it a wholesome masala affair, there are so many unnecessary ingredients that have been added which results in certain scenes not just getting repetitive but also unnecessary. This is where one wonders that if all the film would have been relatively more serious than comical in nature and the temptation to make it a wholesome masala affair by incorporating irrelevant/inconsequential sub-plots would have been resisted, 'Bbuddah....' would have truly turned out to be a film that was being promised.
So while for an audience such scenes only make one feel a little restless, it is the action, drama and dialogue-baazi featuring Bachchan in his 'subtly angry' mood that makes 'Bbuddah...' a worthy affair after all. His scenes with the underworld are a pleasure to watch and especially his interaction with Prakash Raj, the villain of the enterprise, are sheer powerhouse. Also, the points where he gets into a chin-to-chin drama with a fellow goon makes for an interesting watch that makes one stand up and clap.
The biggest culprit of the enterprise though is the entire coffee house setting where one ends up seeing as many as half a dozen scenes with most of them being not quite relevant to the basic plot. Honestly, after a while one ends up saying 'Oh no, not again' once the camera zooms in to the coffee shop which appears to be a big sponsor of the enterprise as well. And then there is this rather extended sub plot of Sonu Sood (playing an ACP) in a not-so-certain relationship with Sonal Chauhan which doesn't even hold secondary importance to the film.
Thankfully the only sub plot that still holds some interest level amongst the audience is Raveena Tandon's crush for Big B that has arrived with a 20 years extended warrantee but still refuses to evaporate. She is indeed the 'mast' girl here and the lunch table scene with her baby girl Charmee joining in is a riot. The same can't be said about Hema Malini's scenes with Big B which are not just predictable and clichd but also boring.
Also, there are sequences where you wonder if there were scenes that were primarily written as 'fill in the blanks' affair. Him giving advice to a nubile girl about the guy who may not be right for her. Him standing next to a DJ and pumping up the jam. Him being the point of interest of women across three generations. Him 'setting up' a young man with his girlfriend. You end up asking - 'Why?' Not that any of this is harmful by any means or offensive. It's just that none of this has any remote connection to the promise being made of 'Bbuddah....' being a film that would make people remember Bachchan of the era gone by.
That's because remember Bachchan and you want to see Tiger running with a 'chaku' in his hand and hunting for Bakhtavar in the docks. Remember Bachchan and you want to see 'Shahenshah' destroying the entire 'tabela' on his own. Remember Bachchan and you want to see Vijay Deenanath Chauhan challenging the biggest dons to Mumbai to come and eliminate him. Remember Bachchan and you want to see him tell a 'cockroach tale' or talk to himself in the mirror. So even if the man at the hot seat is called 'Vijju' here, our very old 'Vijay' is definitely missed.
So what keeps this two hour long homage still manage a decent run at the least? Well, who else but Bachchan himself who actually ends up doing what he has done to countless films even in his prime - 'Rise over the script'. That's because eventually it is him only who lends a damage control to this loosely made film that doesn't quite have a solid plot to begin with. Despite the patchy treatment and an uneven narrative, it is Big B who demonstrates yet again that who is the 'baap' of the show as he ensures that whatever he does for the camera, at least the conviction shows.
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