We are starting to think that the definition of “slice of life” needs to be revamped. “Babli Bouncer” is an engaging movie that suffers from being slightly generic, but its heart is in the right place. It is the story of Babli, a girl from a village that is known for training bouncers for the nightclubs of Delhi. It follows how she learns to be an independent and well-rounded woman after having her heart broken. It’s hard to say that “Babli Bouncer” presents anything new. But for reasons we cannot fathom, it feels fresh even though it is far from delivering the impact of a “Page 3” or a “Fashion.” Nevertheless, it is still a sweet weekend watch that doesn’t require too many brain cells yet gives you some feels. This is how it plays out.
Spoilers Ahead
Babli’s Journey To Delhi For Viraj
“Babli Bouncer” starts with Babli setting a few catcallers straight when they try to harass some girls. When she reaches home, we learn a few things about her. There really isn’t anything spectacular about her other than the fact that she doesn’t “behave like a regular girl.” Isn’t it time that we did away with the trope of “not like other girls”? Either way, Babli is a total “tomboy.” She hasn’t passed the 10th grade because she was not interested in studying further. She is also not good at household chores. But she is a responsible girl who works out just as much as the rest of the guys. Her friend Pinki, who cracks a lot of fat jokes about herself, has gotten the job of a teacher in Delhi. Kukku, one of the bouncers from their village, has been in love with Babli since childhood. But Babli falls in love with Viraj, her teacher’s son, when they meet at a wedding.
While talking to him one day, he tells her that he likes women who are independent. Babli, who so far has had no other ambitions in life other than getting married, decides that she must now get a job. And for that, she tells Kukku that she wants to work for at least a year before they get married. And Kukku has just the solution for it. In their club, called Tully Gully, they had recently been facing issues with some of the more unruly female customers. Hence, they were looking to hire some female bouncers. Babli grabs the opportunity and gets the job. However, her problems are far from over. She has found a job in Delhi, but she must live there if she hopes to continue meeting Viraj. For that purpose, she enlists the help of Pinky once again. Pinky tells her parents and the village headmen that Babli has started working in Delhi and commutes to her job with the guys. The villagers, being somewhat conservative, talk to Babli’s father. They tell him that Babli must either quit her job, marry Kukku, or live in Delhi. Her father, having promised her that he would let her work for a year without mentioning marriage, decides to let Babli move to Delhi with Pinky.
Now that she is in Delhi, she starts meeting up with Viraj. At the insistence of his friends, he invites her to his birthday party where Babli gets heavily intoxicated and under the influence of alcohol expresses her feelings to Viraj. He is shocked and tells her that she should have thought a little more before moving her entire life to another city. He also says that he could never love someone like her who is not educated and is not even interested in the job that she has. Heartbroken, as she is making her way back home, she runs into a few guys who try to harass her. But she is more than capable of taking care of herself and beats them up, black and blue. All of them end up in the police station, and Kukku and her father are called. After doing away with the formalities, her father asks her to come back home as she doesn’t seem to be happy in Delhi. But Babli reminds him of the promise he made to her and tells him that she will set her life straight.
From the next day onwards, Babli enrolls in English-speaking classes and decides to clear her 10th standard papers that year. She is dedicated to her job and is on her way to improving her life. In the words of Babli, everything Viraj had said was a wake-up call for her. And she did not like the person she was before, which meant that she wanted to change for herself. Which she starts doing. But her story with Viraj is far from over. Viraj continues to come to the TG Club, and one fine day, he runs into some trouble. One of the other members of the club is rude to Viraj and his friends, and they are asked to leave by the bouncers. But the guy corners Viraj in the parking lot and holds him at gunpoint. But Babli saves the day just in time. She tells the guy that there are CCTVs all around and his impulsiveness might cost him and his father their entire lives. The guy leaves, and Viraj is thankful to Babli. He starts thinking about her more and more. He realizes that he might just be feeling something for her. He confesses as much to Babli, but she tells him that what he is feeling are gratitude and infatuation. She tells him that she has moved on in life and he should too. Later, she also tells Kukku the truth about her and Viraj. She confesses that she had wanted to marry him and apologizes for her mistakes. Kukku, though heartbroken, tells her that whenever she thinks of marriage, she must think of him. Can we just say that Kukku had every reason to be angry with Babli here? She did not just lead him on, but she involved all their families. There should have been some accountability for that.
‘Babli Bouncer’ Ending Explained- Does Babli Save The Girl?
As life resumes for a newly independent and self-assured Babli, she is at her job when there is an incident. A girl called Monica is led to the parking lot by a guy. Once there, she is kidnapped by him and a few others. Babli sees the guys taking her away and follows them on a bike. She stops their car and asks them to let the girl go, but the guys attack Babli instead. She is more than up for the challenge and beats up the guys. Right before she is about to bring the girl out, one of the guys hits her on the head. She loses consciousness. The next day, when she wakes up, she finds that she is in a hospital, surrounded by her family. They see on the news that the girl is safe and sound and that the guys have been arrested. Babli’s teacher, Viraj, comes to visit her as well. The next day, they came to know that she was going to be awarded by the Chief Minister of the state for her bravery. “Babli Bouncer” ends with Babli receiving the award, announcing that she has cleared her 10th standard, and Viraj and Kukku whistling at her victory.
Final Thoughts: What Works For ‘Babli Bouncer’?
Honestly, there isn’t anything much to the movie. It isn’t groundbreaking, but neither is it dull. It is just a sweet weekend watch. Tamannah Bhatia is obviously the star of “Babli Bouncer” with her earnestness and genuine faith, and commitment to the role. But Saurabh Shukla has a way of stealing the scene with his loaded glances, like the look he gives Babli when another marriage proposal falls through as if he could see through the true intentions of his daughter. Overall, it was a nice two hours, and we don’t mind watching more of such fare, even though it is not exactly memorable.
“Babli Bouncer” is a 2022 Drama Comedy film directed by Madhur Bhandarkar.
