Director- Prabhu Deva
Cast- Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Sudeep , Saiee Manjrekar, Arbaaz Khan
Disclaimer: The views expressed herein come from writer’s own perspective and cannot be necessarily in accordance with varied sensibilities and tastes for cinema , specially hardcore Salman fans.
In a nutshell :
The film that could be aptly described as an action comedy drama is a disappointing attempt to encash on Salman mania and Pandey ji’s fan following.
Plot :
The film opens to Chulbul Pandey’s daring raid to foil an attempted robbery. After we are treated to his chulbula shenanigans as a police wala gunda and a loving family man, we are introduced to the villain, Bali Singh ( Sudeep) who had apparently caused much turmoil in Pandey ji’s life long back. In a flashback , we see a young Salman in love with Khushi (Saiee). After she and her family gets killed , Salman gets wrongfully convicted , he eventually joins police force to give us the Chulbul Pandey we got introduced to in the first Dabangg. So a part of this film was a prequel of sorts.
The rest of the film shows him dealing with goons when he is not romancing and dancing with his wife, which he does a lot by the way.
The Bane:
We have seen the likes of over the top action movies and we have also seen unapologetically silly comedies. We do like claptrap dialogues and slapstick humour. We like larger than life slo-mo action sequences as much as the song and dance sequences.But the problem with this film is that it attempts to do all of that in some real botched up proportions and amalgamations.I would have to call it “ The Prabhudeva effect”!
There is silly slapstick comedy everywhere; in action scenes ,in romance , in comedy scenes obviously and in damn every interaction between any two characters. Agreed , that we like comic content , agreed that we love Chulbul’s chulbulapan but why the heck can’t even a single goon or character behave sane? I mean it’s not a Housefull or Dhamaal or Golmaal that we are watching. Even Dimple’s character ( Chulbul’s mother) is reduced to silliness.And believe me they are no great punches. Silly humour inviting not a single chuckle or guffaw.
The other problem is the disjointed narrative.T he film jumps from one Salman sequence to another as if the sequences were shot around him and then sewn together ,unfortunately with seams showing.
One scene they are crying , the next scene they are dancing. One scene she’s hospitalised , the next she’s seen calling him up.
Sonakshi is a just a show piece. She’s seen either cooking/chopping in the kitchen or dancing around in songs .And she looks picture perfect in both , even when she’s lying in the hospital bed (mind you,in a saree; make up hair do intact) after having been blown into air by a blast!
Said Wajid’s music is melodious but not as good as earlier ones.
Too many songs literally shoved into sequences didn’t help either.
I have never felt so disconnected with a film. It failed to elicit any emotion, fear , disdain , sympathy.. nothing.
The Boon:
What this film offers is lots and lots of Salman with full on “chulbula salmanism”, in every frame. Have your heart’s fill.
For an exception , I loved the villain more. Sudeep Kichcha is the only one who looks sane.He looks great. But the grey lining is that he doesn’t look as fearsome or loathsome as he should have. Not his fault though. Comic content was so fused in that there was no scope of fear.
Debutant Saiee looks pretty and innocent as the village belle.
Recommendation :
With such sought after franchisees like Dabangg attempting a desperate looking format like this, I have started doubting that perhaps this could be what the people like or might like.
Moreover with cinema, as someone quoted to me , its“ Different strokes for different folks”.
You may watch depending upon your mood and expectations. Who knows you might like it.
But of course, It’s a must watch for Salman fans.
Score 4 on 10.
BHAVNA TALKIES 