Cast: Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Sonu Sood
Director: Abhinav Kashyap
Dabangg is rustic, has loads of action, harps on the age-old mother-son and varied relationships (half-brother, step-father), eventually turns into a vendetta fare, has a number of songs placed smartly in the narrative (including an item number)… but the packaging is slick and polished. Sure, it’s old wine, but packed in a brand new bottle, with a new brand ambassador (Salman Khan) endorsing this masalathon.
Debutant director Abhinav Kashyap’s ‘Dabangg’ is a tangy masala film meant for the masses. The film has all the contraptions of a commercial success- a daredevil corrupt cop, Matrix-ishtyle action sequences, a spicy item number, the emotional step-brother angle and a story peppered with uncomplicated yet delightful romance.
Salman Khan at 44 still manages to pack in the punch as the brawny, corrupt and fearless police officer Chulbul/Robinhood Pandey. His performance seems almost effortless, whether it is his comic timing, his daring action stunts, his witty repartees or his presumptuous romantic overtures. Salman delivers a power packed performance and goes all out to indulge his fans.
Sonakshi as the svelte village belle looks sensuous but it’s difficult to gauge her acting capabilities in a role where there’s little for her to do. Salman however manages to create awesome onscreen chemistry with Sonakshi, who is almost half his age.
The supporting cast has big names such as Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Om Puri and Mahie Gill. Vinod Khanna and Dimple Kapadia don’t bring anything extra to their roles – it feels like anyone else could have done them. Om Puri is wasted in a totally inconsequential role. Mahie Gill plays Arbaaz Khan’s love interest, her character lacks depth and isn’t sufficiently carved out. We don’t get to see the spunk we had seen in ‘Dev D’. Sonu Sood is effective as the manipulative villain – his well-sculpted body, the dialogues in impeccable UP accent and the action sequences fits perfectly.
Arbaaz Khan debuts as a producer and happily plays second fiddle in a film that completely belongs to Salman Khan. Malaika Arora’s sizzling item number has the audience whistling and on their feet trying to replicate her moves. Sajid-Wajid’s and Lalit Pandit’s music works well, especially Tere mast mast do nain and Munni badnaam hui are very catchy and hummable numbers.
Salman fans, rejoice! You walk in Dabangg with 100% expectations and you exit with 200% gratification. Entertainment guaranteed. This film will create a pandemonium of sorts, a mass hysteria, crushing old records and setting new benchmarks at the box-office.
‘Dabangg’ is total paisa vasool for ardent Salman Khan fans. In a film like this you should be willing to overlook the minor flaws in the narrative or the sudden spurts of melodrama. What works for the film is that it plays to the gallery but the slapstick humour is never offensive to viewers with subtle sensibilities. ‘Dabangg’ will definitely rake in the moolah because it successfully blends everything essential to make a typical Bollywood masala film. Sit back and indulge.
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Dear Sid, Must aay you have not paid proper attention to the details of the film or else you would never given credit to Sajid Wajid for Munni Badnaam Hui which is actually composed and written by Lalit Pandit. This really shows what kind of attention you pay to your write ups.