Wet N' Wild Sallu!
For years, Bollywood cinema was dominated by stock character, the gareeb gaon ki gori, the evil (rich) zamindar/thakur/neta and of course the macho, boorish hero..who smashed the evil zamindar and swooped away the lovely gori all in a days work. When the Johars and Chopras of the world intervened and Bollywood shifted its focus to NRI cinema, where men in Armani wooed women in Gucci and the village background was replaced by the Golden Gate/Venice/Eiffel Tower etc. Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Abhinav Kashyap's "Dabangg" threatens to return the macho hero of yore to his throne in Bollywood; does it succeed? read on...
What works: Dabangg is a rehash of the old gaon-in-distress story that Bollywood overkilled in the 70s-80s. Salman Khan plays Chulbul Pandey a boorish corrupt yet lovable cop who doesn't mind doing his job, as long he gets to make some moolah on the side. A misunderstanding leads to Chulbul seperating from his brother Makhanchand (Arbaaz Khan) and step father Prajapati (Vinod Khanna). Chulbul is also at loggerheads with Chedi Singh played by Sonu Sood. To add some meetha to this masala mix, walks in Rajjo (Sonakshi Sinha) to steal Chulbul's heart. While the plot is nothing new, its the little details that make this movie special. Chedi carries with him in his entourage a photographer, to capture his exploits! Chulbul manages to a dance sequence while bashing goons to a pulp! and yes, Sallu's bhabhi; the sizzling Malaika drops in to gyrate for the new national anthem.."Munni Badnaam"!
What works: Dabangg is a rehash of the old gaon-in-distress story that Bollywood overkilled in the 70s-80s. Salman Khan plays Chulbul Pandey a boorish corrupt yet lovable cop who doesn't mind doing his job, as long he gets to make some moolah on the side. A misunderstanding leads to Chulbul seperating from his brother Makhanchand (Arbaaz Khan) and step father Prajapati (Vinod Khanna). Chulbul is also at loggerheads with Chedi Singh played by Sonu Sood. To add some meetha to this masala mix, walks in Rajjo (Sonakshi Sinha) to steal Chulbul's heart. While the plot is nothing new, its the little details that make this movie special. Chedi carries with him in his entourage a photographer, to capture his exploits! Chulbul manages to a dance sequence while bashing goons to a pulp! and yes, Sallu's bhabhi; the sizzling Malaika drops in to gyrate for the new national anthem.."Munni Badnaam"!
Bhala Mera cleavage, aapke cleavage se zyada kaise??
What Doesn't: The plot is old wine, in an older bottle, and actors such as Anupam Kher, Om Puri and Mahi Gill are wasted in slightly incosequential roles. But hey, I am just nitpicking here!
Verdict: Dabangg, rises over the maar-dhaad movies of yore due to one factor, and one factor alone: SALMAN KHAN! Sallu who previously portrayed the muscled buffoon in movies such as Wanted takes Chulbul Pandey a step further, from his tongue in cheek dailogue to his rippling muscles, he brings to screen a character worth remembering for a long time ( seriously in the recent past, after Munnabhai, which other Bollywood character is worth remembering?). The over the top action sequences ( apparently as much time was spent shooting them as a regular movie) and the pulsating movie add to this maar-dhaad-pyaar-vyaar-khichdi! Southern India always acclaimed Rajni as the king of the over the top films, where the hero performs superhuman stunts, passes ribald dialogue and has a laugh with the audience in doing so; with Dabangg, Bollywood has a Rajni of its own!! Critics always complained about Salman's lack of acting skills that put him notches below the acclaimed Aamir Khan, with Dabangg, Salman proves to the world, he may not be much of an actor, but he is the STAR!!
extra frEeky: I have a feeling Dabangg 2 will be upon us soon!!
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