BHOOTER BHOBISHYOT: Spooky Wit Unleashed!

Today's film review may be coming a bit late but when the Hindi Cinema Blog comes across witty and fun cinema, we tend to say "better late than never"!

Bhooter Bhobishyot is a witty tale that gives us food for thought as it tells us the story of ancient Calcutta mansions which are being increasingly demolished to make way for the construction of modern shopping malls. The catch is that ghosts that inhabited and happily haunted the capital's heritage properties are finding themselves homeless without the civil society or the government doing anything about it! Ayan (Parambrata Chatterjee, who, for Bollywood buffs unfamiliar with Tollywood, is the pitch-perfect actor who starred opposite Vidya Balan in Kahaani) is an aspiring feature film maker. He listens to the story of a motley crew of ghosts from all social backgrounds, times, creeds, tastes and even nationalities in the search for the perfect plot to make a super hit movie. 

A huge applause goes to Anik Dutta for the dialogues as well as to all actors, holding a special mention for Sabyasachi Chakraborty, who appears as a masterful storyteller. Despite the fact that I am not a Bengali speaker and cannot claim to have understood all of the various hilarious satiric references throughout the film, I was still completely charmed by the story, simple and efficient direction and most of the dialogue. Wit reaches far heights thanks to incisively funny lines and references: A yesteryear film star character named Kadalibala (which may be translated as "Bananabala") discusses flirting techniques with a low-waist-jean-clad teen in the hopes of finding a young "bhoot" boyfriend. Episodes of India's history merrily mix together while a ringtone using "Satyajit Ray's voice" chirps in the background. Modern ghosts hang out at the most happening social media network: Spookbook... and the list continues at a happy pace, only to be occasionally slowed down by musical interludes which I would have personally done without, except for the final item number.

The real question is, will this spooky crowd succeed in putting their joint effort towards saving their crumbling home, Chowdhuribari mansion? The answer is possibly in a quote belonging to cultivated gangster "Promod" (get it?) Podhan: “United we stand... Divided we misunderstand!”

Watch the Bhooter Bhobishyot trailer

Read more about Bhooter Bhobishyot on Wikipedia

Directed by: Anik Dutta

Produced by: Joy Ganguly

Dialogue and screenplay: Anik Dutta

Cast: Swastika Mukherjee, Parambrata Chatterjee, Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Paran Bandyopadhyay,

Samadarshi Dutta, Pablo Patranabis, Mumtaz Sorcar, Paran Banerjee, Biswajit Chakraborty, Mir Afsar Ali, Kharaj Mukherjee, Sumit Samaddar, George Baker, Monami Ghosh

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EK THA TIGER - Romancing Masala

Once upon a time there was Tiger... A Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif starrer... a full-blown masala entertainer... what could rake in more box office success?

Ek Tha Tiger has been the press' favorite phenomenon this week due to its record breaking success figures and most media is likely to praise and recommend it.The film is a Yash Chopra production with Salman Khan as its main man and therefore makes the movie an entire Salman Khan centered affair, with a fresh-as-a-flower looking Katrina Kaif as his befitting love interest.

So let's concentrate on the man! Errrr... on Tiger. The spy agent aliased Tiger makes his first full appearance in the film through a curtain of raining ashes and cigarette butts filmed in slow motion (the background score playing in the background funnily reminded me of Farhan Akhtar's “Don” theme). Tiger (Salman Khan) is a secret agent on a mission to follow a defense expert to Dublin, in order to stop him from volunteering top secret information to Pakistan. Secret agent on a mission, he falls for Zoya (Katrina Kaif), the caretaker of the scientist's home in Ireland and sparks a friendship with her.

The film shows Tiger and Zoya running, jumping, kicking and almost flying in Dublin, of course, but in other exotic locations such as Havana (how did Bollywood even get there? Thumbs up!), Istanbul or some initial scenes in Iraq.

Be warned, though the film sports splendid images and stunts, do keep in mind that Ek Tha Tiger is somehow Bollywood masala's reply to Bond movies. As such, absurdity lurks just around the corner of each important scene, much alike the excitement and over-the-top stunts featured in a Bond film, adding a couple of generous helpings more, for due Indian super-spy hero effect.

Another small concern of mine is the pairing of 40 plus year old actors with 20 plus heroines. It is getting to the point in which I am finding this annoying, as if these actors refused appearing mature. So I am waiting for the movie who will feature a 40 plus man wooing a 40 year old woman. There are tons out there who are as good looking ladies as India's most bankable heroes. Anyway, I believe I have digressed.

Watch Ek Tha Tiger for the thrills and chills of action scenes that can be outworldly but entertaining. I sure could have done with a bit more brain stimulation and certainly more content and logic in the script and storyline, especially in a spy movie. I would say “could have done better” but I am certain that Salman “bhai” fans will certainly enjoy their favorite hero, particularly in the second part of the film, where his trademark style and attitude are more recognizable.

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EK THA TIGER 

Directed by: Kabir Khan

Screenplay: Kabir Khan, Neelesh Misra

Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif

Produced by: Aditya Chopra

Soundtrack: Sohail Sen

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Ooh La La: THE DIRTY PICTURE is here!

Rating: ****

SMASHING is the first word I had on my lips upon seeing the first rushes of The Dirty Picture's promos with a delicious Vidya Balan... and yes, I am a girl talking about a girl here, but let me make a bet that the seductiveness this chick exudes in the film does somewhere fit with every guy's fantasy.

At the centre of The Dirty Picture's plot is Silk Smitha (played by Vidya Balan), an actress who was an ultimate sex symbol in 1980s south Indian cinema. The lascivious star was a sizzling element of more than 400 Malayalam and later Hindi Bollywood films, one of which was the famed Sadma, starring opposite Kamal Hassan and Sridevi. Smitha's success was short lived despite the wide array of films she left as her heritage, given that she passed away in 1996 at the young age of 35.

The Dirty Picture portrays her rise to fame and her subsequent fall. When innocent Reshma/Silk leaves Madras to become a star, her oozing sensuality gets her where she needs to be in films and sets the box office ablaze. From men who love her (Tusshar Kapoor as Ramakant), to those who lust after her (Naseeruddin Shah playing Ramakant's brother, Suryakant, the superstar), to those who despise what she represents (a cold but compassionate Abraham, played by Emraan Hashmi)... she leaves no man in the industry indifferent!

Milan Luthria has directed a sensible but fictional biopic of a sex-symbol scripted by Rajat Arora, also providing a snapshot of what Hindi cinema was like in the 1980s, with all its kitsch and distinguishable coarseness. One of The Dirty Picture's most successful departments is indeed the work deployed in recreating the 1980s period and the actress' look, with a Vidya Balan who gained weight in order to look bombastic in curve-flattering costumes designed by Niharika Khan. The soundtrack by Vishal-Shekhar captures the 80s sound as smoothly as both musicians had already succeded to do in retro flick, Om Shanti Om, by penning a catchy and epurated adaptation of 80s hit 'Ui Amma' by Bappi Lahiri, called 'Ooh La la', which has become a hit ever since the soundtrack hit the radio circuit. 

Sexy, sexier, sexiest. Vidya Balan makes the camera fall in love with her sensuality in every frame, throwing the cinema audience tons of come-hither looks, licking her lips and showing off her oomph factor. There are many actresses and aspiring actresses in Bollywood doing item songs but how many would have embraced such a straightforward and full-fledged sensual role? Vidya struts her stuff with class and succeeds in coming across as the innocent villager, the adulated sensual diva and the spurned and lonely star, all within the same film. I know of no other actress at the moment who I would believe able to carry this off. "All my hats off" to Balan!

Accompanying her are the three actors who play the gentlemen who leave a mark in Silk Smitha's biopic. All the performances are commendable but Naseeruddin Shah absolutely steals the show, not only because of the chemistry he enjoys with the lead actress but for the way in which he perfectly portrays a decadent and lustful star. His performance, dialogue delivery and body language set the perfect tone for each of his scenes and I could not help but hang on to every second of him on screen after having read that this is one of his last movies before he takes his retirement from filmdom.

Though the second half of the film, which focuses on Silk Smitha's spiraling fall from stardom may lag at bits and sadly has several tepid scenes with Tusshar Kapoor, the film in all remains highly recommended for its performances, soundtrack and the time-machine experience of revisiting the 1980s.

TRIVIA: In order to depict a sense of discomfort between the film's two lead characters, Vidya Balan and Emraan Hashmi, a "meeting of two completely different worlds", Milan Luthria, the director did not allow them to interact and get comfortable with each other during film workshops ahead of the shoot. He only brought them together right into the shoot, filming an important scene, where they had to insult each other. (Source: Wikipedia)

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THE DIRTY PICTURE

Directed by: Milan Luthria

Writing credits: Rajat Arora

Cast: Vidya Balan, Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah

Produced by: Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor

Music and lyrics by: Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani, Rajat Arora

Singers: Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal, Kamal Khan, Bappi Lahiri, Rana Muzumdar

Costume Design: Niharika Khan              

Choreographer: Pony Verma

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BOL Review: Immersed in Lollywood

BOL review by Diana (Italian Cinema Hindi Blog)

Rating: ****

Bol allows us to immerse ourselves in Lollywood (Pakistani cinema has not been spared the suffix borrowed from Hollywood, taking the first letter of the capital city, Lahore, which is the main stage of the Pakistani film industry).

Zainab (Humaima Malik) is in prison, having been convicted of murder. Before she is executed she requests to be able to tell her story. She is the eldest of five daughters of a very modest family in Lahore. Her father, Hakim Sahib (Manzar Sehbai), is the sole breadwinner, whereas the family's women remain confined within their home without being given the opportunity to study or to become independent, thereby becoming a financial burden. When the family finally sees the arrival of a much-desired male heir, the midwife confides in Hakim and reveals that the baby is a hermaphrodite.

A central theme in Bol is sexuality. In a conservative and repressive society, sexuality is seen as a taboo which often results in sexual phobias, morbid, violent or abusive behavior.

 
Hakim Sahib lives in a backward society. He acts in strict accordance to his beliefs, in defense of his dignity and integrity. His principles, however, lead him to incur in unacceptable behavior that has dramatic results on his family.

 
Hakim's character is highly intriguing and interesting. He is a man who loves his children and this is a fact that becomes clear during the second half of the film, during which the plot moves in crescendo. Once Hakim has stained his hands with the most terrible crime, without any hesitation or remorse, he proceeds to make amendments to his faith in order to accept a pact that is even worse.

 
It is the love of a parent who cannot love, a most dangerous and destructive type of love.

 

Shoaib Mansoor highlights with talent, intelligence and depth of analysis, the damage caused by ignorance and religious intolerance. It is an intense and brilliant film. It is a hymn to freedom.

Positive points:
- The main characters' acting. The best among them is the excellent Sehbai Manza, Humaima Malik, who has a beautiful and expressive face, as well as Shafqat Cheema.

- The dialogue between Hakim and Meena: "There is no other man to take care of them," says the old man.
"And here there is no other woman," says Meena, a prostitute who is the only source of income in a family consisting only of  men.

- The idea that a young woman can develop a modern and independent approach to life as well as an assertive personality despite having been raised in a repressive atmosphere.

Negative points:

- Sudhish Kamath, in his review (September 3, 2011, published in The Hindu), writes: "Despite its failings (in its first five minutes and the last five), it's a brave voice from Pakistan that deserves to be heard."
It is true, the film is so good that it is a pity that its beginning and the ending, which have a weaker script, are not up to the mark. Bol is not flawless, but it is a film that can be rated well above average.

TRIVIA

- Shoaib Mansoor, directed the  award-winning film Khuda Kay Liye. About Bol he has said:

“Having been so blessed in life, I often think of the things that I should be grateful for. The list always seems to be never ending, but invariably it ends at one thing… that I was born a Man. Nothing in the world scares me more than the thought of being born a woman or a eunuch in a country like Pakistan, where obscurantism has deep roots. It is very unfortunate that we make tall claims, full of pride, about the rights of woman granted by our religion and yet when I look around in underdeveloped Muslim countries in general and Pakistan in particular, I find things totally the opposite. Tragically, our interpretation and application of religion seem to begin and end with woman. Leave the five per cent urban educated elite aside, women seem to be the playground (battleground) where we practise a medieval form of religion.”

Read the full article.

- In Pakistan, Atif Aslam is a famous pop star. He has also sung in several Bollywood films, such as Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani , and even an American film directed by Ramin Bahrani, Man Push Cart, which had its world premiere in Venice in 2005 and won a FIPRESCI Critic's Award at the London Film Festival 2005. This is his debut as an actor.

For Bol, he has written and performed Aaj Bol Do and Hona Tha Pyaar .

 

- The film has set a new box-office record in Pakistan and has become the most watched film within its first week of release, surpassing the previous success of My Name is Khan .

BOL

Starring:
Zainab - Humaima Malik
Hakim Sahib - Manzar Sehbai
Mustafa - Atif Aslam
Meena - Iman Ali
Ayesha - Mahir Khan
Chowdhary - Shafqat Cheema
Suraiya - Zaib Rehman
Saifi - Amr Kashmiri

Written and directed by Shoaib Mansoor

Produced by Shoman Productions

Music by Shoaib Mansoor, Atif Aslam, Sarmad Ghafoor and Sajjad Ali

Distributed by Geo Films and Eros International Ltd.

Year of release 2011

The official website of the film.

Read the Times of India review of Bol.

Read the Hindustan Times review of Bol.

BOL review by Diana (Italian Cinema Hindi Blog)

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MERA BROTHER KI DULHAN or BODYGUARD?

Both films pulled audiences to the ticketsale counters. Both offer solid and modern entertainment this autumn season.

Mere Brother ki Dulhan is a youthful and pacey tale of the search for the perfect modern day liberated bride, incarnated by Laila (Katrina Kaif) who lives to drink and have fun. It is utterly refreshing to see Katrina Kaif as a full-out rebel, even though her acting still requires developing her individual style more as she somehow often seems to emulate other successful actresses of yesterday and today... She is however very commendable in her role and, as a woman, I have to salute her for not being stick thin but still looking fresh and beautiful. Who wants to be size zero, I say indeed? 

The first half of the film will particularly keep the audience focused completely on this modern ladka-meets-ladki tale. Imran is the quintessential young Indian man who learns to appreciate and ends up falling head over heels for an independent and happy-go-lucky girl despite the fact he has actually found her to marry his own brother. The root of the story develops as a long vaudeville with plenty of topsy-turvy ups and downs, including out of the blue references to Chulbul Pandey, Dil Se, other Yash Raj signature films and even Madhubala. The supporting cast also contributes to lending the story its lightness. Ali Zafar tends to remind me of a young Shah Rukh Khan in almost every scene, from mannerisms to voice to comic timing! I therefore somehow do not find it surprising that Yash Raj would indeed support his style..

The second half of the film drags on in a few scenes but all this is forgivable given the good dose of entertainment, fun and seeing both Khan and Kaif together plus a pleasant soundtrack signed Sohail Sen.

Bodyguard is a story that has a different tone and Salman proves yet once again that he certainly can cater to his fan-base fantastically. 

 

 

A joke turns into a trepidating love story in which Kareena Kapoor is not only busy being majestically beautiful in every scene, but also delivers her role very well. From tears to guilt, from fear to love, her eyes convey just the right amount of feeling. 



This said, the man who steals the show is Salman Khan (Lovely Singh), allowing his voice inflexions and body language to flesh out his humble and modest character: a bodyguard  who is, yes, the usual strong nacho man who can fight the world and win, but also an honest man dedicated to his job. In several scenes, his character’s “purity” is disarming. The finesse with which he portrays his character makes him the most convincing I have seen him yet!

Bodyguard is the third remake of  a Malayalam film that goes by same name.I would recommend making a point of not missing these two entertainers, which both are bound to leave you with a pleasant smile. 

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Purchase the Bodyguard soundtrack

Purchase the MBKD soundtrack

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AARAKSHAN: Watch with Reservations

Prakash Jha's new film, Aarakshan, touches upon the controversial subject of caste and has done so in such a straightforward way, according to three Indian states (Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh) that they have banned its screening, fearing that it might spark bouts of communal violence. Other measures taken in order to ensure safety in relation to the film, have included providing special protection in certain movie theaters where Aarakshan is being screened, as well as protecting the film's well-known actors.

Aarakshan's setting is in a school in which Amitabh Bachchan, the principal, must face the delicate issue of   caste-based quotas. The controversy started once the first look of the film was launched. However, even if the film does indeed allude to Aarakshan at some point in the beginning of the story, the rest of the script is less concerned by it as it develops into a critique of education in India.

The film serves serious and even grave dialogues to its audience. While most of the actors have had a strong amount of experience in delivering all types of dialogue, the script still seems to have a fairly "political rhetoric" style and one has to wonder if this was an effect sought by Prakash Jha or if there was just no other way of delivering the script.

Saif Ali Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Prateik Babbar deliver the drama the trailers promised though this is probably not one of their best script choices. One cannot be as empathetic with Deepika Padukone, who has, in my personal opinion, multiplied the number of so-so films she has participated in ever since she became a coveted beauty in the film industry. While some members of the audience may sustain that the demoiselle does not really know how to act, I would like to see her in a good film with a meaty role, where she can finally either convince everyone that she cannot act indeed or convince them otherwise and win all the applause hands down. Recently, seeing Padukone in a poster has become a synonym for me of a movie I might just want to give a skip because I am very wary of her filmic taste and judgement.

In any case, the talented cast and talented director cannot save a script that tries to bring up an issue without going beyond its surface while dictating endless principles to those who paid a ticket to watch. If Aarakshan had indeed delved into the issue at hand and also remained focused on it with simple but efficient dialogue, it would have had the merit of making the audience ponder on what it set out to open a debate on. However, confining the film to rant about the state of education in India through a black and white lens is unfortunately not enough for the audiences who will flock to watch a Big B film.

The soundtrack has a musical all-star cast with Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Shreya Goshal and Prasoon Joshi, among others, creating the mood of the film.

Watch for the ever shining Amitabh Bachchan. Watch for a grave tone and opening a certain debate on education (not particularly on caste reservations). However, there are other films that do the same more efficiently in my opinion. The film has the merit of trying to bravely open debate on a social issue but we wish the writers had scripted better in order to achieve this.

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Aarakshan

Directed by: Prakash Jha
Screenplay: Prakash Jha, Anjum Rajabali

Music by: Shankar Ehsaan Loy

Cast:

Amitabh Bachchan...     Prabhakar Anand

Saif Ali Khan       ...            Deepak Kumar

Manoj Bajpai     ...            Mithilesh Singh

Deepika Padukone...     Poorvi

Prateik Babbar...             Sushant Seth

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DELHI BELLY: I rate you [like I love you]

'Delhi Belly' might not be doing the due rounds of Nepali cinemas but it sure has traveled to other exotic destinations! Paris and its quintessential commuting work routine had me a bit dizzy this week until - lo and behold - I discovered a silent film release that would force me to unwind... As I scroll through Internet cinema timings at the local French café I come upon the word "Delhi" on my screen... I wonder if a cinema is scheduling an art-house movie about India but immediately see the word "Belly" on the side. I squint. "Delhi" plus "Belly"?! A suburban cinema in Paris is showing a film I never imagined I could watch on the big screen! Abhinay Deo's 'Delhi Belly' has crashed Paris and has me scrambling to the nearest subway station! Cinema hall, here we come!

As I reach the cinema, nine huge posters announce Hollywood fare and my wallet's target is nowhere to be seen. I stand in queue and ask the cashier for a ticket to watch 'Delhi Belly'. The cashier begs my pardon and for a second I ask myself if I should have pinched myself when I saw the film announced on the Internet. I repeat the name of the film and the cashier looks through the list of films currently showing before actually realizing that a film called 'Delhi Belly' is scheduled. I pay my ticket and hurry to find all seats empty, but thankfully, a few minutes later a small audience starts trickling in. We are a handful of foreigners sitting with a merry group of NRIs, carrying packaged samosas and all. The place suddenly feels like home.

Rewind a couple of years earlier. Of all three films Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao's production house was preparing since 2008, 'Delhi Belly' has been the closest to my heart and the expectation to see it never waned even after a box-office smashing '3 Idiots' or a subtle 'Dhobi Ghat'. I had not seen 'Delhi Belly' but yet knew it would be my favorite film of all three. Now is the chance to see if my expectations were correct.

Sitting in that Paris cinema, the small audience gets the feeling we are members of some exclusive clique. A bunch of connoisseurs ready to savour a treat that is only meant for the duly initiated...

Ah yes. Pearls are served only to the wise and Abhinay Deo's impertinent direction is served by the heaps to us as we discover three bachelor friends who share an old and shabby flat in Delhi. Tashi (Imran Khan), is a journalist addicted to his job and engaged to Sonia (Shenaz Treasury). S#!t starts happening when he involuntarily gets involved with gutsy and free-spirited Meneka (Poorna Jagannathan), who is not afraid to let a guy know when she has set eye on him. Arup (Vir Das) embodies the virtue of patience working in publicity, collecting unsuccessful attempts to watch a disco movie at the cinema, dealing with a recent break up and only screaming things like "go to hell!", "oral pleasure" and "blow job" in his psychedelic dreams. Nitin (Kunaal Roy Kapur) is a photographer who is always on the lookout for better ways to make money, like say... blackmailing? When Nitin's tummy goes for a violent toss, all three friends accidentally get entangled in the business of mafia man Vijay Raaz and his henchmen. How can a bad case of the runs get one into such trouble? Writer Akshat Verma delivers a sturdy and rib-tickling script that explains just that!

Humour here goes from cheeky to racy to dirty and back time and time again. Despite a moment of confusion in the Western audience regarding the "orange juice" humour, the film remained a side-splitting naughty pleasure for all until the very end. And here I would like to say "Thank you AK Productions" for bringing adult urban Indian humour to the fore, not only in India where it will undoubtedly refresh the comedy panorama, but also in lands like France, where most of what is known about India is the usual clichés. This film takes them one by one and hilariously burns them to ashes.

Imran Khan bhaags throughout the film, proving to one and beyond once again that he can rock a screen in spite of sporting a terribly sore black eye, disheveled hair and being covered in layers of dust in his best non-romantic-hero role to date. He leads his pack with zing, while also letting his partners in crime shine in their rollicking and well-carved-out performances too. Plot, characters, and a minblowing soundtrack all snuggly click together despite their full-on wackiness.

As if all this fun was not enough, Anousha Dandekar joins none other than a disco clad producer Aamir Khan in a cameo number dancing his platform shoes off. Press has it that the cameo was recently shot, when Khan decided to take the film's item number into his own hands to pay brilliant tribute to India's disco days. The production house could not have chosen a more suitable item boy for the deal.

Fun doesn't always rhyme with family though, so don't expect to be watching this film with your mom or with your kids. 'Delhi Belly' is a wicked pleasure to be savoured with like-minded friends or by yourself. Just be careful with food and drinks (if you can stomach them while watching). You don't want to spill anything while you are rolling on the floor laughing.

A big thumbs up for the European release of the film. It would have been fantastic to have the film promoted a bit more by Aanna Films but we are not complaining. It is already a miracle to have a first day release of a quality Indian film in France. May word of mouth carry it to the status it genuinely deserves in India and abroad. I know I can seem biased and too fond of work coming out of a production house that had the guts to make a classic like 'Lagaan'. Trust me though, 'Delhi Belly' is a riot regardless of who's name is in it. It is the type of completely cult film that people will be quoting way down the line and will make friends joyfully laugh when it is being remembered in discussions. If you are an adult who doesn't mind raunchy cinema and a dose of potty humour, don't miss 'Delhi Belly'. 'Tis smack hitting GOLD. Disco GOLD. ♫ ...I "rate" you [like i LOVE you]...♫ Shake it babeh, yeah!

DELHI BELLY

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If you are lucky to be in Paris, catch the film here until July 12th, 2011

Director: Abhinay Deo
Script: Akshat Verma
Cast: Vir Das, Poorna Jagannathan, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Imran Khan, Vijay Raaz, Shenaz Treasury
Produced by: Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao, Akshat Verma
Music and lyrics: Ram Sampath and Amitabh Bhattacharya

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DABANGG! Vintage Masala's Resurrection!

Bollywood-born Robinhood, Chulbul Pandey (Salman Khan) is capable of crying but still masculine to the core, in true Hindi cinema style. And did anyone say 'fear'? That is certainly a concept unknown to this 'Dabangg' hero (I can still hear a trail of ladies sighing as they come out of the cinema hall).

Cop... lover... rebel Chulbul happens to lose his attachment to family in his childhood when his widowed mother, Naini (Dimple Kapadia), marries Prajapati Pandey (Vinod Khanna), with whom she has son Makhanchan (Arbaaz Khan). Chulbul will only find the worth of family ties later down the line, once he meets and decides to marry exquisite Rajo (Sonakshi Sinha).

Pure masala is not usually my cup of tea as I often suffer from Western-cinema-viewer's syndrome. However, 'Dabangg' had me cracking up from the very first action scene and grooving to its fantabulous soundtrack (by Sajid-Wajid). Salman's mass appeal and power is absolutely undisputable in this film, where he rules the screen non-stop, surely getting cinemas packed with his cool macho quotient, comic timing and spot-on performance.

 

Abhinav Kahsyap directs a mad roller coaster of emotion, action, romance and almost every other genre he wanted to explore in 'Dabangg'  making it a hardcore masala that is evocative of 70s Bolly/Tollywood flicks while managing to throw some truly slick action effects for a more modern experience. "Where did the script go?" some may wonder. And we reply: "Who cares?!". Salman Khan is so brilliant at playing his character that it becomes difficult to tease them both apart. Hats off to Khan, who indeed truly becomes not only Chulbul Pandey - the man who can grab the sun in his hand - but also single-handedly succeeds in INCARNATING the entire film! 

Sonakshi Sinha is paired as Salman's love interest and can set the screen ablaze with her eyes, proving that she is a promising actress whom we look forward to seeing more of soon. Senior actors such as Anupam Kher, Om Puri, Dimple Kapadia and Vinod Khanna are of course always a pleasure to watch. However, with 'Dabangg' one should not expect a meaningful film with complex roles that may bring their deepest talent to the fore.  

All this said, go ahead: get that ticket, sit back and don't forget to put on your seatbelt. The 'Dabangg' ride is not mind-stimulating but it sure can entertain the wits out of many an audience. Expect vintage masala, a Dharmendra-like climax and lots of 'Matrix' type action with smart alecky lines brilliantly delivered by Salman Khan and you will be ready for a delirious and fun ride.

Director: Abhinav Kashyap
Producer: Arbaaz Khan
Banner: Shri Ashtavinayak Cine Visions
Music Director: Sajid-Wajid
Lyricist: Jalees Sherwani, Faiz Anwar and Lalit Pandit
Cast: Salman Khan, Sonu Sood, Sonakshi Sinha, Arbaaz Khan, Mahie Gill, Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Om Puri, Anupam Kher, Tinnu Anand, Mahesh Manjrekar, Amitosh Nagpal, Murli Sharma

Dabangg official website
Buy the 'Dabangg' soundtrack

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