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Tuesday, April 22, 2025
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BOLLYWOOD DABANGG 2
EDITOR'S PICK
`Dabangg
2`: Salman all the way, holes in plot but fun watch (IANS Hindi Film
Review)
Rating: ***
For those who thought Chulbul Pandey in Abinav Kashyap`s "Dabangg" was
wacky and fun only because Salman Khan played him, here is more spoof-proof in
the sequel of how Salman adopts, embraces and assimilates the characters he
plays until one can`t tell the star apart from the character.
This is not to say Salman is a method actor. God forbid! He`s just the opposite.
Chulbul Pandey, if ever such a khaki-clad law-enforcer ever, would want to be as
chirpy and obnoxious as Chulbul Pandey.
So what does Chulbul do in "Dabangg 2" that he didn`t do in "Dabangg"?
Nothing, and everything. There`s more of everything in the sequel and hence a
sense of deja vu.
The fights which begin, end and bolster the plot, are done with that
irrepressible mix of guffaws and grunts that Salman patented in Prabhu Deva`s
"Wanted". Indeed it wouldn`t be wrong to say that Prabhu Deva was the
father of Chulbul Pandey, in a manner of speaking.
Here of course in "Dabangg 2" Vinod Khanna is back as Chulbul`s
father. The scenes between Salman and his screen-dad are written with a
delicious mix of irreverence and affection. There is a hilarious encounter on
the rooftop of their Kanpur home where son asks his sleepy, annoyed father about
the deceased mother (Dimple Kapadia, a mere photo on the wall in the sequel).
And then Salman leaves in a huff saying, "Mom was right. You`re no fun to
sleep with. I am better off sleeping with my wife."
Ahem. Save the blushes for a rainy day. Salman`s Chulbul gives us no time get
bothered with niceties. Chulbul simply sweeps us along into a tidal wave of
wackily written and executed action sequences undercut by a sharp sense of
self-deprecating humour.
The storytelling is breathless. The characters can`t really keep pace with the
breakneck storytelling. They are underveloped and largely kept in the shadows to
accentuate the hero`s larger-than-life (though blessedly never
larger-than-laughs) persona.
Sonakshi Sinha, of course, enjoys playing the seductress in the shadows. In film
after film, she plays the dutiful beloved soul-mate to the macho-hero. And
really, her sartorial styling and the designer sarees and backless blouses in a
film that pays a lot of attention to mofussil modes is way-way-way over the top.
It`s hard to see her expressions beyond the eyeshadows.
That reminds me...Sonakshi shares the shadows with Arbaaz Khan who as Chulbul
Pandey`s brother is delightful daft and goofy.
The villains have a coherent voice (never mind their livid screaming) and more
space to develop as characters. The plot goes into spasms of explanation as to
why one of the villains Niktin Dheer needed to take off his shirt in the climax
.Really, Salman`s shirtless act needs no accompaniment.
Prakash Raj does his usual snarling sneering arch-villain act, no surprises
here. Deepak Dobriyal who gets to die in a rather gruesome way in the irate
Chulbul`s hands, is sharp and cutting in his brief role. Some of Salman`s
subordinates in the police station are also engaging.
But make no mistake. This film belongs to Chulbul alias Salman from the first
frame to the last. Salman goes through the motions without any punctuation
except a string of exclamations. While the other characters remain dutifully
tenuous, Chulbul`s comic-book valour is highlighted unapologetically.
"Dabangg 2" takes off effortlessly from the first frame creating a
wackier, wilder, wittier saga than "Dabangg" woven around Chulbul
Pandey`s agile, anarchic antics.
Though the plot is written in half-hearted measures leaving many episodes
including the climax looking incomplete, the film is loads of lowbrow fun with
some peppy songs by Sajid-Wajid which are filmed with an earthy gusto. Aseem
Mishra`s camera looks at life in "Kanpur" through wide-eyed lenses
that stare unabashedly at the characters`s quirks.
And now for the ek crore ka sawaal. Does Kareena Kapoor`s item song "Fevicol"
match up to Malaika Arora`s "Munni badnaam" in the first "Dabangg"?
Redundant question. It`s like asking, does "Dabangg 2" measure up to
"Dabangg"?
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`Dabangg
2` - double dose of action, comedy, Chulbul Pandey
After
breaking box-office records with Dabangg, actor Salman Khan is ready
to entertain audiences in his popular avatar of Chulbul Pandey in Dabangg
2, which releases this Friday.
Dabangg was set in a village and had the rustic, rural flavour of
Uttar Pradesh. The story this time around will shift to a posh metropolitan
city.
The sequel will see Chulbul Pandey to be transferred to a city, where he will
mingle with the elite, but will retain his simplistic flavour and values. Dabangg
having been a blockbuster, the buzz around the sequel is high too.
The original movie was directed by Abhinav Kashyap, but he opted out of the
sequel due to some issues, following which Salman`s brother and producer Arbaaz
Khan jumped in as the director.
Made under the banner of Arbaaz Khan Productions, Dabangg 2 has been
written by Dilip Shukla. This will be Arbaaz`s first film as a director.
The film will see Salman and Sonakshi Sinha again reprising their roles of
Chulbul Pandey and Rajjo, while Vinod Khanna will feature as Prajapati Pandey,
and Arbaaz as Makhanchan Pandey.
Dabangg proved to a turning point of actor Sonu Sood`s career, who
played the main antagonist Chhedi Singh. Initially he was a part of the sequel
too, but had to opt out because of date issues.
Now, Prakash Raj has been roped in to play the antagonist. Made at a budget of
approximately Rs.50 crore, the film is likely to release in over 3,000 screens.
The songs of Dabangg 2 have also become popular, generating more
interest in the film. While Dabangg had Malaika Arora Khan`s Munni
badnam hui, Dabangg 2 features actress Kareena Kapoor in item
song Fevicol Se, which is ruling the music charts already.
Since the release of Dabangg in 2010, the movie and Chulbul Pandey
have become a brand. Whether the sequel will be able to create the same magic as
Dabangg remains to be seen.
After the release of Shah Rukh Khan`s Jab Tak Hai Jaan and Aamir
Khan`s Talaash, both of which earned big bucks at the box-office, it
would be interesting to see how Dabangg 2 does at the box-office and
which Khan takes the top slot.
Special screening of Bollywood film Dabangg 2 for cancer patients Stills