Being a huge Salman Khan fan, I went to the theatre to watch Dabangg-2 with lots of excitement and anticipation. And today on Salman Khan’s birthday, it’s only fair that I write the review of his latest release Dabangg-2 as a way of commemorating this bold and handsome Bollywood hunk.
When the first promos of Dabangg-2 were aired, I knew it would be as grand and opulent as the original Dabangg, if not more. And boy, was I proven wrong! Dabangg-2 starts with our desi cop Chulbul Pandey aka Robinhood Pandey taking a transfer to Kanpur, the land of bigger and more powerful baddies. No sooner does he resume his work than he creates a furore in the big bad world. He is shown taking on the ‘sumo-like’ goons single-handedly. But then there are bigger fish in the pond that he is needed to deal with. Bachcha Bhaiya (Prakash Raj) is a local powerful goon who has the entire city dancing at his little finger; be it the politicians or the police force. But Chulbul Pandey fears no one and announces a war on Bachcha Bhaiyya. Soon, a no-holds-barred fight starts between the two where Chulbul Pandey wins some and loses some. In a dramatic finish, the good wins over the evil but not without the daring cop revealing his chiselled torso (don’t we all wait for this exact moment! ;)).
Salman Khan delivers a power packed performance yet again. It seems as if Chulbul Pandey has become an extension of the fearless Khan. His nonchalant dialogue delivery, facial expressions and over-all demeanour are faultless. His lady love, Rajjo (Sonakshi Sinha) has no role other than pouting and looking pretty. Her printed ‘cholis’, on the other hand, made quite a fashion statement. Vinod Khanna does provide some lighter moments in the film. Arbaaz Khan has hardly any role worth mentioning but has done a tremendous job as a first time Director.
Being a sequel, comparisons between the two films are inevitable. The songs are okay-ish and lack the punch of its prequel. However, the item number ‘Fevicol se’ featuring Begum Kareena Kapoor Khan has taken the music world and party scenario by storm. Trust me, Kareena has never looked this hot before. Dabangg-2 has the sure-fire formula of success (Salman Khan, the current Bollywood favourite – Sonakshi Sinha, item songs, over-the-top action scenes, so on and so forth) but it lacks the spontaneity of Dabangg. The action scenes look jaded and repeated while the humour too falls flat at many places unlike the first film. Arbaaz Khan hasn’t deviated from the original formula and not taken any risks.
Overall, Dabangg-2 is quite an experience though I wouldn’t go to the length of saying it’s better than the first. But yes, it can be safely said that Chulbul Pandey has swung it the second time.
Verdict: A complete ‘PAISA VASOOL’ in capital letters