Dabangg

I don't normally bother to write any reviews for films I have watched. But after reading some of the reviews of imbeciles who CLEARLY missed the point of Dabangg, I felt compelled to add my two cents.

Firstly, to all those people who are bashing Dabangg because it's action scenes are over the top, or it can't decide whether it's an action film/comedy/drama etc........here's a thought.....do you think maybe (just MAYBE) that was the whole point in the first place??

This is generally the problem with the nouveau Indian cinema goers of the multiplex era. They will happily watch Bruce Willis in Die Hard 4 bring down a helicopter with a taxi cab. They will applaud when Jason Statham drives a car off a bridge and lands it perfectly on to a moving truck in The Transporter. They will not bat an eyelid when Pierce Brosnan drives around in an invisible car in Die Another Day. Uma Thurman single handedly killing a hundred Chinese assassins with a sword in Kill Bill? "Sure, that can happen. And a very good movie from Tarantino" they might say. But GOD FORBID that any Indian movie has action scenes where the hero launches a guy in front of a speeding train and pulls him back just before the train smashes into him. "NOOOOOOO!!!!" they will scream. "That is so stupid!" they will say. "Where is the REALISM?" they will exclaim. A bunch of HYPOCRITES if you ask me! I mean honestly, any person who expects a serious and realistic action film after the first scene in Dabangg where the two main character's names are established as "Chulbul" and "Makkhi" (and after seeing the trailers of the film no less) is, quite frankly, a moron of the highest order.

Dabangg is a film which doesn't take itself seriously for a single second (which already makes it FAR superior and a more honest effort than the over-hyped Ghajini that took itself ridiculously seriously while at the same time offering NOTHING new). It is what it is; a complete no-brainer masala film. And tell me, what is wrong with that? Reading some of the reviews here about how Dabangg is "taking the Hindi Film Industry backwards" you would think that other film industries all over the world just churn out serious films all the time. NEWSFLASH! They don't (as you can see from the list above). Then there are complaints about how some action scenes are copied from Western films (namely Salman's opening scene resembling Transporter), second NEWSFLASH! Hollywood copies A LOT of it's action scenes from Hong Kong and Chinese cinema all the time. But do you complain about that? Of course you don't. Because you are either ignorant or, as said before, hypocritical. As long as the scene is done well, who cares if it's copied from another film?

Dabangg sets it's stall out very early on in the proceedings and it has a fabulous kitsch appeal to it. Salman Khan bites into his role with relish and he is clearly having a lot of fun playing Inspector Chulbul Pandey. This material in the hands of other actors might have gone down in flames, but Salman grabs the film by the scruff of it's neck and runs with it. Make no mistake about it, this film is a one-man show and, luckily for us, Salman carries it off with élan. He plays the role of Chulbul with just the right amount of self-mockery (the type of which Shahrukh Khan was aiming for in Om Shanti Om but failed miserably at). There are moans about how actors like Om Puri and Anupam Kher aren't given enough scope, but who cares? Like I said before, this film really doesn't require brilliant performances from secondary characters. Character development is not the agenda here. However, it has to be said that débutant Sonakshi Sinha does perform very well in her (smallish) role.

Bottom line: if you are expecting an intelligent and realistic action thriller like any of the Jason Bourne series, then avoid Debangg at all costs. With that sort of mindset you are sure to be disappointed. BUT, if you are in the mood for an old fashioned masala movie in the mould of films such as Die Hard 4, Kung Fu Hustle and Desperado, then you are in for a treat. Just sit back, relax, accept the film for what it is (a pure popcorn and purposefully OTT flick) and let Salman Khan entertain you.

I was avoiding it for a long time but atlast watched as I had heard enough of the hype. Now I just don't know what to say. Am truly astonished how they won so many awards for it. Well I wonder how many movies they copied from. Mmmmm Inglourious Basterds, Matrix, Desperado, Planet Terror, The Transporter, Sherlock Holmes, The Dark Knight, Romeo must Die, District B 13, Kill Bill of what I know and etc etc. There is no character development and they have not tried to characterize any other character than Chulbul Pandey's. Dialogs are pathetic for me. There is no scene where I could laugh. Action scenes are much more pathetic and its foolish to say that why can't we like such scenes in bollywood if we like such mindless action in Hollywood movies. The answer is simple they are screened with perfection making them realistic with efficient direction. Abhinav Kashyap here simply tries to grab the style of Tarantino and place it exactly over his project but he even could not do that. Sonakshi Sinha has nothing to do with the movie and it would not have mattered at all if they removed her completely. She should at least learn to speak the dialogs if she's been given two or so. There is practically no script involved and its like someone wrote a story in childhood over which they tried to make a movie.Especially the climax is where you'll wanna bang your head. On whole the movie is below average. Songs are nice and are only savior. It got the hype of Salman and became a blockbuster. Obviously Salman fans must love it but others stay away from it.

If Anurag Kashyap redefined Bollywood standards with his off-beat movies, here is his antithesis in the form of his brother.

Brilliant direction with popular tunes and hold-onto-your-popcorn-fellas dialogs, Dabang is a study in the art of making caricatures. It is unusual, at least with the audience being intelligent now, for an actor to pull off a movie solely on his charisma. Salman Khan is the man, make no mistake about it.

Dabang not only captures the zeitgeist of rural UP with its topical dialogs but renders an otherwise dark aspect of life outrageously funny. Don't expect any high-brow insights here, this is sheer ribaldry. Salmaan, Salmaan and more Salmaan. this is the Wild West of India, where every character has a mouth and can dodge bullets with élan. None of your high heeled sophistication here.

The idea is old, two step-brothers, one favored and the other relentless for love and acceptance. Sonakshi Sinha would have been better off with a more substantial role, though. Music is average, with a couple of songs made in the typical Bollywood Masala style. This is a movie where the hero's shirt doesn't follow the laws of Physics, this is a movie where poor potter has her hair layered and wears more paint then the toys she makes, this is a movie that oozes bollywood in its every frame.

Watch it if you need a break from life, but don't expect anything intellectually stimulating.

Director Abhinav Kashyap puts Salman Khan in Rajnikant's shoes in action sequences while the film's setting in U.P gives it a grand scope to explore the bhojpuri realm and take advantage of it for entertainment through dialogs and characters. Although the plot is dead simple, it still has enough juice in it to keep its momentum going with action, romance, comedy and Salman's screen presence. There is something about Salman's performance here that may not necessarily be charismatic but it engages you enough to make you whistle even in a multiplex (although this is totally a G7 or Chandan movie). This is Sunny Deol on drugs and Rajnikant revamped for Bollywood. Dabangg is different from 'Wanted' yet similar in Salman's prowess against adversaries.

The music by Sajid-Wajid-Lalit is hummable with Tere Mast Mast and full of masti with Munni Badnaam and Humka Peeni hai. Reminiscent of 'Omkara's title song is Hud Hud Dabangg with excellent cinematography. Salman in all these songs is a charmer and looks to be enjoying the filming completely. There is no choreography. Just some drinks on- the- house.

As the unstoppable Macho-man, Salman Khan excels in action sequences. He is, of course known to be stiff and it becomes very apparent while he is dancing but it is fun to watch no doubt, when he lets loose in most songs and just goes wild. Delivering bhojpuri dialogs, threats and romanticism, Salman Khan earns your whistling and hooting. Wanted and Dabangg both would've been catastrophic flops if it weren't for Salman re-inventing himself. Here, he doesn't look like he is out to prove that point. Most of the time, you can see him simply enjoying himself. Arbaaz Khan is passable but could've been sillier to add to the fun as Makhi. Om Puri, Vinod Khanna and Anupam Kher in cameos were superlative while Mahesh Manjrekar delivered a shockingly good performance as a drunkard father. Sonu Sood has been better in 'Jodha Akbar' but he is quite adequate as Chulbul Pandey's adversary. Newcomer Sonakshi Sinha looks beautiful, can put up a straight face pretty well and can compete well against her contemporaries.

It goes without saying that Dabangg was never going to be an intellectual enricher. This is pure, flawed entertainment and that is how it needs to be enjoyed. The action seems like a spoof of our southern counterparts and therefore, is fun to watch. Dialogues, however rude at times: 'haraamzade se yaad aaya, aapke sasur kaise hai?' are thoroughly laugh worthy and the sensational cinematography around Salman's entry at various points in the film augments his heroism. Considering these factors, Dabangg offers tremendous value for money and is no surprise that it opened to such an overwhelming response. Nevertheless, this is not going to be a revolution in Bollywood but just a passing tide and it better remain that way.

Now it's not written in the Holy rule books of Filmography that a movie has to be thought provoking, emotional, influential, coherent and real; to be regarded as respectable. Dabangg is a joke. A joke in the form of a movie. And it's the finest of jokes i've ever seen happening. And sometimes movies don't need the fine touch of a commendable story or a cinematic sequence, if the dramatization and build of the 'protagonist' is as impeccable as in Dabangg. The Jokey names in Dabangg make you whicker more than often, but when it comes to the dialogues and one-liners, you can't help but literally laugh your ass out. I bet even Scorsesse or Tarantino would enjoy such a film, if not tend to laugh their ass out. The background music is like one of those cowboy gunfight tracks, and it combines brilliantly with Salman's patronizing attitude. On the whole , Dabangg owns a new style, and i won't be surprised if it gives rise to a whole new genre , something like film-noir. I'd like to remind you again , the best joke in the world is not about two hunters in a jungle, it's Dabangg - The Bang.