Dabangg

I am not a fan of Salman Khan and try to avoid his movies as much as possible. He acts the same way in each movie, always trying to be some super cool American hero who wears tight clothes and tries to show of his biceps as much as possible. Thus, I feel there is no real depth to salman's acting and his array of mindless movies is but a testament to this fact.

So when a friend recommended this movie I refused to watch it until someone brought it over and I threw in the towel. To my utter astonishment I found myself really enjoying the movie, and all for the wrong reasons! First off the action is ridiculously bad. A punch causing a person to fly through the air ten feet away? Smashing through solid brick walls? Muscles growing to rip up shirts? But the worse the action got the more hilarious it became so I started enjoying it that way, threw out any logic and enjoyed it.

Salman's acting worked perfectly this time. I don't know if he was parodying himself or a typically bad action hero but it worked. His character of a Robin Hood type anti hero was not well developed but then again I think most of the thinking went into the action sequences and that's about as good as it gets in a salman khan movie.

Another funny aspect to the movie was his interaction with Sonakshi Sinha's character. I liked his bumbling and stumbling and it made a refreshing change from laughing at the action.

Sonakshi Sinha was pleasing to look and and did an okay job but it was a bit role and any actress could have done that. I wouldn't call this a starring role so any success attributed to the movie shouldn't really include her.

But the movie does have its drawbacks namely: The main plot. Thinly developed and poorly executed. It was just something to throw around the action.

The hullabaloo with his step father and step brother was so 80s and just plain awful. It's time to think of new side plots.

Om Puri was utterly wasted in a blink and you'll miss it role. He could have really upped the comedy portions for his role but sadly he wasn't properly used. Shame on the directors, and shame, in part, on Om Puri for taking such a role.

Arbaaz Khan was pointless. His character had no morals even when caught. He was just a selfish toad who did things only if they benefited him and to do an about turn towards the end smacked of typical bollywood scriptwriting hypocrisy.

Salman removing his shirt to show off his chest yet again. Really? Do we need to see this again? It's as if he has a clause in his contract where he must show off his chest and muscles in at least one scene every movie.

However, even with these glaring problems it's still a fun movie to watch. I really hope the filmmakers didn't take themselves seriously when thinking up the plot or during filming. I also hope that a second movie is made with the same over the top antics and acting.

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.

Before watching this film i had doubts about if i am wasting my money on it , but no . The movie is worth it . Very rare bollywood films are liked by me and this is one of them . From start to end its filled with entertainment and those who think it has only meaningless comedy , please refresh your mind and go watch it. Comedy is great and the best thing is its not just about comedy but about relationships . Never expected Arbaaz Khan to direct such a great film , Salman Khan's acting was awesome and as the title says was pretty DABANNG . Sonakshi , daughter of Shatrugan Sinha making her debut through this film . She looks very cute in the film , very lovable . She has a good future ahead

OVERALL REVIEW : A must watch . Some of rare great bollywood films .

I saw this film recently, because of all the hype around the film and breaking 3 Idiots' box office records and I could say for the first time, I enjoyed watching Salman Khan in a 'mass' movie!! :) I watch Telugu/Tamil films a lot and when I say 'mass' movie, I mean like masala (songs, fights, dances, senti-scenes, all that good stuff). It was a difference experience watching a Bollywood star do this kind of film, whereas in South India, there are hundreds of films like this one. But still, DABANGG is the BANGG!! I don't like to watch much of Salman khan's films like MAMK, Yuvvraj, films with David Dhawan, etc but this movie was great to see Salman Khan perform. I know there are a lot of cheezy fight sequences and silly dance steps but it was fun to see Salman in it.

Camera work was really good. Nice brown and reds throughout the film..I did not like the camera-work/Artwork of Salman's previous film WANTED because it looked too colorful..these kinds of movies need to bring down the color..Story is very weak but directions takes over. The movie is only 2 hours, 8 min. so definitely no boring scenes..

I recommend this film for one and all. Have a Blast!!

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.