"Poem Ratan Dhan Payo" Movie Review (Hindi)

My review:

https://www.telugu360.com/prem-ratan-dhan-payo-review-a-royal-feast-of-timeless-values/

"Kick" (Hindi Film Review)

Salman Khan returns again in 2014 with a swashbuckler of a film "Kick". The last one "Jai Ho" was a great story remade from Chiranjeevi's "Stalin" about a Good Samaritan who starts a chain reaction of good actions. "Kick" has been in the works for a long time and easily the most awaited film for Salman Khan fans and Eid weekend entertainment-seekers. Remade from a blockbuster Telugu film "Kick" released in 2009, the film was a sensation earlier which created stardom for atleast four people - Ileana D'Cruz who never looked better since, Music Director Thaman who got offers for atleast 30 films after that, director Surinder Reddy who is hailed as the new Red-Bull action film-writer-director and hero Ravi Teja who is the raunchiest, naughtiest star in Indian films - a deadly combo of Dada Kondke and Amitabh Bachchan. Given that background and record, "Kick" had to deliver for Salman Khan who is waiting for a hit after his last film got washed out under fatwas of all kinds. It delivers on many counts.

"Kick" (Hindi) faithfully builds on the original plot of the Telugu film and then alters a few angles here and there - a medico/psychiatrist Jacqeline Fernandez bumps into an aimless prankster Devi Lal Singh (Salman Khan) who loves her. Devi is driven by adrenalin and loves the "kick" of things - he joins and chucks jobs, dates and breaks up and seeks adventures of the kind that even blissed out creatures under the sea don't venture into. Jacqueline loves him and loathes him and soon dates Randeep Hooda, a police officer at her father's behest. She narrates her story to Randeep to pass time. Randeep, in turn, tells his story of a fugitive who is still at large - a "Devil" who hoodwinks him all the time while decamping with ship loads of money. Who is the man in Randeep's life? Is he the same as in Jacqueline's ? The twists in the film take you far from Delhi to Poland and back with hyper-action sequence after hyper-action sequence - that remind you of the dare-devilry of a "Krish" or a "Dhoom" franchise.

What makes the film mostly watchable is the tempo of the plot which is essentially two flashbacks and one forward-moving story. In 148 minutes, the film starts as a fun film, just like the original and gets into top gear around interval time with a dramatic bang. To adapt the original nativity to the Hindi sensibilities, three people worked  on the screenplay including Rajat Aroraa and then Chetan Bhagat was asked to chip in. Atleast twice, Salman Khan asked Chetan to rewrite a better screenplay. His effort to nativise can be seen in few places - one in the interplay between the characters of the heroine's family and second in the treatment of the gang of villains and creation of a few more plot points which give depth to an otherwise frivolous fun film. The raw appeal gets short-changed with deja vu motifs borrowed from "Dabbaang". Comic scenes like the police station where father-son collide  (which could have been over-extended) or the hero reprise as a memory-loss patient would have created a cloudburst of uproarious laughter. There are few sentimental scenes with the kids which is the crux of plot. Instead, we see many scenes which make way for  in-film advertisements for Mother Dairy and NISE Gel - wonder why UTV had to resort to such, not seen this kind of stuff in a long time.

Performances-wise, Jacqueline paired well with Salman although she lacks emotional play. Randeep Hooda gets a meaty role against Salman Khan and remains in the zone throughout. But the surprise packet of the film is Nawazuddin Siddiqi. He gets the loudest snares and the best lines in the film. His swagger, his dangerous giggle preceded by a tongue-lashing sound and his menacing looks leave a lasting impression. Salman's generosity in sharing screen space with one of the iconic actors of our times is rare. Music by Himesh Reshmiya is average, wonder whatever happened to his melodies. Even a song with Nargis Fakshri is wasted in mindless gyrations and noisy rhythms. What elevates the movie though is the exceptional background score by Julius Packam - and one number by Yo YO Honey Singh which comes in the second half. Dialogues are racy and crisp - and many had the original touch, if not better impact thanks to the collaboration of the team which usually writes for Milan Luthria movies. Hyderabadi fans will rejoice that their most-favorite Hindi superstar utters three dialogues in pure Telugu - as a tribute to the Telugu original. Mithun Chakraborty as Salman's father shines yet again - wonder why we are not having enough of him in the role of a hero's father. The original disco dancer shakes a leg with a crow-feet superstar and the screen outcome is hilarious. A welcome trend in Salman's films is the absence of statutory warning for cigarette smoking - it saves three minutes of a grotesque warning and saves millions from undue influence. But why, I wonder was a warning for booze was not given when Mithunda and Sallu drink like fish at a party?

On the whole, a clean and watchable film with paisa vasool action and entertainment built on the bedrock of a blockbuster plot. The originals can't be compared here as both Tollywood and Bollywood have learnt to adapt winner scripts better to native sensibilities. For example, "Dabbanng" the original was remade into "Gabbar Singh" with better comic sensibilities to deliver the biggest blockbuster in Tollywood at that time. "Kick" (Hindi) is fully adapted to the HIndi audience with sentiment, action and comedy. With over 4000 screens, and a long weekend till Tuesday, "Kick" may rake in like never before.

My Rating: 3.5/5

"Dabangg 2" Hindi Movie Review

“Dabangg 2” has come right on the day the world is supposed to end according to Mayan calendar. It didn't end, the world is as bad as before and “Dabangg 2” is as boisterous and larger-than-life as “Dabanng”.  Salman Khan comes with another paisa vasool film that will give the year the smooth velvet touch that has given him the megastar boost.  Dileep Shukla, the writer who collaborated in the first film with Anurag Kashyap’s brother once again penned the story with  better emotional appeal. Arbaaz Khan a.k.a Makkhi Pandey is also the director as the original director has fallen out with the House of Khans.

The movie’s length is a miracle for a Superstar film. In 128 minutes (and this includes the four minute statutory tobacco warning insertions), “Dabangg2” sizzles well especially in the first half. The story takes off just where Chulbul Pandey polishes off Chedhi Singh at Lalbagh after Chedi kills the former’s mother. Now, father Vinod Khanna and Makkhi Arbaaz Khan stay together with Chulbul Pandey (Salman) and Sonakshi. This time, its Kanpur, the Hindi heartland and the new villain is “Baccha Bhaiyya” (Prakash Raj). Chulbul being the eccentric cop with a “Dabangg” attitude, he needles the Baccha party gang of brothers enough to pick up spurs. Friction between Chulbul and Baccha builds upto bloody fights and finally the triumph of the  supercop. And of course, lots of queer comedy, Machiavellian punch lines by Chulbul, sweet romance with Sonakshi Sinha and atleast four to five incredulous fights – fights that define the superhero grade in Bollywood. On the whole, a watchable film except for a weaker second half where the climax wears off weak and soon.

Salman Khan is undoubtedly a treat to watch and has to be credited with the hugely successful characterization of Chulbul Pandey as the uber cool, super fit, wisecracking, omnipotent supercop that appeals to the rustics and the metrosexuals in multiplexes. Salman Khan has hit a purple patch in making hit films that are airlifting him into dizzy orbits out of the reach of other Khans and Kapoors. He acts in about three films every year of which most of them are remakes of  Tollywood/Kollywood superhits. And then came this homegrown lovable characterization of Robin Hood Pandey of “Dabanng” with a classic three-act model but told with an uncanny appeal intermixed with elements that the Hindi heartland folks go bonkers over. Whether it is twisting the belt buckle around the abodomen or whistling on the streets or dancing in satin shirts sans police uniform in the middle of the road, or giving cavalier repartees to the villains who try to bully you – Salman Khan has created a body language unique and machismo-enhancing of “Dabanng”.  It has all the unique elements of a super brand that has entered the second edition so  far but valued at the most ever – Rs.180 crores. That’s still a bit closer to what an average Animation movie in Hollywood budgets at but still “Dabanng 2” sizzles most of the time and doesn’t disappoint overall. When it doesn’t is when Prakash Raj looks less menacing because he hasn’t used his original voice, when the fights are too many and too long and when producer Arbaaz Khan tries to kick-ass himself.  We have to realize that all homegrown brands eventually come into their own making despite shortcomings in logic, pattern, capabilities and characterization.

“Dabanng 2” also has got some great star cast and solid performances by almost everybody. Vinod Khanna tries to redeem his characterization with some comedy, and then there are junior  and senior police colleagues to Chulbul who impress with their comedy timing. Sonakshi Sinha doesn’t dither a bit from her self-contented homemaker looks, her role is neither extra large nor refreshing as in the prequel.  “Gabbar Singh” was a successful remake of “Dabanng” but had few scenes which were reportedly bought by the makers of “Dabanng 2”. One was the Anthakshari scene which was a rage in Telugu and the other was a short scene where the policeman asks his wife not to pick up stuff for him because he believes she is not a doormat or a maid servant. As if to answer some of Salman’s strongest critics who label him as a chauvinist, Salman picks this scene straight fromj “Gabbar Singh” but drops the Anthakshari scene of singing with the criminals in Thane. That could have made a difference in second half where entertainment almost falls flat. What redeems is the breezy item song with Kareena Kapoor  “Fevicol”. Thats one heck of a number and the “Bodyguard” girl decks it up well.

Music by Sajid-Wajid and BGM by Sandeep Shirodkar are good and suiting the grammar of “Dabanng”. Music played a big part in the first part and here too, the BGM score must be a case study on how to elevate a superhero’s antics into a cult status. Dialogues are the most exceptional since whoever wrote for “The Dirty Picture”  or “Gangs of Wasseypur”.  Only those who understand Hindi well can make out except for the simple ones like “Kungfu Pandey” etc. Maybe that’s why Prakash Raj who created a laugh riot in “Singham” with his inimitable voice did not  dub his own voice. On the whole, Bollywood has got its own brand of franchisees which are surpassing Box-office takings while encashing on the mounting global appeal – “Dhoom”, “Gol Maal” and so on. “Dabangg 2” is a worthy sequel to a delightful homegrown superbrand because it has redefined Box office magic. First time, it was a sensation but this time it left a lot to be desired though, especially in the second half. For that and for the reduction of the villain to being just another piece in the Salman Khan police story from Khadi to shirtless stage in 128 minutes, it deserves 3 out of 5 – but not a point more.

Tollywood's "Gabbar Singh" is one of top five grossers!

According to `Business Standard’, as on June 1, `Gabbar Singh’ (Telugu remake of Dabangg) grossed Rs.128 crores in box office collections taking it closer to Dabangg’s Rs.173 crores. This makes the remake catapult into the all-time five grossers. That’s the power of mass-masala fares and box-office magic which eludes realistic cinema. I have always had a liking for this kind of escapist cinema despite my occasional tantrums. And it doesn’t matter whether we like the movie or not, the audience poll says it all. That seals it. So, it was with `Dookudu’ or `Raccha’ or movies like `Kick’.


I am ever curious about the commercial cinema fans who flock to such fare and how it translates economically. When I watch a movie, I keep my thinking hat aside, my `Satyajit Ray’ mind at home and enjoy the flow looking at the commercial sensibilities. Yes, there are occasions we love art cinema and good classy films like `Ala Modalaindi’ but cinema is a mass medium, not an art exhibition for connoisseurs.

Unlike any other art, cinema is the only medium that doesn’t require the patron to be literate. You don’t have to be a cinema-literate as in book-literate or an art-literate or a gold-literate to buy or consume cinema. You just need a funny bone and a pulse to enjoy. Those who criticise a movie is good or bad should do keeping in mind the mass-reach of this medium – every day, 3.2 crore Indians watch cinema, pay Rs.28 per ticket on an average, and forget their foibles and problems in the three hours of watching a movie. The only time they take a break is during the Intermission time – which was first introduced in the world in the 1920s and then after the movie ends. As long as the content is non-offensive, non-sectarian and non-preachy and off-beat, a movie should get most likes.

Why am I making a mountain of this molehill of a datapoint on `Gabbar Singh’? Because I am irked by Outlook magazine’s collector’s edition of 100 years of Indian Cinema. But for making a fleeting reference to Telugu movies, there is no special mention of Tollywood or its enterprising breed. For them, Telugus are also part of `Madrasis’. If Bollywood regained its lustre over the last few years at the BO, thank the Tollywood and the Kollywood filmmakers for lending their scripts and even talent for making blockbusters out of superhits in South Indian vernaculars. Salman Khan to Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar to John Abraham, everybody is borrowing brilliance from Tollywood or Kollywood (Tamil film industry). To under-recognise their contribution in commercial cinema is to do gross injustice to Tollywood’s contribution.

Earlier, I wrote a post on why Tollywood is better than Bollywood – I will expand on that a bit later. Right now, Telugu fans should rejoice that a regional movie has tasted resounding success crossing $22 Million at the Box Office. A guy like Salman Khan paid advance of Rs.50 lakhs for incorporating the famous `Anthakshari’ comedy sequence of `Gabbar Singh’ into `Dabangg-2. The power of ideas. The power of Tollywood. More power to you.

`Outlook’ should realise that watching a movie is not the same as going to Cannes film festival and get plaudits from pundits who make movies for themselves. Satyajit Ray films are a class apart always, no doubt, but let’s not forget that throughout his career, Ray didn’t get funding from anybody but the State Government. Cinema sense and sensibilities are two very different things. And movies like `Gabbar Singh’ have proved yet again what Box Office power can be unleashed by making sensible movies for the masses.

Here’s a toast to all those entertaining filmmakers of Tollywood – let your outlook not change even if mainstream media is not looking your way.