The "Dabaang" Weekend

Happened to see Dabaang this Sunday and it couldn’t have been a better end of a weekend. I wanted to watch it last weekend itself but because of the bl**** certifications the plan was ruined.  These days I usually  watch two or three movies, back to back in theatre, courtesy – Pathé Unlimited Pass – just pay €18 per month and watch as many movies as you can… cool deal huhhh… :). Anyways coming back to the movie, it was a total sellout. Never once I thought that it would be a houseful. The theaters in Holland normally don’t have seat numbers on the ticket … you are free to sit wherever you want, but it was a different story with Dabaang. The ticket machine asked me to choose the seat number. I thought that they may have introduced this rule but then came to know later that it was only for this movie.

When I entered the hall I was taken by shock to see so many people in the theatre. It was really overwhelming to see so many Indians gathered at one place. To my surprise somebody was already seated in my place but just a row before a seat was empty which gave me idea that he must have got confused.  One thing I really miss in theatres here is the National Anthem, and I always hope that they might play it someday.

The movie starts with a fight sequence and for once it seemed I was watching some Tollywood flick. The movie is fun to watch if you don’t search for logic and story. Just go there with a free mind and enjoy. The story is simple but fast moving and packed with thrill. The screenplay is so awesome that it hardly gives you any time to divulge from the silver screen. The story is setup in a small village of UP but I personally felt that it was some place in Maharashtra. The movie revolves around Chulbul Pandey उर्फ़  Robin Hood Pandey - a self proclaimed name by the corrupt policeman played by Salman Khan and he does complete justice to his characterization.  Though he plays a corrupt Cop but he is lovable and no wonders why Salman has a big fan following among masses. Some of his dialogues are hilarious and clearly the high point of the movie. For instance मोटे  वाले  इस तरफ  , पतले  वाले  उस तरफ   और  फिट  वाले  मेरे  पीछे  or मैं तुम्हारे बदन में इतने छेद कर दूंगा की ........ :).

Sonakshi Sinha daughter of Shatrughan Sinha debuts with this film. She plays a village belle and brings raw appeal to the movie but she hardly gets a chance show her acting prowess and has a long way to go. The producer of the movie – Arbaaz Khan was no good either. He plays step brother of Salman and delivers a forgetful performance. His lady in the film is Mahi Gill who is equally pathetic. The surprise factor in the movie is Sonu Sood who plays a local gunda cum politician and delivers a mind blowing performance. He outshines everyone and has really amazed me. The performances by biggies like Anupam Kher, Om Puri, Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia and Tinu Anand is ordinary and certainly not the high point of the movie but then they hardly had any scope. Mahesh Manjerekar was cute and entertaining in his small role. The subordinates of Salman Khan were funny and they brought in few laughs. The cameraman of Sonu Sood was really funny and everytime he said Bhaiyaji ismile Pleze, the audience used to laugh their heart out.

The main plot of the movie was the rivalry between Salman Khan and Sonu Sood and as anybody would expect, the climax is a duel between the two hunks. This is the scene where Salman finally gets to show off his body. (I wonder how he resisted the temptation till the end J.
May be he got a complex by the chiseled bod of Sonu :P).  

Now coming to my favorite part- Music… full marks to Sajid Wajid for giving us a complete entertaining album.  The best song of the film is undoubtedly तेरे  मस्त  मस्त  दो  नैन  having the divine voice of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Possibly the best Sufi singer of our times. The more I listen to him, the more I keep on falling in love with his voice. His voice epitomizes sincerity and piousness. Every time I listen to a new Rahat’s song, it becomes my favorite and this one is no exception. Currently it is topping my list (50+ in a single day and still counting) and the music charts as well. The female voice is of Shreya Ghosal which is a icing on the cake. These two singers complement each other well. The lyrics of the song are also impeccable and it leaves you wanting for more. This could well become the best song of the year, though it is too early to speculate

The other song to look for is मुन्नी  बदनाम  हुई  which has catchy lyrics and is a fultoo टपोरी  song. The song features Malaika Arora who is the queen of peppy numbers and delivers a flawless performance. One great thing about this song is the lack of vulgarity which is expected in an item number. Other songs are also nice and are in sync with the mood of the movie. One other striking feature of the movie is its background score which is plain striking of guitar chords but adds a western flavor to the movie.  

In the end I would say that it's a total पैसा वसूल film and if you are not too concerned about the story line or logic or cinematography of a movie then it’s a must watch. I am not a big Salman fan but still planning to watch it again (of course in theatre), so people go and at least watch it once if not done already and please watch it in theater (STOP PIRACY).

My Rating – 3.5/5

Current Mood – Tere mast mast do Nain :)