Saman Khan is back with a bang. In “Dabangg 2” Super cop Chulbul Pandey, aka Robinhood Pandey is seen with more power and punch as he zooms in mid-air to bash up goons, goes head-to-head against an-about-to-be re-elected politician, and speaks in calculated sentences. And the truth is there’s no point resisting him.
“Dabangg 2” begins with Chulbul Pandey moving to Kanpur. Once there, Chulbul gets into conflict with Baccha Bhaiyya (Prakash Raj), a criminal turned politician, is aided by his two brothers, Chunni (Nikitin Dheer) and Gainda (Deepak Dobriyal). Things take a turn for worse when Chulbul kills Gainda - the battle lines are drawn.
Directed by Arbaz Khan, the sequel packs in every ingredient which worked in the original, be it Chulbul asking a goon to call up his mother before beating him up black and blue or threatening to fire bullets into every being of the opponent and the over-the-top song sequence shot in a foreign locale. Add in jhatkas and mataks by a demure Sonakshi Sinha and item numbers courtesy Malaika Arora-Khan and Kareena Kapoor, you have the makings of a typical masala film which is sure to hit the right cord with the junta.
But through all this the real hero is Chulbul – moved from his small town to a big city where he, with his dark glasses perched on the back-collar (in typical Ranjikanth style) or twisting a belt in sync with pelvis thrusts – as he swift fully beats up the bad guys.
One must remember that Chulbul can do no wrong even if he does. Even his junior acolytes, who roll their eyes in disbelief when he takes the law into his own hands, worship him. After all, he charms them by chewing raw tamarind with them while on duty. And his superior officer doesn’t make life difficult either. On the contrary, he offers Chulbul pizzas and rabdi.
The first-half moves at a fast pace, following Chulbul as he recues a cement dealer’s kidnapped child, and usurping the ransom money. A small part he donates to the police association fund, while a major chunk is siphoned off to his personal savings. Post-intermission, things get heavy-duty though. The burly politician’s brother (Deepak Dobriyal) is killed, and Rajjo suffers a miscarriage.
And so before things become gloomy, the screenplay jumps - cut to the climax where Salman – as is obligatory in all his films - whips off his slim-fit shirt and displays his legendary muscles and triceps. He of course beats all the villain’s goons and gets him arrested. Prakash Raj however promises to return – giving Samlan fans hope for a third sequel.
The problem with ‘Dabangg 2’ is the same that plagues most sequels; unless there is an essentially original plot and an unpredictable twist, there is nothing new in this story. The gags, the stunts, the catch phrases, even the song placement at regular intervals give the film a very repetitive feel. Yes, there are blemishes. The Arbaaz-Mahie Gill track is half-baked; the confrontation scenes between Salman and Prakash Raj lack fiery dialogue; the songs, though popular, are integrated in the narrative without any valid situations. But these are cinematic licenses you overlook in a Salman movie.
If you put rationale and logic on the back burner – “Dabangg 2” is a through entertainer.
