Dabangg 2: Faavicol & Pandeyji do the job

Starring: Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Prakash Raj, Arbaaz Khan, Vinod Khanna

                                                       Picture source: Wikipedia
 
I am tempted to pull out my review of the original Dabangg and paste it here, so similar are the two films from Arbaaz Khan’s stable.

Same story, same actors, same references and the same ebullient Salluism. Only Zandu balm has been replaced by Faavicol and Kareena Kapoor Khan has given a pelvic push to Malaika Arora Khan.

Having said this, there might have been some correctives in this one. Sonakshi, for one, is looking gorgeous and also slim in her chiffons.

But this is not about anyone, anyone other than Salman Khan and the camera unabashedly worships his presence here singularly with shirt, without shirt, with muscles, without  pause, with chutzpah and without ennui. He is unstoppable, even when he adopts that ‘I will get away with murder, I am Salman’ swagger while collecting cash as brazenly as he collects laurels.

But you see he is Pandeyji and when thaane mein baithey aun duty Pandeyji bajayen seeti, even his top boss, the SP, comes running to bow his head at Chulbul’s topsy-turvy altar of fun. This time the fun has shifted to Kanpur where the gai-bhains make for the main chauraha, where Chhedi Singh has given a walkover to Bachcha Singh, the MLA. But I must say, Sonu Sood is sorely missed here as Prakash Raj (of Singham fame) fails to make much of an impact despite his two brothers Genda and Chunni.

While Dabangg was a non-stop entertainer, No 2 is somewhat thoughtful — Sonakshi’s beautification, for one, is refreshing. The songs are a picture perfect frame-to-frame replacement. From Tere mast mast do nayan... to Dagabaaz re, tore naina..., the transition is Gillette smooth. Same goes for Faavicol se which seeks a stick-to-me policy with all the oomph and the latka jhatkas that signified Munni badnaam hui. I liked Faavicol se, but I lovedMunni... and therein lies the slight difference.

But as said earlier, despite all the props, it is only about Chulbul Pandey turning into Kung Fu Pandey rather seamlessly. This inspector has all the power to mess you up, fleece you, protect you if he so desires, violate any and every code of human rights and still be the heartbeat of the department where his seniors do not know or need to know what this totally errant cop is up to. He is more brazen here, more happy (now that father-son and every other relationship is in place), more I am Me than ever before. Dabanng 2, in that sense, is happening yet again for the Khan family.

 Source: Published in Sunday Pioneer, December 23, 2012

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