Review: Dabangg 2 looks all too familiar

Apun public hai, public. Kisi ko bhi kuch bhi bol sakta hai. Jismein
apna paisa vasool nahi uska dabba gul.
Munna's argument in Rangeela is both practical andeffective. And it's
in the honest presence of these collective Munnas and Milis that you
truly discover (and enjoy) the epic accomplishments of characterslike
Chulbul Pandey.
That he is played by another influential Khan, Salman, known for his
undeniable and indescribable hold on this very 'public' only adds to
the distinction. And so his current slew of films (offering a varying
degree of masala between avoidable and amusing) are best enjoyed with
their real source of fun -- the audience.
And, believe me Pandeyji, Tiwarji and Chaubeyji, this writer had a
blast watching Dabangg on Eid 2010 at a theatre packed to its capacity
by a noisy, rambunctious crowd. Yes, the dippy escapades of a
self-styled Laalgunj cop with a penchant for flatulence-themed threats
and Rajnikanth-inspired sunglasses pleased me enough for it to find a
spot among my favourite films of that year .
This morning too, when he re-introduces himself (by leaping out of a
jeep bursting out of a wall amidst a slo-mo shower of fibre-glass
shards), figmental wolf-whistles escaped me involuntarily. Fisticuffs
with a Gapoo to rescue a Papoo lead to a comic interlude featuring a
familiar goon with a ringing mobile. Wanted's Jalwa makes way for
Ready's Dhinka Chika to underscore the uninterrupted box office
mightof this franchise's mainstay. It's time for the opening credits
to roll and recap the events preceding the sequel.
In the tradition of the first one's quick-footed action, Dabangg 2
also maintains a breathless pace wherein Salman takes a break from
wisecracking around his entourage of well-meaning, equally witty
sycophants to transform into an unstoppableHulk (with AND without
shirt) toswirl the baddie like a bat that's just hit a century only to
dent it across a dusty car, grunt like he's crunched a shelled walnut,
shove an SUV like a puny sidekick, smash a man's neck like Raat's
possessed Revathy, break into a Hud Hud Dabangg on Kanpur's bustling
Birhana Road, shields himself from a bullet onslaught with a hapless
refrigerator and socks that all-familiar punch into jaws that then
quiver likedeflated balloons.
Did I say familiar? That's the trouble with Dabangg 2 . Within 15
minutes, the noveltywears off. Our one-man Expendable has already done
this and better in the previous installment of the franchise. And as
much as he tries there are only so many ways a man can play himself.
When Salman Khan first portrayed Chulbul Pandey, everything was
refreshing about him -- the moustache, the mannerisms, and a new brand
of masculinity that giggles, jiggles and takes a joke.
Moreover, even for a standard potboiler involving revenge and
over-the-top heroics, Dabangg did have a cohesive plot and clarity in
the manner Chulbul was written -- his strained relationships with his
stepfather, half-brother, his whimsical romance with a drunkard's
pottery-passionate daughter, his wry humour that worked both as
adefense and offense mechanism depending on whomit was directed at and
a mercurial temperament that fits Salman's personality like aglove
while giving his co-actors something substantial to work with.
Arbaaz Khan, who turns director with this film, embraces the task of
taking Chulbul Pandey's saga ahead from where Abhinav Kashyap left
off. He does well when it comes to preserving a super popular
character's appeal butplays frustratingly safe by refusing to try
anything different or inspiring.
Besides shifting from Laalgungto Kanpur and planting a new (read
stale) villain -- the rowdy Bachcha (played by Prakash Raj , forgethis
performance, I am genuinely concerned about eyeballs falling off at
the rate he keeps dilating his pupils) with the same old back story --
high political connections and two equally vile brothers Chunni
(Nikitin Dheer in a performance that makes you wonder what glares
more? Hispurple brocade kurta or that permanent scowl on his face) and
Gainda (Deepak Dobriyal ) as the only menacing element about this
flick) creating havoc in the industrial town best loved for its
leather and ladoos -- Khanleaves Bade Bhaiya to save the day and film.
The latter tries, valiantly no doubt, and holds it together even as
you pass those breezy 129 minutes in the hope of something unexpected,
something cooler,something to attest that bang with an extra g in its
title.
Even the sultry appearances put in by Kareena Kapoor and Malaika Arora
Khan bop about the same old template and ambiance in flashy
chart-toppers.

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