Dabangg Review

Dabangg Producer: Arbaaz Khan
Dabangg Director: Abhinav Kashyap
Starring: Salman Khan, Arbaaz Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Sonu Sood, Vinod Khanna Dimple Kapadia
Music: Sajid Wajid, Lalit Pandit
Lyrics: Faiz Anwar, Lalit Pandit, Jalees Sherwani


For a masala film, the story is perfect, and the screenplay is razor-sharp and so quick you’re left with no time to breathe. Dialogues are powerful and very well-written. Character sketches though turn out to be the most important and the most vivid part of the film. The colorful character of Chulbul Pandey has been so well-written anybody would fall for his charming but raw personality. Subplots are commendably woven into most part of the screenplay and don’t look out of place.

If the writing is excellent, the execution by Kashyap is top-notch. Aadmi mein dum hai. He handles each scene with so much finesse that you’ll end up getting gripped with the whole film. I can’t wait to see what Kashyap intends to direct next.

Mahesh Limaye’s cinematography captures the raw, gritty essence of the film where it’s needed, and also ends up beautifying the more romantic scenes. Camerawork is terrific. Action by Vijayan Master (who coincidentally also choreographed the action of Salman’s last hit Wanted, which also fits into the same genre) is mind-blowing, and the edit of the action by Pranav V Dhiwar makes the sequences so stylish it has the wow factor attached to it. The music of the film is fun and frothy when needed and soft and classy when needed. Numbers like “Munni Badnaam” and “Hud Hud Dabangg” are powerful because they contain terrific visuals, which do not elude romantic songs like “Tere Mast Mast Do Nain” and “Chori Kiya Re Jiya”. Visual effects are realistic and sophisticated at the same time.

Dabangg would surely be incomplete without Salman Khan. The arrogance and chutzpah mixed with a more childish and cute personality that he has exuded throughout the film has been brought to life with such elan you have to admit that Salman’s the star performer in the film. New entrant Sonakshi Sinha impresses and shows that acting’s in her blood with her short but powerfully portrayed role. Sonu Sood is convincing as the malicious antagonist. Vinod Khanna is his usual powerful self in this short supporting role too. Arbaaz Khan is convincing. Others like Tinnu Anand, Om Puri, Mahie Gill, Dimple Kapadia and Anupam Kher are efficient.

Dabangg impresses, and how! Sure it’s not Wanted but it’s much better than it in terms of execution, editing, styling, performances and structure of the whole film. Via the barrage of parallel cinema coming out in Hindi film through new directors like Ayan Mukherji ( Wake Up Sid) and other more experienced ones like Kashyap’s brother Anurag (Dev.D), this movie turns out to be a hugely pleasant surprise for people thirsting for non-stop entertainment for the whole of two hours in a film.