Chulbul Pandey is back. Again. Like that rash you thought you had gotten rid of, Salman Khan seems to just keep rallying — and, unfortunately, there’s no medicine this time to make it even a little bearable. But you know what, it’s actually not all that bad. Because, if you think about it, Dabangg 3, which also stars Sonakshi Sinha, Arbaaz Khan and Sudeep, might just be the best film of the year, the decade even. It’s all about perspective.
Wondering what I’m talking about? Let me break it down for you:
1. Logic
The filmmakers, Prabhu Deva and the Khan brothers, have clearly put in a lot of thought into making a coherent, sensible film. There are anywhere between five and seven plotlines. It starts out with Chulbul fighting a bunch of goons for half an hour and saving a wedding, before saving some girls from prostitution. But then, an old nemesis comes back to haunt Chulbul, reminding him of his first love, who was cruelly snatched away from him. Now, of course he must take revenge, but there is also subterfuge and corruption, and so many fight sequences that they all start melding into each other. The fact that all of these plot points are part of one film would blow even Christopher Nolan’s mind. You experience the fourth dimension, because time moves that slowly when you’re watching the film.
2. Feminism
Who says Bhai is not a feminist? The entire film is peppered with progressive dialogue, written by Dilip Shukla and Aloke Upadhyaya. Like the flashback to when Chulbul is younger and wants to get married, and he promises the girl’s family dowry — because when you reverse the process, it obviously becomes not regressive. Not to mention, the actor who plays the girl, debutante Saiee Manjrekar, is a good 32 years younger than him. Yep, she’s a full 21 years old. (She’s an adult, okay?)
3. Best dramatic death ever (spoiler alert)
There have been a lot of epic death scenes in recent Hindi films. But the one in Dabangg 3 surpasses any in recent memory, because the use of special effects and harnesses makes it almost surreal. Also, it teaches you something new — people falling to their deaths can emote harder than any actor in an Ekta Kapoor serial.
4. The songs
The West describes Hindi films as ‘musicals’ because music is such a big part of the typical Bollywood storytelling process. But Dabangg 3 flips that old pattern. Here, instead of the songs taking the story forward, the film is used to glorify the songs. Composers Sajid-Wajid focus so hard on making the songs entertaining and relevant that you almost forget what movie you’re watching. They even went a step ahead and delivered a number called Munna Badnaam Hua, as a counter to the sexist Munni Badnaam Hui. Boom, sexism solved. Others, like Naina Lade and Yun Karke, are so disjointed they take you to another world. The title song, of course, is there as per usual.
But, let’s be honest, do you really need a reason to cheer and whistle as Bhai barely moves his hips and immobile face while romancing a new, young woman who is three decades younger than him?
5. Best cop ever
The police are getting such a bad rap these past few weeks, so sensitive Bhai obviously wanted to help them out by showing exactly what a good cop should do — make everything personal, subvert the law, use physical force, and take revenge while using the uniform as an excuse. This is a movie that really takes its social relevance seriously.
Don’t you hear the Oscar buzz?
Also read: #BoycottDabangg3 trends as Salman film song shows ‘obscene & seductive’ dance by sadhus