Seeing Salman Khan at 53 years old romancing a 20-year-old girl (Saiee Manjrekar, daughter of actor-director Mahesh Manjrekar) looks odd and this sets the tone for this movie. When you have scenes like a gang of crooks hijacking a wedding trying to steal gold and most of the dialogues are written to please the masses, without any doubt, this is a flick written, directed and aimed for ‘Bhai’ fans. The third installment of the ‘Dabangg’ series with Prabhu Deva at the helm of affairs carries mass appeal and is rightly so because the character of Chulbul Pandey is loved by many.
While in ‘Bharat’ (2019), the actor has gone into understanding his character, in this successful franchise, he pleases the masses by delivering the same old expressions. The dialogues, one-liners and dances are all part of the colourful character of Chulbul Pandey and this is what the paying audience is looking for. The action sequences are designed to breed his charisma and portray him as this invincible cop. Produced under his banner and that of his brother, this is a family affair and is out there to reinforce Salman Khan’s image as an action hero.
The flashback is an interesting concept as more needs to be told and explored about the character of Chulbul Pandey before he signs up being a cop. Then comes the love story with Saiee Manjrekar who does an okay job and of course, Sudeep as the villain, who tries his level best. The return of the fierce cop in the second half, with Sonakshi Sinha as his wife, brings a different aura to the script.
Sonakshi Sinha receives minimal scope to act but maintains a similar face as the housewife. Producer Arbaaz Khan does not obtain a meaty role and is there for the sake of it. Like in the previous installments, his character with a moustache fails to carry any weight. The rest of the supporting cast such as Dimple Kapadia, Sohail Khan and Sharad Saxena give a satisfactory performance. Pramod Khanna delivers an average performance.
Warina Hussain as the item girl fails to strike a chord and lacks sensual quotient. The movie could easily have been edited by 40 minutes and its length may please ‘Bhai’ fans but for others, it can be termed as torture as too much of a superhero is simply exaggeration.
This is probably the worst score of Sajid-Wajid, the music duo who has been ‘Bhai’s protégé since ‘Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya’ (1998) and they missed a golden chance to show their versatility. “Munna Badnaam Hua” in the voices of Badshah, Kamaal Khan, Mamta Sharma is the best of the lot but is not chartbuster material. The earlier version had more gusto.
‘Dabangg 3’ is strictly for Salman Khan’s fans and is nowhere near the first installment in terms of storytelling, action and originality. Director Prabhu Deva could have turned this franchise into a long running one but too many cooks spoil the broth!
Rating: 2/5
