BOTTOM LINE
An Insincere Stale And Bland Mass Fare
OUR RATING
1.5/5
CENSOR
‘U/A’ Certified, 2 hrs 43 mins
What Is the Film About?
The third part of the Dabangg franchise looks at how Chulbul Pandey becomes the police in the first place. In parallel, he also faces an enemy from the past Bali Singh (Sudeep). What has happened between them and how it ends is what the movie is all a
How Is Salman Khan’s Performance?
Salman Khan, does what he always does, in an even more lazy form. He just goes through the process as if he knows it is a joke, and still has to do it anyway. The mannerism and swag are all there that his fans love. If you are one among them, you would see nothing wrong except maybe the inconsistency in character. If you don’t belong to that set, perhaps you wouldn’t be watching it in the first place.
Direction by Prabhu Deva?
Prabhu Deva, who is lately seen in more acting assignments than making is back with a new directorial outing after a long gap. His last release was Singh is Bling that came four years ago. When one watches Dabangg 3 it would be clear why he might have kept away from directing.
The direction of Dabangg 3 is its biggest weak link. The proceedings lack the energy from the start despite having an energetic character like Chulbul Pandey. Also, the role has been tampered with taking off its edge, which made it famous in the first place.
What we see in Dabangg 3 is a funnier version of Chulbul Pandey. Many times he comes across as a buffoon, a far cry from what it was when it first appeared in Dabangg. The dialogues and its delivery look very forced and laboured through.
Neither than first half nor the second have a decent stretch of engaging portion. It just goes from one scene to another with no high or josh even though the script has the moments in place for all the “elevation”. At one point we feel like counting the number of “southern” inspirations behind various scenes.
The villain, played by Sudeep, is poorly developed. The approach of a textbook establishment of the villain is followed without any depth. It is all superficial and lacks impact. With such a reduced build up the climax fizzles out when the protagonist and antagonist come face to face with each other.
The whole ’80s and 90’s vibe to the making and sets makes Dabangg 3 look very dated, as well. The climax could straight out of any mass films of those eras. Of course, it would register only when one stays up until that point.
In the end, Dabangg 3 is a generic masala fare that makes use of an iconic character to draw the audience which otherwise would have avoided the movie like the plague.
Sonakshi Sinha and Others?
Sonakshi Sinha continues from where she left earlier. It is a filler part, much like the movie actually. It is present only to drag the proceedings for a suitable runtime. Imagine if she were not present, the story would have concluded in twenty-minutes flat.
Sudeep is given a decent build-up as the ‘great threat’ to the unbeatable Dabangg Chulbul Pandey. But, it stays at that level throughout and never becomes something more to remember. The actor does his part well, but it is poorly written and weakly executed to register. The fact that it’s his body, in the climax, that we all remember says a lot about his character. Arbaaz Khan is given a decent role. His slap sequence is the only scene in the entire film that generates some emotion. The rest of the actors appear randomly doing unfunny gigs.
Music and Other Departments?
Sajid Wajid brother’s duo provides music for the film. They have worked on the previous two instalments of the franchise as well. Maybe fatigue has crept up in them doing the same thing over and over again. It is felt through the music which feels very monotonous. The cinematography is not up to the standards of a biggie. The editing should have been much better. The writing is nowhere near the first part. The Telugu dubbing only compounds the ill effects of the movie.
Highlights?
A Slap Scene
Drawbacks?
Story
Screenplay
Direction
Writing
Alternative Take
The whole corrupt cop with Robinhood angle has not been presented well. A better idea would be to pitch Chulbul with a similar level of a criminal who also resorts to the same means in getting his work done and is not all brawn.
Did I Enjoy It?
No
Will You Recommend It?
No
Dabangg 3 Review by Siddartha Toleti
