Sep 02, 2011 09:05 PM
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Salman Khan biggest release of the year Bodyguard released this week in theatres. A couple of questions came into mind.
1) Will Bodyguard be better than Wanted, Dabangg or even Ready?
2) Will Salman Khan complete two hat-tricks at the BO?(One being the Eid releases of Wanted, Dabangg and now Bodyguard; the other being consecutive releases Dabangg, Ready and now Bodyguard)?
3) Will Bodyguard be a Blockbuster or even an All-Time Blockbuster?
4) Does it have enough gas in its engine to surpass 3I record?
5) Is Salman Khan officially #1 actor in Bollywood, in terms of box-office?
Well, here are the answers:
1) Its definitely not better than Wanted, I would rate Dabangg and Bodyguard on the same level, but its definitely better than Ready(I didn’t like Ready). Why Dabangg on the same level with Bodyguard? Dabangg show the “massy” Salman Khan in an action role, where Bodyguard does present Salman in action role, but it also shows Salman back to his romantic side(remember Maine Pyar Kiya, Saajan, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam).
2) I believe it will be a hat-trick for Salman Khan, as the BO reports for both first and second day are HUGE to say the least.
3) Bodyguard will definitely be a Blockbuster at the end, and it has chances to be an All-Time Blockbuster, but depends on the WOM of the film, and if it trends well at the BO(Friday and Monday collections will decide).
4) To be honest, I enjoyed the film(more on that later), but I don’t think it will be surpassing 3I record(depending on its trending and WOM)
5) Salman Khan is DEFINITELY #1 right now. He has the largest and possibly craziest fan-following in India. Three Blockbusters in a row is nothing short, but an achievement, and to achieve it within a year span, makes it special. Records were smashed on opening day, and the only selling force was Salman Khan. He is no more a superstar, he has achieved LEGEND status.
On to Bodyguard.
Went to see it Ottawa, ON on a Thursday night, and it was 65% full, which is good on a weekday, because unlike Toronto, Ottawa isn’t really a multicultural city. I knew, based on Salman previous films, leave your brains at home, and enjoy the entertainment. And that’s what I did. No doubt, Bodyguard is a GOOD film, not a great film. Bodyguard relied on Salman Khan strong performance and box-office pull, and it showed, and that’s what the director want to show. No doubt, he is a one-man army, and possibly has the strong screen presence. I’ll bet if Salman Khan was a sofa, audience will ignored everything else, and stare at Salman Khan, that’s how his presence is. Let’s talk about the negatives of the film first.
NEGATIVES
The film dragged a lot, hence making the pace a bit slow. Honestly, this movie could’ve done without the Tsunami track, although it was quite funny at times. Editing could’ve been a bit better. The stunts is one aspect that made the film strictly GOOD. Come on, imagine this: Salman Khan jumps from one train to another with a pole or even a wire(I believe it was that because of how fast it went), and then jump from the train to the bridge? Really? Seriously? Why are they portraying Salman Khan as another Rajnikanth? It may work in the South, but that doesn’t mean it should happen in Bollywood. While the action sequences are excellent, some of the scenes are illogical sequences. They really need to stop this because at one point, it will get boring and repetitive. I really hope for Ek Tha Tiger(a film I’m really looking forward to) that they don’t take the action director of this film. Then the shirt scenes in the climax fight, and how it opens up? Please, I won’t elaborate more, but its these small things that makes it look stupid. The stunt in this film defies logics and physics. There are definitely unanswered questions in this film. And this is what makes me mad because this film was made twice before, don’t you think the director and screenplay writer should’ve got it right atleast in the third time? Direction was simply average. It should’ve been much better.
POSITIVES
Music by Himesh Reshammiya and Pritam is a Hit score. I Love You is very melodious, Desi Beats is energetic, while Teri Meri is the simply the best of the lot. No doubt, a huge strongpoint for Bodyguard. Although a negative, there is no doubt there are some action sequences in the film which were excellent, and will make Sallu fans in India whistles and clap a lot. Some scenes in the second-half make this film engaging. The love story track between Salman-Kareena was good, but could’ve been a lot better. The biggest plus point is the performance between Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor. Salman Khan is Salman Khan. No matter what he does, he is simply amazing. The man has strong screen presence, and his performance is bound to win hearts. Whether you like the film or not, its Salman Khan character that you take home with you. Salman Khan knows what his fans wants, hence delivering it to expectations. He has not only won the #1 spot in Bollywood, but I’m sure his fan-following will increase. Kareena is amongst the talented actress we have in Bollywood, and her performance in Bodyguard is good. She does try her best to infuse life in Divya and succeeds. The rest of the cast ranges from good to below average. Bodyguard has all the ingredients of a complete Bollywood masala film. There is action, romance, comedy, emotions, so it does make Bodyguard worthwhile.
CONCLUSION
Bodyguard shall succeed at the BO, making it three straight for Salman Khan in terms of a Blockbuster and grossing 100 crore net+ at the BO. It does have the right formula to make a good set of the audience enjoy it(although it had chances to make it much better and you will enjoy it if you leave your brains at home), and it releases at the right time. I’m really looking forward for Salman Khan next release Ek Tha Tiger. Bodyguard has already smashed records, and its Thursday collections were huge, so it looks like another huge grosser for this Sallu starrer. Salman Khan is already #1, and it shows with his fans supporting him. Well, if Ready(truly an over-hyped film) can do 125 crores nett, then Bodyguard should do 180 crores nett at the BO.
3.5/5
