La di da

Why Dabanng 2 matters?

To that effect, one may ask, how is it then different from other action films where the hero has gone back to the eighties and is getting into some over the top action sequences while fighting goons, politicians and corruption. Something, that defines most of the 100 crore club spinners today. Dabanng 2 matters because it is all that and much more.  These are my reasons:

1) I liked the way relationships have been handled. The step father-son equation between Vinod Khanna and Salman Khan is portrayed very sensitively. I don't quite remember any mainstream film where  a step father hears out the hero talk about his real father and both find respect and love for each other, as a result of that sequence. Another high point of this relationship is the step father narrating his step son how he wooed his mother! Then there is an sequence involving Sonakshi and Salman where our hero tells his wife, that  she is not his slave and shouldn't agree to everything he says. To a lot of Salman fans, a lot of whom reside in smaller cities as well, their hero saying such stuff can perhaps become the word of God. Yes, there are enough instances where patriarchal structure is upheld and encouraged, but then there are subtle challenges as well, as Salman's equation with his wife and father indicates.

2) Salman is thoroughly enjoying his character and that is remarkable since in person he does come across as someone who is usually bored by most of the things around him. Salman's comic timing, his power packed action sequences, his chemistry with Sonakshi add up to give us a very likeable character. Interestingly, his larger than life role, where the film has to have him in 90% of the scenes, is also shown to be very human and fallible as our macho hero sheds tears and breaks the stereotypes that men ( especially alpha males like him) don't cry. One had imagined that having played the role once, Salman may end up making a caricature out of Chulbul Pandey, yet he gives the role right emotional depth while also watching out that his trademark comic satire doesn't get diluted.

3) Arbaaz Khan and Salman Khan did a smart job by getting Dilip Shukla to write Dabanng. Perhaps because of that, he is able to pitch the characters in a right fashion.One of the highlights of Dabanng was well etched characters, Dabanng2 carries that forward and more. Mahi's character for instance who refuses to change cities for her husband, played by Arbaaz, because she has to take care of her father, is another progressive portrayal. Yes, she loves her husband, and he loves her too, but they also are aware of their  respective responsibilities.Similarly, Sonakshi's character who plays a doting home maker while also having an independent streak reflects that the script writer is sensitive to not portray women as lesser than their male counterparts. It was also interesting to see Prakash Raj, southern super star, in a powerful role as city's MLA- don, which is not about physicality but about personality. It was a challenge to create a bonafide villian after Sonu Sood's Cheddi Singh. The makers meet the challenge rather well.
Yes, there are enough instances where one wonders about the lack of logic in the film but then again, given what we are being dished out in the name of  over the top, action and comedy films, Dabanng 2 comes as a big change and no, in this film, the Tiger is not sleep walking through his role. And he has a cast that knows how to play its parts well.
Comments(0)Add Comment

Write comment
Yes No

security code
Write the displayed characters

Thank you for sharing your comments with us.


About the blog: La di da

 About Lada Guruden Singh 
Other Posts

Other Wonder Woman Blogs