Dabangg 2: Crass, idiotic and senseless
Dabangg 2 is a tight slap across the faces of those Bollywood film makers. PHOTO: PUBLICITY
Reading that Dabangg 2 had made close to Rs150 crore in less than 14 days perked up my interest. After all, I wondered, what would it take for a film to become one of the highest grossing Bollywood films of all times?
With enormous curiosity and an absolutely open mind (I haven’t seen its prequel, Dabangg.) I marched into a near-packed theatre armed with a bucket of popcorn.
The first kidnapping sequence reminded me of senseless south Indian action films which are omnipresent on movie channels these days.
The mindless violence and a desperate attempt at comedy already began to irritate my sensitive taste. I concluded long before the film ended that Dabangg 2 was crass, idiotic and senseless. I couldn’t believe the amount of money AK Productions had made by putting out a product that is way lower than substandard.
But, what does this say about the audience?
No sooner had I made my conclusion than I realised that I was trying to put the wrong lid on the bottle. The film was just perfect in its place. I was the wrong audience for it.
The film is for Salman Khan fans; they want to see him beat up the bad men, romance the heroine and have emotional encounters with other character actors.
Dabangg 2 is Salman Khan and Salman Khan is Dabangg 2.
There is no room for a director, a screenplay writer, a story writer or a dialogue writer in the entire project. No one would care about whether Salman’s dialogue made sense, as long as it was said in a characteristic Salman type of way. No one would care about the twists and turns the story would take (there is no story line, to begin with!) as long as Salman was in it. And, no one would care about the authenticity or plausibility of the plot because Salman was the only reality!
Of course, not to forget the ever important presence of “item songs” so our Salman bhai can take a break from his fights.
Most songs that adorn this title are an insult to poetry and are the worst form of sleaze.
Dabangg 2 is a tight slap across the faces of those Bollywood film makers who claimed that Indian audiences (at large) are mature enough to accept and adore intelligent movies with a well-thought out story line and decent dialogues.
This film is a clear indication of what the audiences want. In an era where audiences rule and filmmakers want to give them what they want, most of the money in the industry will surely go into making such films in the future.
I might be a prude, bordering on being a snob. Well, then that is who I am.
People like me hope and pray silently that films that are made for us are given as much financial resources (while I feel my Rs180 was wasted on Dabangg 2.)
Here’s a call for attention to our minority community of avid film watchers – we need intelligent and entertaining films!
Read more by Raksha here or follow her on Twitter @Raksha_Kumar
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of The Express Tribune.
“The film was just perfect in its place. I was the wrong audience for it.”
Spot on!Recommend
I watched Rowdy Rathore yesterday. My sister rented the movie. It was so stupid, I wanted to cry in the ending. Wasted my time
And to think it was a box office hit.Recommend
super stupid comment so far i have seen who go against to Dabangg2 we are going for entertainment ..thats there in movie …not like lusty husty. naked to watch…….or unnecessary story line .not interseted in any story which doesnot make any sense or any entertainment……Recommend
I completely agree with author.Recommend
Your opinion is Crass, Idiotic and senseless!Recommend
Well Indian movies usually are like that, sorry if it bothers anyone. Anyway, knowing can save you money & the pain of watching such a gross movie. Thanks Raksha Kumar for sharing your first hand experience. For people who are in love with cheap & senseless movies, God bless you!!Recommend
1.) Who on earth goes for a sequel without watching a prequel? You just don’t know what’s the plot all about.
2.) Also, going with his “south Indian action” moves, you should try to level yourself with the movie for having fun. This is what you do when you watch superhero movies or movies like kung fu hustle, harry potter.
3.) There are movies of many types, intelligent, comedy, romantic, thriller. You should go with the genre of the movie not with what you expect from the movie.
Change your mindset, you’ll start enjoying these movies.Recommend
I agree..directors today hardly make worth watching movies..most bollywood movies doesnt make sense..Amir Khan however is doing a great job. He makes movies once in a year but they are very high in morals and are interesting to watch.Recommend
you will not understandRecommend
Completely agree with the author! Watched “Dabang” and felt like beating up myself!! Not gonna make the same mistake with “Dabang 2″Recommend
full entertainment -sallu bhai dabangg 2Recommend
Looks like this article is written by a jealous Pakistani who can’t afford to establish a film industry in his own country. Dabangg 2 create jobs, employment, foreign investment these are some tools that Pakistanis won’t understand because they are too proud to be Pakistanis and the are too awesome in breaking lame world records.
From
Young Pakistani Filmmaker.Recommend
A very good review i must say, how ever i do have a question to you Raksha. How do you change the mindset of the makers of such Idiotic,Crass and senseless films? because the audience will watch a 3 idiots, Kahaani, GOW to Dabang 1 dabang 2, house full 1 and housefull 2. its the makers that need to higher their IQ levels, not the aam junta.Recommend
well there is a saying “willing suspension of disbelief” if u want to enjoy a piece of art or for that matter a movie, had u been able to do that you would’nt whine about your Rs 180, or go to TPB and enjoy for free and switch off if u dont like it ….Recommend
raksha-kumar your blog sucks!Recommend
and highly entertaining
:)Recommend
There is nothing wrong about what you said. I have also felt the same way for Salman Khan, his films since Dabangg (2010) came out, all 100 crore club-futile-commercial films & all senior and great actors/actresses of the past who have ruined their quality of work in bollywood.Recommend
Now the poster with the Salman Khan pictures on the back of the Rickshawa and the mini buses showed, who are the fans of the Khan.
but khan should to gauge the need of the day. the directors mostly have a very fine remark for the items like Dhabang and Dhabang 2, that the public demands things like this. did we do all that which the public demands?
total agree with you…Recommend
Only salmans name is enough!!!!!!!!!!!! to make a movie blockbuster if anyone rise finger on him,it is just due to his jealous feelings………..Recommend
Excellent blog..Each word is true and precious. God bless you..Recommend
Absolutely correct. I too felt the movie is nothing, but Bulls**t.Recommend
@Shahmir Ahsanullah: The author is not Pakistani. her Profile is following:
The author is a Bangalore based video journalist freelancing for the New York Times and the BBC. She graduated from the Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University in May 2011 where she majored in TV news. She is a Fulbright Scholar and has worked in various media outlets in India.Recommend
da movie ws jus perfect ….if u want some intelligent movies …..go to hollywood…!! we love dese kinda movies………..!! hope u r nt trying to promote urself criticizing salman ..!!Recommend
“Dabangg 2: Crass, idiotic and senseless”
Now those are adjectives I would have used for Dabangg, so I did not even bother with Dabangg 2.Recommend
“Dabangg 2 is a tight slap across the faces of those Bollywood film makers who claimed that Indian audiences (at large) are mature enough to accept and adore intelligent movies with a well-thought out story line and decent dialogues.”
I am not sure how you reached the conclusion. uccess of Dabangg 2 just means that in a country of billion plus people all kinds of movies sell. I did not watch Dabangg 2 because I did not care much for Dabangg but there were many movies with well thought out stories and decent dialogues that have also been successful in 2011 and 2012.
The promos of this movie made it pretty clear what you should expect i.e. it was more of Chulbul Pandey. Why then are you surprised or disappointed by how the movie turned out to be? IT gave the audience exactly what it promised it would.Recommend
actually indian audience don’t know what the movieRecommend
i think we have to teach indian audience there should be a story not unlike by one punch villain flying. actually in my opinion they dont know how to watchRecommend
You went to see Dabangg 2 for all the wrong reasons.Recommend
Yes It is what that you said About,you IQ level is higher than Arbaaz Khan or The Audience and this Piece of Advertising “salman khan” doesnt meet your passion of Entertaintment,So did it with me.
And You Appeal for Intelligent m0vies cant be approved for indo-pak populace (they are the sole audience i think) is in intself idiotic,crass,senseless and Overall,Dumb.
Have you got,Ek tha tiger” has g0ne to be 2nd blockbuster after “3idiots” at b0xoffice.
Do you think it deserve to be such a supehit when it inhales n0thing but IsI?Recommend
Pakistanis should make their own movies. Such movies are wastage of time and also corrupt the morality of our kids.Recommend
Sad that Bollywood is going down the drain by making these sense less & stupid movies which turns out to be hits!Recommend
Bilkul theek bolti hy yeh larrki, plzzzzzzz koi na jaaana yeh movie daykhnay.
My ticket was bought for me by someone else but even then I feel I have wasted my time.Recommend
@Imran
I think you do fall in a different class of audience. Unfortunatley, Indian Film industry is still struggling to catch up with Lollywood’s class. We are not even able to come up with decent names like,
Why dont you suggest your govt to ban Indian films in ur country, since the product is gross, cheap & senseless? I wish your voice gets heard.Recommend
The movie wasnt that bad, people have different tastes, therefor you cant say what hes saying is correct, its his opinion,Recommend
Well,
First of all it shocks me to see someone who hasnt seen Dabangg 1 having the audacity to write a review on dabangg one and even worse is that there are people who would publish it .
Now lets come to how stupid or idiotic the movie was, if someone is going in expecting a Shawshank redemption then sorry my friends, you are in the wrong screen and you should at least see the promotion and theme of the movie before going to see it and whining about how your 180rs were lost. It was a movie for those who loved the chulbul panday character and his sense of humor and these things were pretty much the same in Dabangg2. There is a very slim chance that if someone liked the first part, he wouldnt like the second one and if you didnt like the first part then you should understand that the second one would not be your cup of tea!!
The movie was never meant to be a critics favourite and nobody expected you to be all awed but this review simply seems to be from someone incapable of judging a certain genre of films.
P.S loved dabangg2 and went to see it because i had loved the frst part as well.Recommend
@Parvez: “You went to see Dabangg 2 for all the wrong reasons.”
Being a woman it is unlikely she was interested in Sonakshi as perhaps you are…Recommend
To be honest,I am a fan of SRK but respect Salman Khan due to his philanthropy. But in terms of his movies all of them have got some idiotic sequence and plot.All movies of Salman Khan for the past four years have had same old contents time and again.He exposes his chest and does some pathetic action.Wanted,Dabangg 1 and 2,Ready,Ek Tha Tiger all show his character removing his shirt and beating dozens of people in the end. And it’s true that either Dabangg was a copy of some Tamil movie or the other way around.Rowdy Rathore was made in Tamil and Telegu earlier.And both RR and Salman Khan’s movies lack maturity.Recommend
This is an entertaining movie. The basic message of the movie is love which is not limited to just a person but it includes the entire society.
So get over it because it is a huge success especially outside India.Recommend
Raksha Kumar – the fact that I am a well educated person in the West working at an executive level, and I loved every song tells me something about you. You are young and you believe that putting down this type of entertainment is a proof that you have come a long way in this world. Well it is just the opposit, movies such as this are just as good as Citizen Kane which by the way was a very boring movie.
So get over it, your taste in movies needs to not be imposed.Recommend
@gp65
For your kind information, it’s an unfortunate fact that good movies (leaving a few) do not sell in this billion plus country. The only reason being incompetent people sitting in bollywood and making ridiculous movies and using aggressive marketing tactics to sell them to the audience. This not what the people of India and other Bollywood film viewers around the world really want to see, this is what has been made available to them for the past few years.
Believe me, a lot of people just get a headache just thinking about what has happened to this film industry. It is not at all progressing ethically.Recommend
Writer should stop ‘pretending’ to be a film critic. I bet she went to the movie only so she can write about it. Anyone who went to see this movie expecting a life changing, message bearing and meaningful film packed with oscar worthy acting dont know anything about movies
Stop whining and sometimes learn to appreciate commercial cinema.Recommend
I don’t understand this. The promo of the movie clearly says it’s a masala movie. I went to movie thinking it’s going to be a masala movie with dance, songs, fight, Salman Khan, and it delivered. I don’t know what Raksha Kumar had expected before going to watch this movie? Gangs of Wassypur? Or DevD? It’s like you go to examination hall where you know they are having an exam on Physics and you piss and moan about it because the questions were not on accounting? Salman Khan in the movie means it’s a masala movie. It’s poster tells you it’s a masala movie. I don’t know what you were expecting anyway.Recommend
Have you really seen “crass, idiotic, and senseless” movies?? The soft-porn crap, or horrible crude vulgar productions that are a torture to sit through. You see Dabangg 2 without seeing Dabangg?? Yes, D2 may not be a movie catering to pseudo intellectuals like yourself but the reason AK productions is making money is because audiences leave the theatre (for the most part) with a smile on their face, i.e. they feel fully entertained. That’s the Salman Khan magic–dont fault him for it. He is a very charismatic actor and not a bad one at that. So take your stupid opinions and reponder them.Recommend
Can we for once forget our idealogical difference and come together to stop Salman from making Dabang 3.Recommend
Miss writer you should change your perspective…… All watchers don’t like sensible cinema, there must be someone who entertains us completely……Recommend
@Kiran:
And then there is another point. For one movie like Dabangg 2 which was a superhit there will 10 similar movies which would be flops.. same audience different treatment?? One can not just say audience want to watch foolish movies.. There is some method in the madness.Recommend
If she is so educated she should know that movies have genre……….and if she wants to watch so intelligent movies then why did u watched dabangg 2 ? when they promote the movie they clearly stated that it is a full on entertainment/ action. Do not write about how bad was the mango tasted when you have eaten a banana.Recommend
Well u shulda gone 2 watch the movie by the genre not by the money it made. Howeva movies wit entertainment alwaiz make more money rather than those made on social issues. Which is wrong!Recommend
@Safdar Abbas: “For your kind information, it’s an unfortunate fact that good movies (leaving a few) do not sell in this billion plus country.”
You are passing of your opinion as a fact. It maybe your opinion that god movies do not sell but that ofcourse depends on your opinion about what is a good movie.
Not sure what your concept of a good movie is. But I would say that the range of stories being told today is much wider than what was the case 30 years back. SOme movies that I have enjoyed in the last couple of years (spaning different genres) : No one killed Jessica, Band Baaja Baraat, Aarakshan, Tanu weds Manu, Rockstar, Zindagi na milegi Dobara, Saat khoon maaf, Don 2, Dirty Picture, Kahani, Ekk Main aur ekk Tu, Vicky Donor, Paan SIngh Tomar, Barfi, Ek Tha Tiger, Oh My God, Talaash and with the exception of Aarakshan and Saat Khoon Maaf – all these movies have been successful at the box office too.Recommend
@jazz:
LOoking forward to dabangg3. Wont let anyone stop it!!!!!!!!!!!!!Recommend
@Kingbollywood:
plain and simple :pRecommend
@Sameer:
seee now heres someone with a bit of common sense, author author should learn something from you, one should try watching the prequel before the sequel and if you dont like the first one dont go the second oneRecommend
@right:
Sonakshi who ???? ……….its all about Salman Khan. Over-the-top, larger than life, almost comical and he knows it and plays it to the hilt. If one can’t see that then one needs glasses………………… and yes Sonakshi is eye-candy of the highest order, nothing wrong in that.Recommend
@SAMEER:
haahha very niceRecommend
People like me hope and pray silently that films that are made for us? Please don’t involve me atleast. I don’t want to see Barfi, I rather watch charlie chaplin or Mr Bean Shows. We don’t want to see fake love stories which srk does. We don’t want to see Jism kind of movies with our families! I work for 5 days and 2 days to rest. In that two days, I just want to relax and watch these type of funny movies, which doesn’t do any affect on my mind. A light action, masala movie to watch with my friends, whistle and dance in the theater! I got what I wanted. 7 friends of mine went to this movie and we enjoyed it. Salman you always give what we want not something that will prove you as a great actor. You are not a great actor, nor a great dancer, u don’t know who to cry (act), but we like u, because you are real. U are like us (me & my friends), we don’t dace like hrithik bt we enjoy more than that. Tq salman for this movie, hoping to see same kind of masala movie for next EID….. Radhe, Kick !!!!!Recommend
for u i will only say donot be biased ,it is an excellent movie & everybody in the flim as well as the director have done justice to their assigned roles.for u i will simply say{ (if wishes were horses beggars would ride) as you feel insecure by the the (ROCKETING)collections at box office which are still going on & hope to return to first week figures as there is no ODI CIRCKET FROM TOMMORROW}.Recommend
@Ankur:
YOU ARE STUPID…DONT EVER IMMIGRATE TO THE WEST OR YOU’LL DEBASE OUR CULTURE MORE.Recommend
@SAMEER:
Why dont you change your name to Salman eh….?Recommend
@Shahmir Ahsanullah:
Wake up and smell the roses…Recommend
THATS BECAUSE YOU ARE A KHAN…WHAT DO KHANS KNOW..?@khan:Recommend
AND YOUR COMMENT SUCKS@Kingbollywood:Recommend
@Disgusted in US:
GET OUT OF THE USA IF YOU PROMOTE THISRecommend
Guys, lets not be bullish. Yes. We do love our “Sallu Bhai”. But its all specific to each individual. Everyone gets the right to say whatever they feel.
I just have one thing to say : Salman is a phenomenon, a ‘One-Man-Show’. Let the others do their homework to achieve this feat, rather than complaining about skills, quality, blah, blah & blah. No offence what-so-ever!Recommend
Indians are far from the knowledge of motion pictures. They are mere pirates who try to copy the great Hollywood movies. The western movies are research based while Indian vids…… i don’t intend to say any offensive word about Indian movies. However i’ll only say that we must not waste our time in even commenting about those.Recommend
Yes It is what that you said About,you IQ level is higher than Arbaaz Khan or The Audience and this Piece of Advertising “salman khan” doesnt meet your passion of Entertaintment,So did it with me.
And You Appeal for Intelligent m0vies cant be approved for indo-pak populace (they are the sole audience i think) is in intself idiotic,crass,senseless and Overall,Dumb.
Have you got,Ek tha tiger” has g0ne to be 2nd blockbuster after “3idiots” at b0xoffice.
Do you think it deserve to be such a supehit when it inhales n0thing but IsI?Recommend
i totally agree with it and also you or me being the wrong audience for the movie.
i was surprised to hear yesterday from a friend that even khiladi 786 crossed 100 crores…
i have no idea how do people manage to sit through movies like Dabaang, khiladi 786, Golmall etc…Recommend
@socko:
“Indian Film industry is still struggling to catch up with Lollywood’s class. We are not even able to come up with decent names like,”
“Wehshi Jat”
“Maula Jat”
“Basheera”
“Hunterwali”
“Bazar-E-Husn”
“Jat Soorma”
“shikra”
“Jatti Da Vaer”
Should you not appreciate what the Pakistani people did to this sleazebag industry long long time ago. Proves Pakistani audience have much better tastes than our neighbor.Recommend
well, author has left no room for any further commentsRecommend
actually, the movie was intentionally made to give a flavor of senseless south Indian action film… the purpose was to entertain… n that has been successfully achieved .Recommend
@Socko
I think you do fall in a different class of audience. Unfortunatley, Indian Film industry is still struggling to catch up with Lollywood’s class. We are not even able to come up with decent names like,
“Wehshi Jat”
“Maula Jat”
“Basheera”
“Hunterwali”
“Bazar-E-Husn”
“Jat Soorma”
“shikra”
“Jatti Da Vaer”
I liked your sarcasm Socko. But I think you have a wrong idea that I am praising Lollywood. Not at all. Pakistani cinema used to produce quality entertainment though, but that was a long time ago. Most of the nice cinemas in our country screen Hollywood & Bollywood movies only. Viewership of most Lollywood movies is limited to uneducated class & in dirty little theaters. What I make of bollywood movies being screened that much is they might come cheap as compared to Hollywood (viewing rights) and a big chunk of population is willing to watch them on the same ticket price as hollywood Big expectations come from the fact that Bollywood itself is a huge market with big budgets. So, criticism is natural.
And talking about ‘MY VOICE BEING HEARD’, i would say that we live in a similar world. Does your own govt pay considerable attention to your voice? :-))Recommend
D2 is about Chulbul Panday aka Sallu and his moves and his tashan. That is what the movie promissed. Ideally you should never have gone to watch it since you had no idea what D1 was all about. Its entertainment. The movie makes you laugh your heart out and it also makes you forget about life miseries for a while .. I would say that it did succeed. Whilst i was in the theatre I was not bored or thought about my problems. Yes the story did not make sense and it was not for the intellectual kind .. but it delivered what it promissed to deliver. A few hours of entertainment and laughter. I am sorry if you could not handle it. It has nothing to do with the fact that audience is not mature. it jsut means audiance chooses to let go of intellectuality for a little while to freshen up a tired mind. Bollywood and Sallu rocks.
From a Pakistani fan.Recommend
Dabang 2 was a mental torture.Recommend
I go to the movies to get entertained…& Salman’s movies entertain me..and thats all i care about…his movies are successfull because his main audience is the AAM AADMI in India not rich & affluent or NRI’s…like other actors & producers who make movies so they can make quick money in overseas markets..Salman Khan is the main reason Single Screen theaters are surviving..if not for him they would’ve been obsolete..the reason Salman’s movies has been doing such a great business is because the audience is tired of movie studeos and producers looking at Western movies for their material..they want something desi..and there is nothing more Desi than watching Salman Khan movie..like it or not in last few yrs Salman has solidified himself as the Rajinikanth of the Bollywood..Recommend
First of all ,why this fellow salman khan is playing the role of chulbul pandey?why brahmin mahasabha is silent on this issue?If they can protest against a telgu film,why they chose to keep themselves away from this movie?Derogatory dialogs like”Brahman hai ham,saadi karna chahte hai hum aapki beti se” shows caste supremacy prevalent in our society and this person and even film division has no right to promote and exploit this.They would have acted responsibly.
Secondly this movie is bad and doesnt make any sense.As usual a salamn khan flick.Recommend
The problem is neither with the film makers nor with the audience but with people like you who are foolish enough to go watch Dabangg expecting anything more than crass, idiotic, senseless ENTERTAINMENT and are then arrogant enough to criticize about it.Recommend
@Javeria:
most of the blockbusters are absolutely bad.but they have their own audience…but i’d just like to know if small budget Indian movies are shown in Pakistan??? their is a list of movies from parallel cinema like Gattu, I am kalam, Jalpari, Kshay, Delhi in a day, Shuttlecock boys and many more.. Hope you like them..Recommend
@LikeWise:
yes they have their own audience,, these movies work well in single screens but doesn’t work well in multiplexes..Recommend
You havent seen the prequel……….. No need to read more, end of review for me!!Recommend
what maters to the film makers is profit.
And what maters to audience is obviously shows off from the box office records.Recommend
Just like Salman the Critic has a job to do as well but D2 crossing 150 mark is an indication that it is accepted to be senseless…As a critic one should have parameters to Judge, for a Salman khan fan those parameters don
t apply simply cuz its SALMAN movie.. I have a problem with All the critic comparing all movies to the standards of Hollywood.Hollywood has a worldwide Patrons where as Bollywood as Indians and Indians who live world wide which is a huge difference.Recommend@jazz:
In your sorry ass dreams you could Salman lols tooo funnyRecommend
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Salman-Khan-Memorable-Dialogues-TM/354263997984802
So if I understand film industry..it is meant for entertainment. if movies are made, are made for audience, correct. If majority of the audience like something, producers will make the movie, correct. If a movie is stupid and vast mojaority of the audience like it, then it is not stupid it is a norm. If you didn’t like it does not mean that the movie is senseless. it means you are senseless. you need to update yourself with the current culture of the entertainement. All the action movies has crossed the $100cr, that means this is a actions culture at the moment. if you don’t like it, does not mean everyone else should also not like it. Who are you? No one.
“If anyone has become something, it is because of his dedication. We have no right to put somebody down. We don’t get along at all, but what is not right is not right. The fact that SRK comes out of his house and goes to work provides so many people with work…so who are you to take credit for that?” said Salman who doesn’t let his problems with Shah Rukh bother him much. – SK
you writers will kill the bollywood…if people started making movies that for you is not senseless, no one will go watch it…and at then at the end no one will make any movies.Recommend
Today Jan 13th, saw the movie on the big screen – its was insane, utter rubbish a true Salman Khan extravangza, hilarously and there was Sonakshi, Kareena and Malaika……….but it was Salu Mian all the way……….just brilliant.Recommend
Can’t agree more. People are drooling over Salman khan like anything n to dislike his movies has become a taboo(even if they lack plot n logic).Recommend