Bodyguard Movie Review: No Soul, Just Substance

Posted by admin on Sep 5th, 2011 | 0 comments

There may be other number one actors and king in Bollywood but there is just one demigod of the box-office-Salman Khan. He was always a superstar but the last three years has made him a cult figure that is on par with Rajnikanth, the immortal superstar of South Indian cinema. Salman’s perceptible easy accessibility to people has made him a favorite of the crowd. He still looks a million bucks and speaks the language of people. He has been doing pretty well in the work front as well; his movies may not exactly be a critics favorite but he still manages to make them eat humble-pie, with one blockbuster after the other. After the super-successes of Wanted, Dabangg and Ready(2011), people were queuing for Bodyguard. Salman’s dedicated fans which number in millions are too dedicated to read the reviews of his films. Has delivered? You bet! Is it good? Well….does it really matter to his fans?

Story of Bodyguard:

Yes, it is wafer-thin and there is nothing that can be called a plot. However, this is a tried and tested formula of director Siddique who has met with success when he released this film in Malayalam and Tamil before he shot in Hindi. There are minor changes in the Hindi without much discernible improvement. Our hero, Lovely Singh (Salman Khan) has a debt owing to a wealthy feudal lord Sartaj Rana (Raj Babar) which he cannot repay. This rich moneybags stays in a sprawling mansion in Jaisinghpur. The loyal bodyguard is ready to give his life for his master. The master has the apple of his eye, his beautiful daughter Divya, who is asked to pursure learning in management school in distant Pune. Lovely Singh is entrusted with the responsibility to keep a watch on her and protect her from any harm. Sartaj Rana may have enemies but he is happy because his daughter is safe as a moth in a cocoon. The girl thinks of ways and means to get her off his back but they fall flat and she falls in love with him. Need you be told that their love story has its share of thorns and the wiling hero is ready to fight opposition against all odds and get his lady in the end?

What works in Bodyguard?

As usual, Salman Khan. His buffoonery, self-deprecating humor and brawn towers above the script and though one gets a dose of exaggerated in the name of entertainment, people are ready to make an exception for him. It has got its generic ingredients right-an item number with Katrina Kaif, a mass-loving entry for the hero, romance, comedy, action; the works. Every character in the film seems to have a gala entry. High on everything, Sallu engages in some entertaining action scenes that are SFX aided fights, although the technology applied is mediocre. But then Salman manages to give people their bang for buck and yes, there is his torso and chest sparkling again, amidst wolf-whistles. Director Siddique loses no opportunity in exploiting Salman’s cult hero status to the hilt.

What does not work in Bodyguard:

After Dabangg, filmmakers who cast Salman Khan do not think highly about the script and screenplay, they just put elements that would appeal to the common-man and give him a welcome respite from his daily drudgery. So, there is nothing logical in the film, there is no film-making lesson to delve in, there is no realism and there is nothing realistic in the film. Salman fights all opposition tooth and nail and he emerges unscathed without even his hair ruffled, forget the wounds and marks. The confusion of the director is evident in the second half when he does not seem to know whether to give softer, romantic scenes to his hero or just keep the flow as it was.

The comedy is the worst part of the film, there is a funny guy called Tsunami Singh (Rajat Rawail) who does not raise any laughs. The kind of jokes that you can come across in the film is of making jokes on physical deformity, on an overweight person and on a midget-student.

Conclusion:

Among the things that work on Bodyguard’s favor is the timing of the release. It has released in the festive season, which mean hordes of people come in the holidays and the so-called merriment will extend towards the weekend as well. Enjoy the movie at your own peril

Rating: **1/2 (Above Average)