Writer: Janak

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Watch this if you liked: “Singh Is Kinng”, “Veer” & “Wanted”

With the opening action sequence similar to Jackie Chan's fighting movements, an ending partially taken from "Flash Point" and a brief "Incredible Hulk" scene, what could one ask more from Bollywood? "Dabanng" (Fearless) has everything to offer ranging from action, drama, romance and to even a great soundtrack. Salman Khan plays Chulbul Robin Hood Pandey, a fearless and ruthless cop who will stop at nothing that comes in his way and oh boy, does he do it well with humour.

Salman Khan, who can be seen in almost every frame, dons a new stylish look and keeps a moustache for the very first time. Sonakshi Sinha (daughter of yesteryear star Shatrungha Sinha) makes her debut and despite not having much screen presence, she does grace her scenes beautifully. The list goes on with many stars making brief appearances bearing pivotal roles namely Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Sonu Sood, Anupam Kher, Mahesh Manjrekar, Om Puri and Tinnu Anand.

Director Abhinav Kashyap gives the film a text book and novel kind of story concept that veers away from the common Bollywood genre. Surprisingly, there was not a dull moment in the film despite the loose script that jumps from one scene to another hastily. One would not really get a moment to delve onto previous scenes as the story continues to move at a brisk speed.

The effects in "Dabanng" are reminiscent of Rajnikanth's style in his older films and are very interesting to watch. The dialogues were superb and there were some hilarious scenes too. However, certain fight sequences were too draggy and at times, might lead viewers to be confused and irritated.

Music and songs composed by Sajid-Wajid is entertaining because of its catchy and fun tunes. Songs like "Tere Tere Mast Do Nain" by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and "Munni Badnam" by Mamta Sharma will surely be a hit with the audience.

Overall, "Dabanng" is truly entertaining and belongs completely to Salman Khan. With his new image and style, fans will definitely love him all the way. Moreover, the film emerged as the top grosser for an opening day and weekend in India beating last year's box office hit "3 Idiots" and will see a sequel underway titled as "Dabanng 2: The Fearless Is Back".

Cinema Online, 15 September 2010