Directed by: Siddique

Starring : Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Raj Babbar.

Sallu Bhai’s opening punch-line in the movie goes like this “Please do me a favor by not doing me any favor!”. If we are to abide by this line, then distributors need to eat the losses that come along. Only a favor  from generous movie going audience can save Salman this time because the script doesn’t!

If it wasn’t for Salman-Kareena casting, this movie would not have generated so much hype and anticipation. This in a way becomes the drawback too. Let me explain. Salman Khan is a mass puller! In Bollywood, the mass-puller protagonist movies follow a stereotype introduction. Innocent families would be in grave danger and need immediate help! Some not-so-popular character would start introducing ‘the Messiah’! You see, now the audience need not worry about those in need of help because the hero would break into an introduction song and would sing all praises about himself. Only then he goes and saves those in need. As the movie progresses, at regular intervals Kareena needs to be indulged too, can’t ignore her for long. This is the most challenging part for screenplay writers and the director too.

Siddique (Director) fails miserably in keeping the screenplay intact while saving the image of the lead actors. There are un-necessary action sequences involving Salman Khan with gravity defying stunts. He actually jumps out of a running train and lands on the top of another running train that is moving in the opposite direction.

The plot follows the larger-than-life concept of the mistress (Kareena) falling for the servant (Bodyguard Salman). What makes you feel all the more sympathetic for the mistress is that she does not get to go out on a date with any other guy in a management school. She was born to fall in love with her bodyguard! Really? The incidents towards the end of the movie were supposed to surprise you but they amuse you instead !

Though you have loads of cheap visual effects employed to capture the anti-gravity stunts, the production team still manages to come up with a good background score and even better sound mixing. The songs are not bad either. Welcome back Himesh bhai, keeping a low-profile these days?

Kareena Kapoor is back on the big screen after quite some time and she sizzles. Choosing Salman for a role of a bodyguard was a no-brainer. However there is a romantic shade to his character and it only makes him look retarded. Raj Babbar does a neat role. We have a self-proclaimed comedian Rajat Rawail who calls himself Tsunami singh in the movie. Being obese does not generate humor these days.

Aspiring bodyguards please take note – Never answer a phone call from “Private number”!

Varun Mannava Gowtham