Review by Taran Adarsh, Rating: 4.5 Okay, lets get one thing straight: Salman Khans movies are critic-proof. The naysayers or those baying for his blood may frown on the slipups and blemishes in his movies, point out gaping plot holes, accuse him of opting for remakes rather than original concepts, slam him for using his superstardom for masala entertainers… but you cannot overlook the fact that when Salman saunters on screen, he sets it ablaze with his charm and magnetism. The star-performer carries the weight of the entire film comfortably on his broad shoulders. Everything he does on screen is emulated by his fans pronto: styling, hair style, killer dialogue, dance steps et al. Referred to as Bhai by those close to him, he is now the Bhai or the iconic on-screen characters he has portrayed over the years -- Prem, Radhe, Chulbul Pandey, Lovely Singh, Tiger -- for zillions of fans across the globe. Salman, the star machine, is the Pied Piper of Hindi cinema. He *doesnt* promise path-breaking or art house cinema. The focus is on those three magical words: Entertainment, entertainment and entertainment. And thats what matters to a wide majority of movie-going audience. Sure, the charismatic stars newest outing KICK is a remake of the super-successful Telugu film KICK [2009; directed by Surender Reddy and starring Ravi Teja, Ileana DCruz and Shaam]. But theres a world of a difference between KICK, directed by Sajid Nadiadwala, and Salmans last few entertainers. This ones more stylized, has opulence and gloss reeking in every frame and is very international in terms of execution. However, the prime question remains the same: Is KICK Blockbuster material? Yes, of course! The premise of KICK, first! On a train journey in Warsaw, a pretty psychiatrist, Shaina [Jacqueline Fernandez], meets Himanshu [Randeep Hooda], a police officer from India, for an arranged match. They share their pasts with each other. Shaina shares the story of her ex-boyfriend Devi Lal Singh [Salman Khan], a guy who lived only for Kick. She talks about his madness and their whirlwind romance, until one day he breaks up with her for a new kick and walks away, never to return. Himanshu tells her about his glorious escapades and that he has finally met his match -- an intelligent thief. What they dont know is that their stories have one thing in common -- Devil. He returns back into their lives under a new guise of having lost his memory. Behind it all is a deeper mystery and an uncompromising mission… KICK marks Sajid Nadiadwalas rendezvous with direction and though the debutant director may have looked Southwards to choose the story, when it comes to executing the written material, the inspiration is clearly the West: the larger-than-life Hollywood fares. Having produced over a dozen movies till date, Sajid has abundant experience and expertise and knows precisely how to use the familiar tropes to his advantage. Sajid conjures up a world that combines visual brilliance with several knockout episodes. Like Salman, Sajid too has a one-point agenda: Entertainment. No wonder, Sajid and his team of writers ensure that they need to offer more to the astute viewer than what has been witnessed thus far, since the promos have raised the bar and multiplied their expectations. That explains why the cat and mouse game [played between Randeep and Salman] doesnt follow the tried and tested rules, while the conflict between the Samaritan and the antagonist [Salman and Nawazuddin Siddiqui] steers clear of the conventional configuration. As a matter of fact, the frantic twists and turns in the storyline are proof that Sajid and his writing team are keen to offer the audience that extra dose of entertainment which would make KICK a kickass entertainer. KICK has the magnificence [in terms of production values] that was lacking in Salmans previous movies. This is a big ticket movie and Sajid, who has produced larger-than-life extravaganzas in the past, makes sure every frame appears luminous, tasteful and eye-catching.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 18:27:37 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015