By Surendra Bhatia
The Christmas week, 2019, belongs to Salman Khan. He’s all set to release Dabangg 3, the third edition of the immensely entertaining original film that first opened in 2010 to full houses, followed by a weak replica that masqueraded as a sequel, Dabangg 2, in 2012. Now, almost seven years later, Salman will reprise the iconic role of Inspector Chulbul Pandey for the December 20 release that should light up the early days of 2020 too!
One hundred days before its release, Salman has launched a mini-teaser with a swaggering tagline of ‘Swagat toh karo hamara’, well in tune with the character that had taken the audiences by storm nine years ago. The third film in the series is directed by Prabhu Deva, a stylish slightly over-the-top South director, who is certain to give the film a radically different look and feel. Hopefully, the Prabhu Deva ishtyle will enhance the narrative of the rogue cop with a golden heart that was so endearing when it first hit the screens.
Prabhu Deva is a key component in this production. Dabangg 2 was handicapped by the reluctance of its producer-turned-director, Arbaaz Khan, to think afresh on the storyline and treatment of his directorial debut. He took the retrograde step of sticking to the template of the previous edition, and audiences were hard put to see it as a fresh film. Salman’s presence and the popularity of Chulbul Pandey rescued Dabangg 2 to a certain extent but it left Arbaaz’s reputation as a director in tatters. It is unlikely that Prabhu Deva will allow this to happen to him. He’s too seasoned to not leave his stamp on Dabangg 3. In fact, even the mini-teaser is all about the director. A low unrealistic angle greets the fans, with a giant Salman striding forward, one foot on camera, kicking away some obstacle with the side of his foot, and staying on in the final frame like a huge cutout against the sky, that we so often see of South Indian stars. This is probably known as the South shot – exaggerated, unreal, but unmistakably overflowing with star idolisation.
Dabangg 3, going by its mini-teaser, promises to be a worthy sequel of the original film, and that in itself would be a mouth-watering prospect for Salman’s fans. Bring on the show!
