Salman Khan rocks it

Dabangg

Cast Salman Khan, Sonakshi Sinha, Sonu Sood, Arbaaz Khan

Director Abhinav Singh Kashyap

Rating G

We're a nation starved of any superheroes. While the West paraded Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Hulk and numerous others, we were unable to create a worthy contender. But Kashyap junior, (he's brother to famed film-maker Anurag Kashyap) fills the gap with his inane yet powerful Chulbul Pandey. It isn't Kashyap who is promoting him as a superhero, but we are.

He's the kind of superhero we'd be proud to endorse. Barring a rather dull khaki outfit, this superhero is a perfect match forhis Western contemporaries. From his ridiculously illogical shirt-ripping power and matrix-styled bullet dodging stunts to his Rajnikant-inspired Rayban antics, outlandish dance moves and outrageous sense of humour, Kashyap's chalked out an affable Bollywood hero.

While Dilip Shukla joins Kashyap to pen some seriously fun one-liners for Chulbul, action master S Vijayan packs in dramatic stunts to help him knock down his enemies with finesse.

Khan plays the shady Chulbul with panache. Only he is capable of playing uncouth in an oh-so endearing manner. Kashyap, too, deserves applause for being unapologetically crass. He's created such an impressionable Robinhood: one who is unabashedly corrupt, yet hopelessly romantic and gullible. He fleshes out his flamboyant quirks without going overboard. But while Kashyap hits the nail with Chulbul, he snubs others. Clearly, Sinha's debut is overshadowed by the mighty Khan's brashness. She, however, attempts to hold her own but it doesn't pay off. Among the supporting cast, it's only Sood, who matches Khan's gimmicks and his toned abs! Even sis-in-law Malaika's dance moves remain unimpressive when compared to Khan's.

Kashyap scores top honours only for creating an unpretentiously intelligent Bollywood masala flick. A definite must-watch for all Salman Khan fans.