Let’s get the facts out of the way first. Salman Khan’s action comedy Dabangg 2, one of Bollywood’s most anticipated sequels, will release this Thursday. The lovable cop Chulbul Pandey is bigger and better this Christmas as he returns with his bombastic dialogues and bone-crunching action. Made on a budget of over Rs500 million (Dh33 million), the film is expected to rake in the big bucks as it hits over 3,000 screens in India and 450 screens overseas. The film, that re-instated Khan as one of the most invincible and bankable heroes, shows all the familiar signs of a blockbuster. tabloid! whips up a 10 things you should know about Dabangg 2 list before you head to the cinemas:
1. Dabangg 2, a tale of corrupt cop Chulbul Pandey, a.k.a Robinhood Pandey, who is governed by his own set of laws, will not be set against a rural backdrop. The sequel will see the rowdy cop being transferred to a city where he meets the devil incarnate in South Indian villain Prakash Raj. A set depicting the city of Kanpur was created at the Kamalistan Studios in Mumbai, where the first schedule of the film was shot.
2. Though the majority of the cast members from the original have been retained including Sonakshi Sinha and music composer Sajid Wajid, villian Cheddi Singh played by Sonu Sood will be missing in action. According to reports, Sood couldn’t give the required dates for the shoot.
3. Dabangg featured a loved-up Rajjo (Sonakshi Sinha) romancing her Pandeyji (Khan) in Dubai as a part of their honeymoon song and the sequel will see them return to the city. In the song Saanso, the two lovebirds are spotted at the popular cafe Shakespeare & Co in Jumeirah and unwinding at a resort. tabloid! also learnt that Chulbul Pandey celebrated his on-screen birthday. We spoke to Dubai-based cake artist Arwa Federal about baking a white and pink cake for Khan’s character. “Their brief was simple: they wanted a simple, vintage and pink cake. It’s wonderful to see my cake in Sonakshi’s hand and that too in a film like Dabangg,” said Federal.
4. Dabangg 2 is Arbaaz Khan’s first directorial venture. He upgraded himself from being the producer of the original blockbuster to the captain of the ship. In an earlier interview with tabloid!, Arbaaz revealed that he wasn’t just a producer in the traditional sense. “Abhinav [Kashyap, Dabangg’s director] discussed every scene that went into the film. Not only did he discuss it, I also had a take on every scene.” The result of playing a micro-manager boss? A bitter fallout between the director and producer, apparently.
5. If the original featured Arbaaz Khan’s wife Malaika Arora as Munni in the item number Munni Badnaam Hui, Dabangg 2 boasts of A-lister Kareena Kapoor gytrating to Fevicol Se. Skimpy blouse: check, midriff display: check, lewd lyrics: check, hotness guaranteed: question mark.
6. Watch out for the new face Sandeepa Dhar. The Kashmiri beauty, who made her debut with Isi Life Mein actress, is slated for an extended cameo in this film.
7. Dabangg 2 was shot under utmost secrecy. Did you know that at any given day there were at least 85 bodyguards swarming the sets of Dabangg 2. The Khan clan allegedly gave strict orders not to discuss the film to an outside party. Rumour has it that the film’s leading lady Sinha was given a stern telling off for discussing Dabangg 2 to her close pals.
8. Having revealed that, Salman Khan did not opt for a closed-door policy when it came to entertaining his friend Aamir on the sets of Dabangg. The two were seen catching up during the shoot of Dabangg 2 discussing their good old Andaaz Apna Apna days — the film that saw the two act together.
9. While Shah Rukh Khan broke his no-kissing clause for his latest romance Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Salman Khan won’t be rising to that challenge in Dabangg 2. In a recent interview to a leading Indian TV channel, he said that he was baffled when actors and directors claim kissing is integral to the script or story.
10. If all goes well with Dabangg 2, which is tipped to herald the Rs2 billion club, it will not be unrealistic to expect a Dabangg 3.
*Dabangg releases in the UAE on December 20
