Just when you think you have seen it all, #JackieShroff hits the floor wearing that slinky red dress and gyrating his hips with #SalmanKhan. That shot left me perplexed; this was no more of how much you could get away with. On the other hand, this is about the enduring myth of a superstar who self-admittedly does not act at all. I spent a lot of time thinking about how this man gets away with what he does and decided that the review of this movie is not just about what he gets away with in this mad caper; but equally about why he does that!
ASHOK’s FIVE reviews #RadheYourMostWantedBhai,now streaming on #ZeePlex and #Zee5 and playing in your neighbourhood theatres. I know the reviews are completely polarised and words like ‘mind-numbing’ and ‘rehash of all his movies’ are being bandied about. I am therefore going to take a very different approach to this one. Yes, there is a lot of stuff that looks like a collage from many of Salman’s films, there are the usual item numbers, a hackneyed plot and feeble attempts at comedy but I must admit that I sat through Radhe a little mesmerised with the sheer audacity with which the aura of the 55-year old superstar lords over every scene.
#Radhe is based on a 2017 South Korean film #TheOutlaws and the story narrates how a rogue cop comes back to take on an urban drug lord and manages to beat him black and blue. Along the way, he romances his way with a woman who is 27 years younger! There are the usual heavy-duty action sequences, trademark dialogues, signature dance moves and some funny one-liners that might make you want to pull out your hair. There are also attempts to embrace a multitude of themes that Radhe must take on as the film progresses - in one scene Radhe is counselling college students to demonstrate their power and use social media to take on the goons. In another scene he champions women's emancipation and even counsels a female colleague not to back off. “Darr ke aage Zindagi hai” he admonishes her when she is scared. And right upfront, he even breaks the fourth wall to wish his fans ‘Eid Mubarak’.
Amidst all the leather jackets, dark glasses, blue bracelets and punk style henchmen, the movie stars #RandeepHooda as the gangster Rana, #JackieShroff as the heroine’s brother and Radhe’s boss and #DishaPatani as the love interest. There is also #JacquelineFernandez who puts in an item number. When Radhe the cop is brought back from the bench after a billion transfers, his girlfriend mistakes him for an aspiring model; and this is something we must accept. In another scene, she waltzes towards him and he falls into a stupor even as he is standing up! And in yet another scene he kisses his girl after putting a plaster on her lips! And then there are the usual ones - the shirtless photo frame and a digitized chest, a shot of his own residence Galaxy Apartments and the Dabangg style hip thrusting dance steps that propel his fans from their seats into the aisle for a spontaneous jig!
The myth of #SalmanKhan has perhaps to do with the fact that he has always been the same man. He is the only Khan who hasn't metamorphosed into a different person. He has played the same slightly altered version of the sensitive, brooding, simpleton man child who has been alone and rejected over the decades. As the socialist nation emerged into the capitalist economy post liberalisation, Hindi cinema either moved to the #KaranJohar brand of glitz and glamour with foreign locales or to the neo-realism of the multiplex cinema, spurred on by increased access to world cinema. Amidst this, fans have perhaps rewarded the 55-year old actor for staying consistent and staying relatable. The #SalmanKhan brand is all that the elder brother, the Bhai stands for - human, empathetic and wronged as he battles his demons.
Unlike the #SanjayDutt brand who is similar but aloof, the unique thing about this Khan is that he reaches out to his fans and is one of them always. And that explains how in spite of the black buck case, the footpath driving case and his numerous run-ins with female co-stars including in some relationships where physical abuse has been talked about, #SalmanKhan retains his popular aura. Needless to say, the #BeingHuman foundation and his charity work has helped redeem his image. He has also stayed the Bhai of Bollywood, as talent scout for many struggling actors as well as the physical trainer for the likes of #HrithikRoshan and countless other stars. And that's why the tantrums and the intransigent behaviour at times gets negated as he keeps essaying roles like Radhe.
The angry young man persona of #AmitabhBachchan in the seventies had agency with the masses in the license-permit raj in India. This gave way to the chocolate boy image of the upcoming stars in the nineties when scarcity was not an issue and entitlement was the order of the day. In the early 2000s, the boys grew up and macho was the new buzzword . And now in the 2020s, the macho man has now elevated himself from alpha male to the super-hero. And that perhaps explains why the aam junta troops in to watch this brand of films much like we watch the super-hero thrash a hundred villains or overturn a speeding car or even stomach the stab from a knife and continue to stay on his feet. Think about it …. Could any of the heroes today take on the mantle of the superhero ? Perhaps not ...and that is what #SalmanKhan and the #Radhe brand of films leverage so well.
#Prabhudeva comes back after #Dabangg3 to direct this amazingly whacky movie. This one is strictly for #SalmanKhan fans but the record ticket sales and video views prove that the popularity of the man and his antics is somewhat underestimated by most. In a candid interview, #SalmanKhan has even admitted that he does not really act; all he does is react to the situations that he is thrown into. And that's an amazing admission from a man who is an industry by himself !
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