So here it is. A new genre of cinema. The Spaghetti Eastern. The velocity is virulent. The violence is relentless. The narrative doesn't pause for action. It is between bouts of the violence that characters take a breather to say things to one another that they don't really mean.
This is Dabangg. A world swarming with uni-dimensional characters who seem to know exactly which way the fists fly. We certainly don't. The comic book hero Chulbul Pandey, played with lip smacking pleasure by Salman Khan, shows up in every dingy warehouse in this mofussil town to settle scores, man to man.
Dabangg is the kind of old-fashioned family drama combined with a vendetta saga that we thought had gone out of fashion in the 1980s. Chulbul Pandey could have been played by Amitabh Bachchan 30 years ago. Yes, that killing comic dimension that Salman brings into his characters has its roots in the Big B's action-comedy films.
And Dimple Kapadia, wheezing, coughing, groaning and ranting her way through the mother's role (what got into Dimple???) hams her way through this action drama where being opulently outrageous comes naturally to everyone.
But all said and damned, there is something to be said about Salman's Chulbul Pandey's ability to be cartoonish, caricutural and larger than life and yet warm and very real in his tongue-in-cheek bravura.
Some of the less over-punctuated moments in this film of ceaseless bone-crunching sound-effects occur each time Chulbul woos his bulbul Rajjo (debutant Sonakshi Sinha). Each time she passes by, Salman becomes putty in her hands. The debutante has eyes that plead for peace. But who's listening? The raucous riotous soundtrack is slave only to the rhythm of blood gore and screams of innumerable goons crashing through wooden supports that have seen better days.
The action sequences are the backbone of this bone-breaking actioner. The stunts are done in an enticing mix of masti and mayhem. The crusted dusty-brown unwashed ambience is created with care. But the plot is almost completely free of delicate moments.
Dabangg is Ram Gopal Varma's Shool on steroids. In Shool, Manoj Bajpayee was the honest cop on a cleansing spree in a Bihari backwater town. In Dabangg, Salman takes on the mofussil mafia with much more humour than Bajpayee could muster.
It is the need of the hour. We have to laugh away the corruption and violence all around us. Salman does a splendid job of it. It's hard to tell where debutant director Abhinav Kashyap's abilities end and the action director Vijayan Master's begin. That seamless quality goes well with this unpunctuated tribute to the spirit of free-for-all one-upmanship.
An ear-catching music score by Sajid-Wajid does diminish the level of violence in the presentation. Sonakshi Sinha uses her eyes beautifully. And the song ‘Tere Mast Mast Do Nain' describes her eloquent expressions well.
But this is a Salman Khan vehicle all the way. He gets to be funny sassy wicked and belligerent...sometimes all at once. Sonu Sood as the main antagonist brings an in-your-face menace to his villainy.
He is in character. Though Salman slips out of character quite often...And quite happily.
British Actress Gemma Arterton has been named woman of the year at the GQ Men of the Year Awards, which was held at the Royal Opera House
in London. The Kinks star Ray Davis received the outstanding achievement prize, while Damon Albarn's cartoon group Gorillaz were named best band. Former Oasis star Noel Gallagher was at the ceremony, and admitted Damon - who was historically his bitter rival due to Oasis' feud with Blur in the 90s - was worthy of the recognition.
"Gorillaz definitely deserve some kind of award - if only for having 104 people on stage at Glastonbury. What a rider that must''ve been to organise - more complicated than a Big Brother shopping list!" Stuff.co.nz quoted Noel as joking, referring to Gorillaz' performance at the Glastonbury music festival this year, where they were joined on stage by several special guests.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron received the best politician award, and took the opportunity to joke with the crowd. He poked fun at England soccer player Wayne Rooney, who took to the pitch for his country last night amid allegations he cheated on his wife with a prostitute while she was pregnant.
"I can bring you the news that Wayne Rooney has scored - this time it was on the pitch, in the opposition's goal and actually playing for his country," David said.
Other winners included Mad Men actor Jon Hamm who was named best international man, Giorgio Armani who received the designer prize and Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick who got the breakthrough talent accolade.
GQ Men of the Year Awards 2010 winners list:
International Man - Jon Hamm
Alfred Dunhill Cultural Icon - Anish Kapoor
Outstanding Achievement - Ray Davies
Woman - Gemma Arterton
Band - Gorillaz
Sportsman - Ryan Giggs
Politician - David Cameron
Designer - Giorgio Armani
Actor - Matt Smith
Solo Artist - Dizzee Rascal
Breakthrough Talent - Ed Westwick
Writer - Martin Amis
Newspaper Editor - Simon Kelner
Comedian - James Corden
Chef - Heston Blumenthal
Entrepreneur - Nick Jones
Editor's Special - Jason Statham
Smirnoff Black Most Stylish Man - Aaron Johnson.
'Harry Potter' star Emma Watson has apparently slammed the popular 'Twilight' series for selling sex. The 22-year-old actress, who reprises her role as Hermione in the upcoming 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part I, condemned the rival franchise during a conference call with journalists.
"This kiss between Hermione and Ron [Weasley played by co-star Rupert Grint] is highly anticipated, it's been building up for eight films now," the New York Daily News quoted her as telling OK Magazine. "And Harry Potter is not 'Twilight,' you know'. We're not selling sex," she added.
Watson had been addressing the long-gestating romance between Hermione and Ron, leading up to a kiss. Although it is a fan favourite from the book, Watson admitted it was uncomfortable for her and Grint to shoot. "In fact, it was horribly awkward; we couldn't stop laughing," she said.
Kendra Wilkinson is a hot siren herself, but can’t stop gushing about her favourites in Hollywood – especially Beyonce Knowles' derriere, which she likes so much that she would like to bite it.
The former Playboy Playmate couldn’t stop praising Scarlett Johansson and Beyoncé at Svedka's BartonBotCamp at David Barton Gym, reports The New York Post.
Wilkerson said that she loves Johansson's legs and lips because she has sexiness without trying.
And she finds Beyoncé's butt so nice that she 'wants to just bite it!' Her own body, however, is reserved for Philadelphia Eagle Hank Baskett and she's nicknamed her legs 'Hank's happy trail.'
Hugh Hefner's ex-girlfriend Karissa Shannon has claimed that Heidi Montag's estranged husband Spencer Pratt has stolen the sex tape she had made with 'The Hills' star. Shannon told RadarOnline.com "there is a sex tape of me and Heidi," adding that Pratt was not present when they shot the footage.
"It's just me and Heidi, that's it," Fox News quoted her as saying. Pratt threatened to release a sex tape of Montag earlier this month, but Shannon argues that he is not the tapes owner, claiming he stole her camera when he picked some of his items from Montag's Malibu home.
"Me and Heidi were hanging out at her house in Malibu and he came over to pick up some stuff and he 'accidentally' took my camera. I talk to Heidi every single day and I tried to be there for her when she was going through her divorce, but now it's starting to affect my life. Spencer had no right to steal my camera. There are other things on there that I don't want to come out, including the video of me and Heidi," Shannon added.
Shannon told TMZ she plans to sue Pratt if he tries to sell the tape. She also said there were other things on the video she would prefer the world not see. According to TMZ, Pratt is shopping the tape to Vivid Entertainment.
Tom Cruise recently crashed a motorbike into a wall while showing fans his moves. The screen legend was treating teenage fans to a glimpse of his motorcycling skills when he lost control and crashed, reports the Mirror.
The star offered to pay for the damage but the star struck teen asked the actor to sign the bike instead.
Even in his latest flick Knight And Day Cruise performed a nail-biting scene, which consisted of the Hollywood star helming a speeding motorcycle with a gun-toting Cameron Diaz astride him.
Actress Marilyn Monroe has been voted the greatest blonde of all time by OnePoll.com, an online market research company.
The legend has beaten a host of modern beauties, including Cameron Diaz, Madonna and Scarlett Johansson.
"Marilyn Monroe has always been known for her iconic blonde hair," contactmusic.com quoted a spokesperson from the company as saying.
"But it's amazing to think that even now, almost half a century after her death, she has still beaten modern blondes to the top spot.
"Her hair is synonymous with 1950s glamour but it has stood the test of time against hair styles and colours which have come and gone over the years," he added.
Monroe became an icon after her tragic death in 1962 and had relationships with a string of famous men during her life, including playwright Arthur Miller and she allegedly dated US President John F. Kennedy.The top 20 Greatest Blondes of all time are:
1. Marilyn Monroe
2. Grace Kelly
3. Brigitte Bardot
4. Cameron Diaz
5. Holly Willoughby
6. Joanna Lumley
7. Scarlett Johansson
8. Stevie Nicks
9. Olivia Newton-John
10. Debbie Harry
11. Madonna
12. Doris Day
13. Goldie Hawn
14. Gwen Stefani
15. Denise Van Outen
16. Barbara Windsor
17. Honor Blackman
18. Tess Daly
19. Charlize Theron
20. Paris HiltonTags:
marilyn Monroe, Grace KellyBrigitte Bardot, Cameron Diaz, Holly Willoughby, Joanna Lumley, Scarlett Johansson, Stevie Nicks, Olivia Newton-John, Debbie Harry, Madonna, Doris Day, Goldie Hawn, Gwen Stefani, Denise Van Outen, Barbara Windsor, Honor Blackman, Tess Daly, Charlize Theron, Paris Hilton