'Bodyguard' (Hindi)
Director: Siddique
Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Raj Babbar
Every Salman Khan film has certain preconditions that need to be followed to the T. His latest offering Bodyguard is no exception. An introductory song and dance performance, a punchline ( Mujh par ek ehsaan karna... ), safely keeping aside accessories (a watch this time) before bashing up the goons, and new innovative ways to go shirtless (this time owing to water gushing out from a broken pipe) — all find place in this Kareena Kapoor-Salman Khan-starrer.
But in this quest to satisfy Salman’s fans, other characters take a backseat and the storyline gets painfully fixed on this bodyguard, Lovely Singh (Salman Khan), to whom Divya (Kareena Kapoor) calls and feigns love in a bid to get rid of his rigid ways.
The villains are just caricatures in this flick with hardly any scope for performance. They come once in a while to scare and attempt to kill poor Divya and that gives immense scope for our bodyguard to flex his muscles, show some daredevil stunts, and beat the hell out of the goons. The prank player Divya ultimately falls for him just before the interval when the bodyguard saves her life from the villains.
But 'Bodyguard' does have its moments. The first half is lovable as Lovely Singh transforms from an uniformed bodyguard dressed in black to a dancing loverboy, dressed in jeans and T- shirts. He is enchanted by his silent admirer who calls him often without disclosing her identity. The first half, which mostly focuses on the pranks the girl plays on Lovely, gives some light-hearted moments that are worth watching.
Salman looks fresh and plays his part well. He gets into the skin of the character well and looks cool, and charming, not to mention dashing. He plays the role of the grim-looking and strict bodyguard to perfection.
For all those Salman fans, the movie is a treat, coming close on the success of 'Dabangg' and 'Ready'.
Kareena too looks beautiful and plays the supporting role to the hero perfectly. But the lack of chemistry between the two is dampening, as they don’t have many romantic scenes together. The dream song and the dance routine between the two doesn’t light up the screen either.
The second half shows a confused Divya torn between her love for the bodyguard and her status as his ‘madam’. Bodyguard Lovely Singh can’t see his madam as anything more than a damsel in distress, as he owes his life to his maalik and Divya’s father, Sartaaj Rana (Raj Babbar), a wealthy feudal lord in a small town called Jaisinghpur. She lets go of her love, as her best friend advises there’s no future to this relationship.
But, its only after the customary dishum-dishum and killing-the-goons formula in the climax that the real story unfolds and leaves the audiences more confused and in disarray. When you expect the two to finally unite and relieve you from the painstaking love story, a surprise awaits you. Divya’s best friend Maya ditches her and portrays herself to be the mysterious girl in love with the bodyguard and subsequently marries him.
The two lead actors finally unite through a diary written by late Maya to her son, a tribute to perhaps 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'. Oof, the twists and turns were uncalled for, and the film could have been much better without it.
What could have been a happy-go-lucky film, was ruined by an incoherent climax. Nowhere in the film does the director show Maya to have feelings for the bodyguard. Why the goons were hell bent on killing Divya was not explained properly either. But despite its glitches, the film is worth a watch. If you are a Salman fan, you shouldn’t miss this one.