Salman is a timeless hero
Watching Salman Khan in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan is akin to being caught in a time warp. There he is defying all our concept of age (and wisdom) to embark on yet another mindless, senseless, action-entertainer, armed with nothing but his superstardom and nary a doubt that he can and will bash any number of goons, romance another simpering young girl, showcase his nimble-footed moves on the dance floor, while throwing around catchphrases like ‘Bring it On’, and a couple of ‘hail motherland’ to appease the patriotic ones. And lo and behold, we have a super hit on our hands. Or do we???
Salman Khan IS the plot
If you are among the rare group that only goes to watch a Salman Khan movie based on the storyline, here goes. Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, directed by Farhad Samji (Housefull 4) is a remake of the 2014 Tamil hit Veeram starring Southern superhero Ajit. Salman plays the central figure of Bhaijaan, a good-hearted samaritan who will fight any villainous soul who dares to disturb the peace within his neighbourhood.
Oh, and by the way, big brother has taken a vow to remain a bachelor to ensure no woman can upset the family dynamics between him and his three brothers (Siddharth Nigam, Raghav Juyal, Jassie Gill). Enter Bhagya (a fetching Pooja Hegde who somewhat makes up for her beau’s one-expression act), a conservator-restorer who does everything else other than her designated job, and her peace-loving brother Annaya (Venkatesh), the patriarch of a picture-perfect Telugu family, that looks like they have stepped off a gold/silk store ad.
Salman CAN fly
The jacket comes flying first. Next comes Bhaijaan who not only manages to shrug on the aforementioned garment mid-air, but land on his feet to cheers and whistles from his on-screen fans. If one scene could encapsulate the logic-defying KKBKKJ motto, it has to be this entry scene.
Real-life boxer and Olympian Vijender Singh makes a natty turn as the villainous MLA Mahavir and doesn’t pull his punches when it comes to the fight scenes. He and Jagapathi Babu make a gruesome twosome, though sadly they have to sacrifice their intense, one-tone act at the altar of the do-gooder superhero.
The gratuitous violence can be off-putting, though Salman fans can cheer that their hero made of sterner stuff is as usual able to lift a jeep single-handedly, survive being driven over by a vehicle and pull through a fatal rock-bashing episode. Even Hulk can’t match up to him, we bet.
Salman is a generous co-star
While KKBKKJ is an out and out Salman movie, there is no denying the other cast get enough and more time to showcase their histrionics. Be it Pooja Hegde, whose main brief is admittedly to look bedazzled by her much older beau or senior artists like Venkatesh and Jagapathi Babu, enough time is given to all to shine on screen.
Vijender Singh is a class apart and makes his mark without relying on too much histrionics; though the three brothers and their vacuous love-interests played by Shehnaaz Gill, Palak Tiwari and Malavika Sharma, are easily interchangeable. Maine Pyaar Kiya fans will have a deja vu moment when the radiant Bhagyashree makes a special appearance. Fans of the younger Salman will no doubt enjoy this blast from the past.
Salman can move
The action and the story conveniently give way to song and dance routines every few minutes, which means Bhaijaan gets to show off his agile moves, and his knee bending dance step could easily become the rage among those with two left-feet.
In the Yentamma song, with a special appearance by Ram Charan, the ‘lungi’ should have factually been a ‘dhoti’, but then who worries about semantics in a Bollywood song.
If and only IF you are able to remain steadfast after two-and-a-half hours of over-stimulation at the theatre, only then do we recommend you sit back while the end credits are rolling, and watch open-mouthed Honey Singh’s Let’s Dance Chotu Motu, which will make you cry tears of…. (we leave that open-ended for now)
Final Verdict
Is KKBKKJ worth a trip to the theatres? If you are a true-blue Salman Khan fan, even the prospect of watching aghast a story line that oscillates between melodrama, logic defying action, hip thrusting, mass choreographed song sequences starring air-brushed heroes and heroines can’t be that hard, can it?
And especially if you enjoy watching your superhero strut around in slow-mo, his perfectly chiselled abs on show, glares on even in the middle of the night, kicking, punching and pummelling at foes while he walks away intact, then who are we to deny you the pleasure.
Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan
Director: Farhad Samji
Cast: Salman Khan, Pooja Hegde, Venkatesh Daggubati, Jagapathi Babu, Vijender Singh, Shehnaaz Gill, Siddharth Nigam, Palak Tiwari
Rating: We can't stress enough this is purely for Salman Khan fans alone.