★ Power of two !!

Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan try to make sense of the “Dabangg” kind of cinema.

After the phenomenal success of “Dabangg” Arbaaz Khan and Salman Khan are back with a sequel. Produced and directed by Arbaaz, who is making his debut as a director, “Dabangg-2” is a continuation of the exploits of Chulbul ‘Robin Hood’ Pandey, who now is married and has shifted to Nagpur.

“The main cast of the film hasn’t been altered. Vinod Khanna and I are also there. Only Prakash Raj joins in as the main villain. Apart from him the film also has a guest appearance by Kareena Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt,” said Arbaaz at a press conference in New Delhi.

Asked about the pressure to make the sequel of a successful film, Arbaaz said, “It doesn’t matter whether it is the first movie or tenth. Every movie involves the same amount of labour. But yes, being a director was a new thing and a challenge that I was to eager to take up.” On the trend of action comedy getting repetitive, Salman said, “Such films cannot survive on action alone. It has to be mixed with comedy, only then it becomes interesting for the audience to watch it.”

Speaking on the pressure of the market forces on the making of a movie, Arbaaz reasoned, “Market forces do have a role to play because they are the ones who ultimately take the film to the audience. Having said that, the first priority for any director is his film and the storyline; everything else comes later. The market is an important factor but it cannot determine the making of a film.”

Salman chipped in, “In the industry you never know when your doomsday starts. Mine will also come some day or the other. The day you realise that people are losing their money purchasing your tickets, it’s time to go.”

He asserted, “The character of Chulbul Pandey is important, because when an ordinary person is shown to struggle and survive against opponents through larger-than-life means, it not only entertains but also highlights the day-to-day problems of the people.”

Arbaaz added, “As a director one thing that needs to be ensured is that the image of the star does not overshadow the theme of the movie. In ‘Dabangg-2’ we tried to ensure this. While Chulbul Pandey is the centre of attraction in the entire film, he too is an emotional man, who cries, romances, is angry like any other person. It is ensured that he is not above all and is guided by these forces like any ordinary person.”

This definitely is not the end, and plans for “Dabangg-3” are on the cards, but surely a lot depends on how the audience accepts Chulbul.

TheHindu